The Anti-Defamation League on Friday announced that only nine U.S. states are meeting the organization's standards for fighting antisemitism.
Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, New York, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia were designated "Leading States" because they're showing high alignment with ADL's recommended policies to combat antisemitism, according to the ADL.
Another 29 states were classified as "Progressing States" that have shown alignment with some key pieces of the policy agenda and demonstrating a clear path for future action, and 12 states were categorized as "Limited Action States" for displaying little systematic effort to address antisemitism through policy.
California and Virginia received the highest marks, with Montana and Wyoming earning the worst.
The designations were based on the ADL's new Jewish Policy Index (JPI), an interactive tool created to evaluate every U.S. state's response to antisemitism through legislation, education, and public policy.
The JPI is designed to empower policymakers, community leaders, and residents in every state to act, by identifying where their state falls short, understanding the specific steps needed for improvement, and advocating for stronger protections by engaging lawmakers and their communities.
The state groupings came after the ADL previously announced that there has been a staggering 344% increase in antisemitic incidents in the U.S. during the last five years.
FBI data found that Jewish Americans were the victims in nearly 70% of all religiously motivated hate crimes in the United States in 2024.
"ADL has long been calling for a whole-of-government approach to fighting antisemitism, and the Jewish Policy Index fills a critical gap by providing a clear roadmap for states to support their Jewish communities," ADL CEO and National Director Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement.
"With antisemitic incidents at record highs nationwide, we need more than rhetoric — we need real, measurable policy action. This tool offers us a comprehensive picture of where states are and what steps they can take to do better. We urge state lawmakers to take swift and decisive action to enact strong policies and laws that protect their Jewish communities."
The Trump administration has taken a leading role in fighting antisemitism on college campuses by refusing federal funding to institutions who fail to take steps to prevent anti-Israel demonstrations.
After targeting private universities such as Columbia and Harvard, the administration has suspended $584 million in federal grants for the University of California, Los Angeles. UCLA is the first public university whose federal grants have been targeted by the administration over allegations of civil rights violations related to antisemitism and affirmative action.