New York City reported a shocking rise in antisemitic hate crimes in January. A new press release from the NYPD notes that anti-Jewish hate crimes increased by 182%, which accounted for more than half of all the hate crime incidents in January.
The release reports 31 hate crimes against Jews last month, as compared to 11 in January 2025.
The Anti-Defamation League’s Scott Richman said the dramatic rise is “staggering,” telling Jewish News Syndicate, “From swastikas at a playground in Borough Park to a car ramming at Chabad headquarters in Crown Heights, the Jewish community in New York City is very much on edge.”
It all comes after the city’s new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, a Muslim, took office on January 1, 2026. Richman is urging Mamdani to quickly appoint the next director of the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism.
Mamdani comes across as all smiles as he promises so-called free programs and other services for all New Yorkers. While his leftist socialist views will surely be under scrutiny by conservatives and moderates, this city appears to have embraced him.
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One supporter, Jamal, who sells Mamdani merchandise in Lower Manhattan, summed up his enthusiasm when asked why he supports Mamdani: “Oh man, it’s like why wouldn’t I? That’s the question you should be asking. That’s easier to answer.”
Despite that affection, plenty of Jewish New Yorkers have a much different view.
When asked whether Jewish New Yorkers are on edge because of Mamdani, Liz Berney, a researcher with the Zionist Organization of America, responded simply: “Yes.” Berney tracks Mayor Mamdani’s past views, statements, and policy positions—records that have given her and others much to consider.
For starters, Mamdani has consistently accused Israel of being an apartheid state that engages in genocide against Palestinians. He’s been active in anti-Zionist rallies and has refused to condemn antisemitic language such as “from the river to the sea” and “globalize the intifada.”
Jeffrey Lax, a law professor at the City University of New York, explains why that language is so alarming: “Globalizing the intifada means kill the Jews everywhere across the world, so you don’t condemn that? It’s a little bit of a problem.”
After being sworn in as mayor, one of Mamdani’s first acts revoked the antisemitism definition set by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. Mamdani said the definition is too broad and restricts strong statements against Israel, but critics warn that this can be a dangerous game. “Anti-Semites, what they try to do is restrict the definition of antisemitism,” Berney said. “And all of this emboldens the anti-Israel groups.”
On day one, Mamdani also moved to allow New York City employees to participate in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel. Under the previous mayor, BDS involvement wasn’t allowed. Mamdani has also threatened to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes if he comes to New York and he also says he will not march in the city’s annual Israel Day Parade.
CBN’s repeated requests for an on-camera interview with Zohran Mamadi have gone unanswered. The mayor says he wants to root out antisemitism across all five boroughs, but so far his actions have not matched his rhetoric.
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