A recent article in the New York Post cited data from the New York Police Department as showing that hate crimes went up by 139% last year. The police investigated  320 reports of possible bias attacks through June 27, up from 134 incidents during the same period in 2020.

Asians and Jews

Much of this increase targeted Asians. Offenses against Asians rose by 400 percent; 05 reported cases this year up from 21 last year. The NYPD reported 28 attacks on Blacks this year, nearly double last year’s 15.

Five incidents targeted Muslims this year as compared to two last year. 

Though each incident is a deplorable crime against humanity, a disturbing rise of 69% in anti-Semitic assaults was recorded by the police; up from 67 assaults last year to 113 incidents this year. 

Israel Gaza conflict

Some of the rise in anti-Semitism was attributed to the conflict between Israel and Gaza in May. The Anti-Defamation League recorded a 75% spike in antisemitic incidents in the US compared to the two weeks before the fighting began. This is an increase from 127 to 222 incidents including brazen assaults, vandalism, harassment, and hate speech. Approximately 200 anti-Israel rallies were held across the US at that time. included messages that attacked Jews and Zionists or trafficked in antisemitic tropes.

“It was like a wildfire that spread much farther than we had anticipated or really seen in the past,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO and national director of the ADL. “We were pretty staggered to see how fast this played out.”

Greenblatt noted that anti-Semitism was historically based in the extreme right-wing but, in the recent wave,  “no one is wearing Maga hats”.

ADL’s Oren Segal says it’s not important which side of the political aisle is instigating the anti-Jewish movement.

“Anti-Semitism is not a right-wing issue. It’s not a left-wing issue. It’s a problem in and of itself. It’s unique, in that no matter where someone is on the ideological spectrum, they’re able to manipulate anti-Semitic tropes to make a point if they want to.

“Sometimes it’s not necessarily coming from an extreme left or an extreme right, but it’s just an anti-Semite.”

But the end of the conflict did not signal the end of anti-Semitism. Rabbi Shlomo Noginski was held at gunpoint before being stabbed eight times in the arm and shoulder just outside of the Jewish Day School on Chestnut Hill Avenue in Boston’s Brighton neighborhood last week. His accused attacker was Khaled Awad. 

Police are still investigating the possibility that the attack was a hate crime.