NEW YORK (NewsNation) — Incidents against Jews in New York City more than tripled in October, according to monthly crime statistics from the New York Police Department (NYPD).
“I have not witnessed in my entire time in the city, the level of outward hate that I’m seeing,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
The NYPD reported the city experienced a 214 percent increase in hate crimes against Jewish people in October 2023, compared to the same period in 2022.
In October, a total of 101 hate crimes were reported, including 69 targeting Jews. In October 2022, 45 hate crimes were reported with 22 targeting Jews.
Last month, NYPD data revealed there were eight anti-Muslim hate crimes reported, up from zero reported in October 2022.
The rise in antisemitic hate crimes comes as public anger grows over Israel’s response to the Israel-Hamas war, which began on Oct. 7, when Hamas militants killed more than 1,400 people and took more than 200 hostages.
“Very unfortunate amount of hate being expressed by people who are using what’s going on in the Middle East to express their bias toward certain communities,” said Corey Saylor, the director of research and advocacy at the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
In southern California, Paul Kessler, a 69-year-old Jewish man, died after a confrontation with a pro-Palestinian demonstrator.
“It hasn’t really sunk into me yet that a man died right there,” said Jon Oswaks, who witnessed the incident.
In Illinois, a 74-year-old man was charged with murder after he stabbed a 6-year-old Palestinian boy 26 times and attacked his mother. Police said he targeted the family because they were Muslim.
Schools and universities nationwide are also on high alert, hiring extra security to protect students.
At Cornell University, Patrick Dai was arrested after he threatened to shoot Jewish students on campus with an assault rifle.
Law enforcement advises Americans to take every threat seriously and contact police immediately.
The Anti-Defamation League reports that nationwide there has been a 388 percent increase in antisemitism and those numbers could increase as the war continues.