Antisemitic Hate Crimes in NYC Spiked in First Months of 2024

NEW YORK (NY Daily News/TNS) — Antisemitic hate crimes in New York City have spiked as conflict continues to rage in the Middle East.

As of Sunday, there have been 96 hate-fueled incidents targeting Jewish people, according to NYPD stats. The figure marked a 45% uptick compared with the same time frame last year, when cops investigated 66 antisemitic hate crimes.

Antisemitic crimes made up 56% of hate-motivated crimes across the five boroughs, the stats showed.

The data does not break down the nature of the antisemitic crimes this year, but typically the vast majority are graffiti and vandalism and a small percentage are assaults.

Crimes against Muslims also surged, with cops investigating nine incidents since the start of the year compared with just one as of the same time in 2023.

Overall, hate crimes were up 33% so far in 2024, with downticks in only two categories — incidents aimed at black people and at white people. Crimes against Asian people have remained the same, with eight incidents in the first months of both 2023 and 2024.

In February, a 25-year-old Jewish driving instructor was bashed on the head with a metal bat on a Staten Island street and called “dirty Jew.” Obadiah Lashley, 29, has been arrested and charged with hate crime assault.

Months earlier, in November, a trio of bigots beat up three Jewish strangers including a 15-year-old boy in separate attacks during a 40-minute spree of hate crimes in Brooklyn, according to police. All three victims suffered minor injuries and did not require medical attention.

After Hamas terrorists attacked Israel on Oct. 7, prompting a fierce war in Gaza, antisemitic hate crimes surged across the city.

Sixty-nine antisemitic crimes were reported in the city that month, compared with 22 in October 2022 — a 214% increase — officials said.