By Vanguard Staff
DAVIS, CA – California Jews are reporting significantly greater symptoms of depression and anxiety since the Hamas attacks on Israeli civilians in October 2023, according to a University of California, Davis study published in the American Psychological Association journal Psychological Trauma on July 28.
Researchers said the findings point to a troubling increase in psychological distress that extends far beyond the immediate violence in Israel and Gaza. They noted that the trauma experienced by California’s Jewish community was compounded by a surge in antisemitism across the United States.
“The study highlights the psychological toll of the October 7th Hamas attacks even on Jews living thousands of miles from the conflict. But what is important to note is that concerns about antisemitism right here in the U.S., beyond the trauma from the attack itself, were a key driver of this psychological distress,” said Leah C. Hibel, professor of human ecology at UC Davis and lead author of the paper. “These findings suggest a greater need for mental health providers who have the knowledge, skills and awareness to understand and respect the unique cultural and discriminatory experiences of Jews.”
The research surveyed more than 200 Jewish parents of children ages 2 to 18 living in Northern California. The survey period began in September 2023, just before the attacks, and extended through August 2024. The project was originally designed to assess the impact of antisemitism on Jewish well-being. By coincidence, the survey period overlapped with the Oct. 7 massacre, the ensuing war and humanitarian crisis in the Middle East, and what Hibel described as a historic rise in antisemitism in the United States.
Families were recruited for the study through Jewish cultural organizations, community centers, synagogues, and schools. By tracking participants both before and after Oct. 7, the study was able to document shifts in mental health connected to the attack and the political climate that followed.
According to Hibel, the data revealed striking changes. The survey showed a 30 percent increase in depressive symptoms and a 45 percent increase in anxiety symptoms among participants after Oct. 7. More than 60 percent of respondents said they had directly experienced an antisemitic incident. Examples included vandalism of synagogues and harassment in public spaces. Hibel said these experiences with antisemitism were a primary factor in the reported increase in mental health problems.
“Jewish-serving organizations can assist in providing group therapy, support groups, and community gatherings to help those affected to process fears and concerns surrounding the Oct. 7 massacre and the current rise in antisemitism,” the researchers concluded in the paper. “Jewish community leaders should build bridges with existing community mental health organizations to increase the cultural competence of non-Jewish providers.”
The findings align with similar surveys in other marginalized communities, which have shown that discrimination based on gender, sexual orientation, or race and ethnicity is consistently tied to negative mental health outcomes. The UC Davis research emphasized that antisemitism, like other forms of bigotry, operates as a significant public health concern.
Hibel said the broader lesson of the study is that discrimination, in all its forms, has serious consequences for mental health. “While this study emphasizes the specific public health concern of antisemitism, Jews are not the only group impacted by rises in bigotry and discrimination, or the violence in the Middle East, and those groups should also be examined for mental health concerns,” she said.
The published paper, “Mental Health in Californian Jews Before and After October 7, 2023,” was co-authored by Hibel along with Miriam Sigal and Yael Teff-Seker. It documented measurable increases in stress, anxiety and depression following the Hamas attacks, and identified antisemitism as a critical factor explaining why Jewish participants’ mental health deteriorated in the aftermath.
The researchers said the results suggest an urgent need for expanded mental health services tailored to Jewish communities, as well as greater cultural training for mental health providers who may not be familiar with the specific challenges facing Jews in the diaspora.
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This is what a real study looks like.
“While this study emphasizes the specific public health concern of antisemitism, Jews are not the only group impacted by rises in bigotry an”d discrimination, or the violence in the Middle East, and those groups should also be examined for mental health concerns,”
I am very glad this statement was made.
I would also like to see a comparative study between the mental health impacts of October 7th on antizionist Jews vs. non-antizionist Jews.
I also have a sarcastic joke speculating on the pre-10/7 baseline status of the members of those two groups, but I’ll imply it — and withhold it — and let you fill in the details yourselves :-|
Alan you should’ve quit while you were ahead with your first post.
I’m a non/post-Zionist American Jew grad student that was harassed and retaliated against while being called a Zionist. Anti-Zionism is often antisemitism, and it’s propelled the vast majority of antisemitic acts I’ve experienced as an openly (tzitzit, kippah) Jewish grad student. It feels like no one sees me as an individual but as a symbol to be defaced or disappeared. I’m tired and sad all the time. If there is to be any division, it should be between open Jews and closet Jews. Please ask us how it’s been regardless of what we call ourselves, our identity doesn’t change how we are perceived. If you haven’t asked us, the tzitzit and kippah Jews, then you’ve been negligent.