NYC Holds Summit Following Rise in Antisemitic Hate Crimes

As antisemitic crimes continue to rise in New York City and across the country, authorities are discussing how to address and prevent these crimes by holding a summit in Manhattan to discuss this.

The message at Monday’s summit was simple: to turn words into action as top community leaders vow to improve security in Jewish communities.

Monday’s get-together took place at the Lincoln Square Synagogue along Amsterdam Avenue on the Upper West Side. The event was organized by the Orthodox Union.

New York Sen. Chuck Schumer spoke at the event, as well Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul, among others.

The meeting comes at a time when hate crimes across the country including in New York, as well as hate speech especially online, are rising at an alarming rate. Because of this, the summit is pushing for tolerance, but also a clearer message that law enforcement will step up enforcement and come down hard on those who break the law.

“This is our family. This is who we are as New Yorkers — we embrace everyone and when you attack one of us, anyone, that is picking a fight with 20 million other New Yorkers starting with your governor,” Hochul said.

Meanwhile, Adams said his administration would not give in to the hate.

“I did not spend 22 years of my life as a member of the New York City Police Department protecting the people of this city to surrender to those who believe hate is going to have a foothold in the city. It will not happen,” the mayor said.

Recent numbers show a troubling trend year-to-year in November with antisemitic hate crimes pretty much doubling from 20 incidents as of November 2021 to 45 incidents in November of this year. In total, last year saw 182 antisemitic incidents, while to date this year there have been a reported 278 incidents. Unfortunately, this is part of a nationwide trend.

Just a few weeks ago, two men were arrested at Penn Station for making online threats to attack a local synagogue. Lawmakers are promising additional resources to protect the jewish community going forward, with Hochul announcing the creation of a new Hate and Bias Prevention Unit to address the rise of hate crimes in the state.  It will push for more public education — provide early warnings — and mobilize resources to places that have suffered a bias incident.

Additionally, while Hanukkah begins Sunday night, New Yorkers can expect to see the traditional extra security for the holiday. However, there are no specific threats in the city.