UPDATE: NYC to Hold News Conference on Troubling Rise of Antisemitic Hate Crimes

M.C. Millman

Update: August 24 1:30 p.m.

Elected leaders gathered yesterday outside Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun on the Upper East Side to discuss ways to make prosecuting hate crimes easier.

Crimes can be challenging to prosecute as hate crimes due to loopholes left by the way the law is written, which often makes it difficult to prove hateful intent and allows hate crimes to go unpunished due to the loopholes in the law.

"We're asking our state partners and law enforcement to do is to take a look at hate crime statute and think about expanding it. We're going to work with the district attorney's office, law enforcement, and state partners to do that," Councilmember Keith Powers said during the press conference.

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City officials will hold a news conference today calling for a crackdown on antisemitic hate crimes, given the troubling rise through New York City.

The NYPD has reported 60 antisemitic hate crimes during the first quarter of 2023. That number is 54% of the total reported hate crime incidents in the City. Antisemitic attacks have been steadily rising over the years, with a 32% increase in reported antisemitic incidents from 2021 to 2022 and a 71% increase from 2020 to 2021.

The mayor will be unable to attend as he is presently in Israel, where part of his trip focuses on ways to combat hate and antisemitism.