Antisemitic Hate Crimes Spike 400 Percent In NYC

NEW YORK CITY — Swastikas on a school bus, the words "F--- Jews" scrawled on a restaurant storefront and antisemitic graffiti on a Queens dentist office are among more than 50 antisemitic hate crimes committed in New York City last month, NYPD data show.

This uptick represents a fivefold increase in hate crime targeted at Jewish people.

More than half of the 107 hate crimes committed in New York City last month were directed at Jewish people with 56 reported in a single month, the NYPD said.

That's a 409 percent increase from the 11 antisemitic hate crimes the NYPD reported in February 2021.

City Hall did not immediately respond to Patch's request for comment, but the Feb. 12 attack on a teen in traditional Jewish garb randomly punched in Flatbush prompted Mayor Eric Adams to address the city.

"Make no mistake," Adams said later that night, "an attack on our Jewish community is an attack on every New Yorker."

The spike in antisemitic hate crimes last month comes as crimes against Asian and Black people more than doubled, too, NYPD data shows.

Hate crimes against Asian people (especially Asian women) increased by 125 percent last month, with nine cases reported — including the brutal murder of Christina Yuna Lee — compared to four in the same month last year.

The spate of racially motivated crimes only worsened in the past several days, after a man attacked seven Asian women in two hours in Lower Manhattan, police said.

Crimes against Black people doubled last month, amounting to 16 cases, NYPD data shows.

This wave of hate came with a citywide spike that saw increases in every major category of crime last month, including murder and robberies.

Amid the attacks, the city's largest Jewish charity provided at least 50 small synagogues with a free security package, including new doors, locks or video cameras, and active shooter training for staff or congregants, Patch reported.

"No synagogue should be left without proper security measures just because they lack access to necessary funding," said Eric S. Goldstein, CEO of the UJA-Federation of New York CEO.

"Whether praying in the largest shul in Manhattan or the smallest shtiebel in Brooklyn, every Jew deserves the right to worship in peace and security."

Regional Manager Kathleen Culliton contributed to this report.

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