Hate crimes in New York City rose sharply during the first eight months of 2026, with more than half of all recorded incidents targeting Jews, according to newly released NYPD data.
The figures, released ahead of the Yomim Tovim, show 425 hate crimes were recorded across the city during the first eight months of the year, a 15.8% increase compared with the same period last year. Antisemitic offenses rose 8%, despite Jews comprising only around 10% of New York City’s population.
Among the serious incidents cited was the stabbing of a Jewish man near a synagogue on Manhattan’s Upper West Side in July.
The rise in antisemitic incidents comes despite New York experiencing what police described as its safest summer on record in terms of overall crime. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the summer saw record-low crime figures, including just 66 murders and 195 shootings citywide.
The antisemitism figures have also intensified the political battle surrounding Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Jewish leaders and critics of the mayor have blamed his outspoken anti-Israel positions — including accusing Israel of genocide and calling for the arrest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — for contributing to an increasingly hostile atmosphere.
The Trump administration’s Justice Department has since sent Mamdani a letter demanding answers and opened an active federal investigation. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon described Mamdani as the “king of antisemitism.”
The controversy spilled into public view this week when a pro-Israel woman confronted Mamdani during his visit to a store in Brooklyn, accusing his policies of contributing to hatred in the city.
City Hall has rejected the accusations. Mamdani spokesman Sam Raskin said the administration has increased funding for hate-crime prevention by more than 800% and expanded the work of the city’s office combating antisemitism.
The administration also pointed to more recent figures showing antisemitic hate crimes fell 13.6% in August compared with August of last year.
The conflicting figures come as the city heads toward the Yomim Tovim, with the broader eight-month data showing antisemitic incidents continuing to account for more than half of all hate crimes recorded in New York City.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
