NYC antisemitic hate crime surge 2026

In August 2026, New York City police data showed an 8.5 % increase in anti‑Jewish hate crimes, with 205 incidents recorded in the first seven months of the year – up from 189 in the same period a year earlier. July alone saw 23 attacks, and Jews, who make up about 10 % of the city’s population, accounted for roughly 70 % of all reported hate crimes, a 53.3 % rise over July 2025.

City officials responded. Mayor Zohran Mamdani faced criticism from Jewish groups who said his outspoken stance on Israel was fueling hostility. Community leaders called for a comprehensive strategy that combined law‑enforcement, education and community engagement, warning that arrests alone would not stop the hate.

The following day, Israeli President Isaac Herzog cited the same NYPD figures while warning that antisemitism is a global plague that must be tackled by all nations. He condemned Mayor Mamdani’s remarks about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, linking the mayor’s rhetoric to the heightened risk for Jewish residents. Herzog also referenced a recent stabbing on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and an antisemitic arson attack in London, placing the NYC surge within a broader pattern of rising hate crimes worldwide.