New York City has seen a 214% increase in reported hate crimes against Jewish people in October 2023, compared to the same period last year.
The figures were released this week by the New York Police Department (NYPD). Other forms of hate crime have also been observed in the October 2023 figures.
Over October, 69 crimes targeting Jewish victims were reported, compared to just 22 during the same period last year.
The rise in antisemitic hate crimes in the Big Apple came as public anger grew over Israel's airstrikes over Gaza in response to the October 7 Hamas attack in its southern region, which killed over 1,400 civilians and took about 240 hostages.
The Anti-Defamation League also reported an initial 388% spike in antisemitic incidents in the first two weeks of the war, documenting 312 cases of such during that time period, according to The Hill.
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Members of the New York Police Department patrol in front of a synagogue on October 13, 2023, in the Williamsburg neighborhood in the borough of Brooklyn in New York City. Security has increased in New York City in the wake of the Hamas attack on Israel and after a former leader of Hamas called for Friday the 13th to be a global Jihad day.
Hate Crime Still Down from 2022, NYPD Says
NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny noted last month that hate crimes had been on the rise since the conflict raging in the Middle East. However, he added that hate crime was still down year-to-date.
"Hate crime is still down, but since the incident in Gaza, there's been an uptick," he said.
The majority of the hate crimes related to the war were composed of graffiti, criminal mischief, and aggravated harassment, cases that were - as per Kenny - "basically almost bordering on free speech where people are yelling back and forth at each other until it takes a weird turn."
The New York Post reported that a few assaults were also recorded, like the incident last Wednesday (November 8), when a person struck a 29-year-old man in the back of the head with an unknown object at the intersection of Ludlam Place and Sullivan Place in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, police reported.
The attacker allegedly said "I don't like Jews" before fleeing the scene, according to police sources. The attacker remains at large as of writing.
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