(JTA) — New York saw more hate crimes against Jews in 2018 than all other targeted groups combined, according to police figures.
Anti-Semitic incidents rose by 22 percent from last year, NYPD figures show, according to a report Wednesday on Patch. Of the 352 hate crimes this year recorded as of Sunday, 183 were anti-Semitic incidents. Brooklyn has seen a spate of hate crimes against Jews in recent months, but the Patch report did not break down the figures by boroughs.
Overall, the tally of hate crimes in New York is up about 6 percent from 331 in the same time last year.
Evan Bernstein, the Anti-Defamation League’s New York Regional director, told Patch that those holding anti-Semitic beliefs are feeling emboldened. ADL believes that 12 to 14 percent of Americans hold such beliefs.
The Oct. 27 slaying of 11 worshippers at a Pittsburgh synagogue by a lone gunman unleashed a spate of incidents in New York and “opened up people even more to act out on these feelings,” Bernstein said. “I think for certain people it gave them (a) green light and that’s what is so concerning.”
The ADL has recorded a 60 percent increase in anti-Semitic assaults this year, according to Bernstein.
Crimes targeting black, white and Asian people also have increased this year, as have those based on sexual orientation, the NYPD figures show. Those categories combined still include fewer crimes than the number of anti-Semitic incidents.
Anti-Muslim incidents dropped by nearly half, according to the same figures. There have been 18 this year, down from 34 last year and 31 in 2016.
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