abstract
| - Jewish Americans have flourished in the United States, enjoying freedom and opportunity that have not been afforded to them in other countries. However, like other minorities, Jewish Americans have also suffered prejudice and oppression, especially during times of economic hardship or war. During World War I and the Great Depression, Jews were often targeted as scapegoats. Antisemitism in the United States has always been less prevalent and less severe than its counterpart in Europe. Moreover, its occurrence has been on a generally decreasing trend since the end of World War II. However, antisemitism continues to exist among a minority of the American populace (about 14%). In the United States, most Jewish community relations agencies draw a distinction between antisemitism which is measured in terms of attitudes and behaviors and the security and status of American Jews which is measured by specific incidents. While antisemitic attitudes and behaviors have been on a general downward trend, there has been an upward spike in antisemitic incidents, a trend which has been disturbing to Jewish community relations agencies. In addition, some scholars have commented on a perception that has grown during the past decade that there is a greater expression of both behavioral and attitudinal antisemitism than is reflected in the data collected and assessed by experts in the field.
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