Police data shows antisemitic incidents in NYC more than doubled over last 2 years
City saw 263 attacks in 2022, or one every 33 hours on average; $11,000 offered for info on suspect who shouted ‘Kanye 2024’ during assault; Hasidic man rammed with car in Brooklyn
Luke Tress is a JTA reporter and a former editor and reporter in New York for The Times of Israel.
NEW YORK — There were over 250 antisemitic hate crimes reported to authorities in New York City last year, marking a steep rise in incidents targeting Jews over the past two years, according to police data.
The Times of Israel tallied figures for all of 2022 by collating monthly New York Police Department reports on hate crimes in the city. The police department released figures for December on Thursday, showing 11 antisemitic incidents last month, a relatively low amount.
Throughout 2022, however, the data shows that there were 263 hate crimes reported, an average of one antisemitic incident in the city every 33 hours.
The tally underlines a sharp increase in anti-Jewish incidents that mirrors nationwide trends, more than doubling the 121 antisemitic crimes reported in 2020 and rocketing past the 196 incidents reported in 2021.
In 2019, the first year the NYPD began organizing data differently on hate crimes reports, there were 242 anti-Jewish bias incidents.
According to the police’s hate crimes dashboard, which includes annual data for 2022 through September, Jews were targeted last year far more than any other group.
The incidents in the past year range from violent assault to verbal harassment, property damage, and antisemitic graffiti.
Jewish security groups have said that many attacks likely go unreported, though observers note that some of the increase in antisemitic crimes is due to different and improved reporting methods.
Overall, crime went up in New York City last year, although murders and shootings decreased.
The rise in hate crimes in New York corresponds with nationwide trends. The ADL recorded 2,717 antisemitic incidents across the country in 2021, a 34% increase from the previous year, and the highest since it began tracking in 1979.
Authorities and Jewish groups have struggled to rein in antisemitic attacks in New York City, which is home to over 1 million Jews.
Last week, the NYPD began offering a $3,500 reward for information on an antisemitic assailant who injured a Jewish man in Central Park, and the Anti-Defamation League offered a reward of $7,500 for information leading to the arrest of the attacker.
The NYPD identified the suspect as Perin Jacobchuk, 32. He hit a 63-year-old man, causing a broken hand and a chipped tooth, while making “numerous anti-Jewish statements,” police said.
????WANTED-Assault: 12/14/22, approx. 7:37PM, @ Terrace & East Dr. @NYPDCentralPark Manhattan. Perin Jacobchuk hit a 63-year-old male victim & caused him to break his hand & chip his tooth while making antisemitic remarks. Any info call us at 800-577-TIPS Reward UP to $3,500 pic.twitter.com/g9k4sbAaXC
— NYPD Crime Stoppers (@NYPDTips) January 6, 2023
The Anti-Defamation League said the victim was Jewish and that the attacker yelled “Kanye 2024” during the assault, referring to antisemitic rapper Kanye West.
Jacobchuk is also wanted in connection with an anti-Asian assault that took place last year, the NYPD’s hate crimes unit said.
“Hate-motivated attacks cannot be tolerated and they have a particularly harmful effect on entire communities,” said Scott Richman, the ADL’s director for New York and New Jersey.
“Both the Jewish and AAPI communities continue to be targeted, and these attacks have become increasingly violent,” Richman said, referring to Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
In a separate incident, a Hasidic man was badly hurt in a hit-and-run in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights neighborhood on Friday.
Video footage showed the vehicle stop at a crosswalk, then accelerate into the pedestrian and speed away.
The car appears to veer toward the man before hitting him. The victim can be heard screaming after the collision as a woman sprints down the street shouting for Hatzalah, a neighborhood emergency services unit, and two men rush to the injured man’s side.
Video Crown Heights hit & run Friday night. NYPD is being responsible & investigating all possibilities. It appears from video that driver may have intentionally driven into the victim, but we simply don’t know yet for certain either way. Jumping to conclusions is irresponsible. pic.twitter.com/WD87D7RUoZ
— Yaacov Behrman (@ChabadLubavitch) January 8, 2023
A video shared by the Shmira neighborhood watch group captured the collision from another angle. It showed the vehicle stop at a red light, then make an illegal left-hand turn through the light to strike the victim. Authorities were looking for a silver Mercedes with New York license plates.
The man reportedly suffered several fractures in his leg in the collision.
The NYPD told The Times of Israel that the victim was a 55-year-old man who had been taken to the Cobble Hill Health Center in Brooklyn for treatment, that no arrests had been made, and that the police’s hate crimes unit had been notified.
The ADL said it was in touch with law enforcement and community partners regarding the incident.
New York State Attorney General Letitia James called the hit and run “horrific” and urged anyone with info to contact police.
Crown Heights is the home base of the Hasidic Chabad-Lubavitch movement.
Community leaders say antisemitic attacks in Brooklyn often take place on Friday nights after the start of Shabbat, when religious Jews refrain from driving or using cell phones, exposing them to danger while walking on the street and unable to call for help.
A survey released last month found that antisemitic attacks in New York overwhelmingly target Orthodox and Hasidic Jews.
