ByHALEY COHEN
Hate crimes in New York City have escalated in the past year, including a 69% increase in anti-Jewish assaults, according to NYPD statistics.
Antisemitic offenses surged to 113 incidents through the end of June, from 67 in the same period of 2020, the New York Post reported.

Violence against Jews in New York City reached alarming proportions particularly in May, after the Gaza conflict.

Joseph Borgen, a 29-year-old Upper East Side resident wearing a kippah, was assaulted on May 21 near 48th Street in Manhattan. He was on his way to a rally in support of Israel when members of a pro-Palestinian group allegedly punched, kicked and pepper-sprayed him while screaming antisemitic slurs.

Immediately after the incident, Borgen told The Jerusalem Post that this was the first time he had had thoughts about whether to wear a kippah in New York City.

“You walk around Times Square and there are guys offering to put tefillin on you,” he said. “I’ve never had any incident before where my Judaism caused fear.”

The NYPD figures also revealed that there were four times as many attacks against Asians, a trend ascribed to the coronavirus pandemic. Assaults on blacks nearly doubled, with 28 reported incidents.

Sexual orientation-based attacks increased by 244%, the report said.