Survey: Discrimination high against Jews and other minorities in NYC

Most of those harassed do not bother reporting the problem, which is a statistic the agency that commissioned the survey wants to change.

By: Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

An official New York City (NYC) agency came out on Tuesday with a dismaying report on the rate of discrimination suffered by minorities in the city, including Jews, yet said that the overwhelming number of victims do not report the crime when it happens.

The NYC Commission on Human Rights surveyed 3,105 Muslim, Arab, Jewish, South Asian and Sikh New Yorkers about their experiences of “bias harassment, discrimination, and acts of hate” between July 2016 and late 2017. The report highlights the fact that this was the period leading up to and following the 2016 presidential elections.

During this period, a particularly charged atmosphere prevailed in many places across the country due to the nature of the battle between the Republican and Democratic contenders for office and its aftermath.

Close to 1,000 of the survey respondents identified themselves as Jews. Unsurprisingly, those who were observant were more likely than their co-religionists to be verbally harassed (39.2% vs. 21%), but almost 40% of all minorities in this category reported such harassment.

The questions regarding physical assault were not broken down by religion, race or ethnicity.

In all, nine percent of respondents said they had been physically assaulted in this time period, while nearly one in five people who wear religious clothing said they have been shoved on a subway platform.

On the work front, while 16% of those surveyed said that they experienced racial, religious or ethnic discrimination in their place of work or while seeking a job, over half of the Orthodox and Hasidic respondents said this was the reason they were not hired. However, non-Orthodox Jews still reported significantly higher numbers (22.8%) than the general public in this area of discrimination.

In spite of these high numbers, seven out of ten respondents said they did not report the bias incident to any law enforcement agency or even a faith-based organization. The reasons they cited were the fear of retaliation or that their reports would not being taken seriously, with some claiming that previous reporting did not result in action.

As the government agency responsible for enforcing the city’s Human Rights Law, the Commission also recommended ways to encourage reporting as well as preventing bias incidents. These included working with various ethnic organizations, including Jewish ones, to educate people as to their rights. The agency also launched an ad campaign on social media and in 15 ethnic media outlets.

Jewish organizational figures were quick to praise the initiative.

“As a Jewish New Yorker who grew up in Brooklyn, I know firsthand that anti-Semitism, xenophobia and bias still unfortunately exist in our great city,” said Jonathan Greenspun, commissioner and board member of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York.

“Through its report, the NYC Commission on Human Rights is calling upon all of us to live up to the promise that discrimination is not welcome here. This report is an invaluable tool for the Commission and community groups to focus outreach to vulnerable communities that are impacted by bias and hate and help us live in safer, hate-free New York.”

The Commission has the authority to fine violators with civil penalties of up to $250,000 for willful and malicious violations of the NYC Human Rights Law and can award unlimited compensatory damages to victims, including emotional distress damages and other benefits.