ADL reports ‘alarming’ rise in antisemitic attacks in New York City

Antisemitism watchdog says anti-Jewish incidents in America’s most populous city are becoming more brazen and widespread, as anti-Zionism becomes the dominant motivation for antisemitic acts.

By World Israel News Staff

Two years after the Hamas invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023, antisemitism levels continue to rise in New York City, the Anti-Defamation League warned on Wednesday, noting a pattern of increasingly “brazen and widespread” incidents targeting the city’s Jewish population.

The ADL issued an interim report on antisemitism in America’s most populous city, which is also home to the largest Jewish community outside of the State of Israel.

The antisemitism watchdog group said that 2025 is on track to surpass 2024 in terms of antisemitic incidents in New York City, despite 2024 being a record-breaking year.

“The sheer scale and number of antisemitic activities in New York City this year is alarming,” said Scott Richman, the regional director for the ADL in New York and New Jersey.

“From violent attacks on visibly Jewish New Yorkers to threats targeting synagogues and dehumanizing rhetoric on campuses, antisemitism is no longer hiding in the shadows. It is out in the open, and it’s making Jewish New Yorkers feel unsafe in one of the most important centers of Jewish life in the world.”

Major antisemitic incidents have been reported in every borough this year, with hundreds of cases thus far, including incidents targeting synagogues and Jewish community centers.

Last year, there were 157 incidents reported against Jewish religious and communal centers in NYC. In one case earlier this year, a Brooklyn religious center was targeted by a plot to “slaughter” local Jews.

According to the ADL interim report, Orthodox Jews are disproportionately targeted for physical violence.

While Orthodox Jews are estimated to make up just 20% of the city’s Jewish population, more than half of all antisemitic assaults were against that denomination.

Last February, three separate assaults were reported against Orthodox Jews in NYC. In June, an Orthodox Jewish man was beaten unconscious by an assailant who shouted about the war in Gaza.

Radical anti-Zionism is now the primary motivation for antisemitic incidents in NYC, with Israel-related incidents accounting for just 5% of antisemitic cases in 2022 but surging to 58% in 2024.

Nearly 200 anti-Jewish incidents were reported on college campuses in New York last year, including 53 at Columbia University alone.

“What we are seeing in New York City is nothing short of shocking, and right now, the Jewish community needs all public officials to come out front on this issue,” said ADL CEO and National Director Jonathan Greenblatt.

“On the eve of an important mayoral debate, it is vital all candidates get on the record and publicly lay out their strategy for how they will keep Jewish New Yorkers safe during this unprecedented time.”