Courtesy of JTA. Photo credit:Tim Drivas/Getty
Close up of the NYPD logo on a police car
(JTA) — The NYPD reported 19 antisemitic incidents in August, an increase over last year’s tally, as anti-Muslim acts also rose dramatically.
The August number of anti-Jewish acts was higher than the 12 recorded over the same month last year, but a relatively low figure when compared with the previous months since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7 of last year, when antisemitism began to rise. There were 30 antisemitic incidents recorded in July and 45 in June.
The NYPD said an overall rise in hate crimes in 2024 has been fueled by antisemitic attacks. In every month since Oct. 7, the tally of anti-Jewish incidents has been higher year over year. Jews remain the group most targeted in hate crimes nearly every month.
“Year to date, investigators are probing 106 additional cases compared to 2023 (438 vs. 332), largely fueled by this year’s surge in anti-Jewish incidents,” the NYPD said in a statement released Wednesday.
An August report by Tom DiNapoli, the New York State comptroller, found that antisemitic incidents made up 44% of all hate crimes in the state last year, and 88% of those motivated by religious bias.
The police department’s tally of August hate crimes included 17 anti-Muslim acts after having recorded none last August. The NYPD also recorded no anti-Muslim incidents in July and three in June. The press release including the count noted that spike, but provided no explanation for it.
At least one of the incidents involved a man, who was later arrested, allegedly punching a Muslim man in midtown on Aug. 5 while making anti-Muslim remarks.
Not every reported hate crime results in an arrest or prosecution, and numbers can be revised following the initial tally. The legal standard for proving bias is high, making prosecution difficult.
