Jews targeted in nearly 70 per cent of New York hate crimes in July

After recording a 182 per cent increase in anti-Jewish hate crimes in the Big Apple in January, in Zohran Mamdani’s first month as mayor, the city began publishing only “confirmed” hate crimes and not “reported” ones in February.

That suggested a decline, although it was hard to compare 2026 statistics with those from 2025.

In March, the city said that it would publish both “confirmed” and “reported” statistics separately each month.

Last month, 29 of 50 "reported" hate crimes in New York City (58 per cent) targeted Jews, compared to six (12 per cent) that targeted Muslims.

There have been 360 "confirmed" hate crimes so far in 2026, up 9.4 per cent from the 329 in 2025, according to the NYPD.

Of the 360, 205 have targeted Jews (56.9 per cent), and 26 have targeted Muslims (about 7 per cent).

Jews were targeted 8.5 per cent more often so far this year compared to the 189 times in that span last year, and Muslims were targeted 62.5 per cent more this year than the 16 times recorded in that span last year, the department said.

Julie Menin, the first Jewish speaker of the New York City Council, told JNS: “I remain deeply concerned and very troubled by the unacceptable spike in hate crimes, particularly driven by those targeting Jewish New Yorkers."

The data underscores why her "very first initiative was a five-point plan to combat antisemitism," she added.

"I will not waver in the fight to protect our communities from hatred.”

Brandon Pinsker, acting American Jewish Committee director for New York, told JNS that the rise of anti-Jewish hate crimes “should alarm every New Yorker”.

“Irresponsible rhetoric, selective condemnation and political indifference” have allowed anti-Jewish hate “to become normalised,” he said. “Antisemitism is not only a Jewish issue. It is an attack on the values and institutions of a democratic society.”

Pinsker added that elected officials at every level should respond “with moral clarity,” condemning antisemitism unequivocally and taking “decisive action to make New York safer for its Jewish community”.

Rabbi Josh Joseph, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Orthodox Union, told JNS that the statistics are “a dark stain on the city" that "only tell part of the story”.

“Each of these hate crimes has a victim that lives with the consequences of the crime," he said. "Their family, friends and broader community also feel the lasting effects.”

“We are not shocked by the rise in hate crimes, because it aligns with the rise in tolerance for hate," he went on. "We must return to a civil society that does not accept the singling out of any people. We count on our mayor, who has time and time again committed to protecting us. It is beyond time for him to live up to his promises.”

The city stated that the NYPD hate crime task force probes "allegations of hate crimes and bias-motivated incidents".

"After an incident is flagged as a possible hate crime," the task force "investigates and determines, in consultation with the NYPD legal bureau, whether it constitutes a hate crime under New York state law," it said.

"If an incident is deemed a hate crime under the law, it will be categorised as a confirmed hate crime. The NYPD provides data on confirmed hate crimes along with all reported hate crimes regardless of whether they are ultimately confirmed as hate crimes by the HCTF."

"The disclosure of both sets of numbers enhances transparency and reflects best practices in connection with hate crime reporting," it concluded.