NYPD reports 31 antisemitic crimes in December, as Gaza war surge appears to subside
Total number of anti-Jewish incidents last month is higher than the year’s average, but far fewer than the 69 antisemitic crimes in October and 62 in November
Police separate Israel supporters and pro-Palestinian demonstrators in Times Square, New York City, October 13, 2023. (Luke Tress)
(New York Jewish Week) — The NYPD reported 31 antisemitic hate crimes in December, a spike over the same month last year but a drop compared to October and November, when anti-Jewish attacks shot up following Hamas’ Oct. 7 invasion of Israel.
The total for December represented more than double the figure from December 2022, when there were 14 anti-Jewish hate crimes. It was also far higher than the the average of 18 incidents tallied during the first nine months of the year.
But the 31 antisemitic incidents in December were far fewer than the 62 anti-Jewish crimes recorded in November and the 69 in October, indicating that the recent wave of antisemitism in the city may have crested.
Antisemitic crimes accounted for more than half of the 59 total hate crimes reported to police across the city last month. There were also 11 hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation, four anti-Muslim hate crimes, four anti-Asian hate crimes and nine more across several other categories.
The total number of antisemitic incidents reported to police in 2023 was 325, according to a compilation of monthly police data. The figure amounts to nearly one antisemitic incident per day.
Jewish community groups said many incidents likely do not get reported to police. Jewish groups have also reported a spike in antisemitism nationally and online since Oct. 7.
Last year saw 32 more antisemitic hate crimes in New York City than in 2022, even as bias incidents overall decreased by five percent.
Not every reported hate crime results in arrest, and numbers can be revised following the initial tally.
Several incidents that took place in the first month or so after Oct. 7 are being pursued by prosecutors, including a suspect who allegedly stalked and punched a Jewish Israeli near Times Square 11 days after the attack; two women who were charged after allegedly attacking a passerby who confronted them while they were tearing down posters of Israeli hostages held in Gaza; and a 19-year-old who was charged for attacking an Israeli on the Columbia University campus a week after the war started.
Other recent incidents have included graffiti and threats against synagogues.
This article originally appeared on JTA.org.
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