Ever since October 7, 2023, the day Hamas unleashed a modern pogrom against Israel, New York City has been experiencing a sustained increase of Jew-hatred.
Hatred that has been unparalleled in the history of the United States of America.
While there is clear evidence of the new mayor of New York’s disdain, dislike, and distrust of Israel and Jews, it should be just as clear that the election of Zohran Mamdani is the product of this anti-Jewish hatred, not its cause.
The 2025 mayoral election cycle rode the wave of the post-October 7 anti-Israel, anti-Jewish, anti-establishment sentiment. It is that perverse feeling toward and about Jews that drove people to the polls to vote against establishment norms. That hatred is what propelled Mamdani into Gracie Mansion.
The numbers are stupefying. In 2024, there were 976 reported incidents of Jew-hatred in New York City. The attacks continue. The numbers, however, do not tell the whole story.
Jews are being physically attacked. Jewish property and Jewish institutions are under attack. But the overwhelming number of attacks are harassment, especially verbal harassment and intimidation. These attacks, almost always, go unreported. It should be noted that shouting terrible things about Jews, to Jews, is not a crime – it is protected speech. It only rises to the level of a crime when that speech contains a threat or when it arouses or generates fear.
It should also be noted that this is not the case on university campuses. Campuses are where, on the one hand, students’ right to speech are clear and, on the other hand, there are rules that protect them from verbal intimidation.
Hate crimes increase following the October 7 massacre
Shockingly, the further we get from October 7, 2023, the more hate crimes increase. In January of 2025, there were 11 reported hate crimes against Jews. In January 2026, there were 31. That indicates a nearly 200% increase month over month from one year to the next.
This increase in hate crimes against Jews may well be where the election of Mamdani fits in. Mamdani, who assumed his position on the first day of 2026, may have had significant influence. A strong personality, a charismatic presence, he has set a tone.
Anecdotally, I calculate that per month, the number of verbal attacks against Jews must realistically reach the thousands. I come to that number from the plethora of people who have reported to me about the hateful incidents and hate-spewed outbursts that they have experienced on the streets, in the subways, and in stores and elevators in New York City.
Not only has there been a rise in incidents of Jew-hatred manifested in physical and verbal attacks, there has also been an increase in public rhetoric condemning Israel and attacking Jews.
One of the worst examples of this Jew-hatred in New York City took place in November 2025. On the street outside Park East Synagogue, a prominent and historic Orthodox synagogue in the Upper East Side of Manhattan – a venue that has hosted popes, presidents, kings, and princes from all over the world – Jews were verbally assaulted by haters.
That night, Park East was hosting an aliyah event by Nefesh b’Nefesh. Pro Hamas protesters blocked the entrance to the synagogue. They shouted vile, awful epithets at those entering and leaving. They shouted that the Jewish attendees were mass murderers, that Israel should be wiped off the map, and that Jews should be removed from positions of power.
The most important and saddest dimension of the dramatic increase in anti-Jewish activity is the brazenness with which it is delivered. Anti-Jewish messages seem to have made their way into mainstream public discourse. Hate speech has become acceptable.
Thankfully, there is one important bright light in New York City’s establishment response. Julie Menin, Speaker of the City Council, has crafted a five-point plan to fight this plague of Jew-hatred in the city.
Menin has clout, she has money and influence, and she can effect change. As speaker, she wields power. Menin was elected to be speaker by the City Council by the unanimous vote of her colleagues. All 51 members voted for her at their charter meeting. She began her tenure on January 7, 2026.
It was historic. Julie Menin is the first Jewish speaker of the City Council. For her, this fight is personal. Her city is swerving into the danger zone. This is her plan:
- Education, especially Holocaust education, and increased protection of Jewish schools and institutions, and allocating $1.25 million to the Jewish Heritage Museum for educational programs.
- Creating buffer zones, protest-free zones, around synagogues, Jewish institutions, and schools.
- Reimburse the cost of security for synagogues and Jewish institutions. Train them in security.
- Pass laws making antisemitism illegal.
- Create a NYC Council Committee to Combat Hate that will advance other initiatives to combat antisemitism and hate and to educate future generations.
It is a good, strong plan: a very good beginning and a working model. While it has some faults, I am certain that it will be refined and improved over the next few months – and, hopefully, not diluted. But wouldn’t it have been nice if someone who wasn’t Jewish would have had the guts, the gumption, and the conviction to go to bat against Jew-hatred, the world’s oldest hatred.
The writer is a columnist and a social and political commentator. Watch his new TV show Thinking Out Loud on JBS.