Israeli President Isaac Herzog warns of rising antisemitism as hate crimes surge

Israeli President Isaac Herzog told reporters that antisemitism is an "age‑old plague" and a "contamination of societies" that must be tackled by all nations, not just Israel. He cited newly released New York City Police Department data showing anti‑Jewish incidents accounted for 56.9% of all confirmed hate crimes in 2026, despite Jews comprising only about 10% of the city’s population.

Herzog criticised New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for comments calling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a war criminal, saying the mayor’s rhetoric endangers residents. He referenced a recent stabbing on Manhattan’s Upper West Side in which the attacker shouted "Allahu Akbar" and wounded two men, one identified as Jewish, and an antisemitic arson attack in Golders Green, London. A J7 Large Communities’ Task Force report noted 20 people were killed in antisemitic attacks across seven countries in 2025.

Herzog urged aggressive legal action, education and full adjudication to combat the surge in hate crimes worldwide.