In NYC, Jews targeted in hate crimes more than all other groups combined in 2024
NYPD data says Jewish New Yorkers subjected to 345 antisemitic incidents last year, 54% of total for all minorities
Luke Tress is The Times of Israel's New York correspondent.
NEW YORK — Jews were targeted in 345 hate crimes in New York City last year, more than all other minority groups combined, according to NYPD data released on Monday.
Anti-Jewish crimes accounted for 54% of the 641 total hate crimes reported to police in the city in 2024, the data showed.
The next largest category was hate crimes based on sexual orientation, with a total of 78. There were 43 Islamophobic incidents and other religious groups were targeted 21 times.
The 345 incidents targeting Jews amounted to an antisemitic crime every 25 hours, on average. Jewish security groups believe many incidents are not reported to police.
The number of antisemitic incidents in 2024 increased seven percent over the previous year. New York City saw a surge in anti-Jewish discrimination following the October 7, 2023, Hamas invasion of Israel that continued through the past year.
The spike in antisemitism came at a time of an overall decrease in crime in the city, and a 4% drop in overall hate crimes, compared to 2023, according to the data.
The NYPD hate crimes figures are preliminary, and are subject to change if, for example, an incident that appeared to be antisemitic is investigated and police determine bias was not a factor. The bar for proving bias is high, making conviction for hate crimes difficult.
Recent high-profile incidents in the past year include an anti-Israel activist who threatened a Jewish man on a subway; the vandalization of the home of the Brooklyn Museum’s Jewish director; a man attempting to eject “Zionists” from a subway car; and a man charged with attempting to ram Jews with a car.
New York officials have sought to combat the increase in antisemitism through legislation. In November, Governor Kathy Hochul signed a law that criminalizes the removal of someone else’s religious attire, including kippahs and hijabs. State legislators are also seeking to pass bills that would expand the categories of crimes that can be prosecuted as hate crimes and outlaw masking at public demonstrations.
The state has also directed a record amount of funding to organizations at risk of being targeted by hate crimes.
