Dozens of city leaders meet to address rise in antisemitic crimes across NYC
NEW YORK -- New York City leaders met Thursday to address the rise of antisemitic crimes.
As CBS2's Cory James reports, about 40 people attended a roundtable discussion at City Hall. It was a pre-planned event but took place just hours after another hate crime in the city.
Antisemitic graffiti was found Thursday morning on an Israeli restaurant's outdoor dining structure on the Upper West Side.
Rafi Hasid says his business has been vandalized with hateful words at least three to five times.
"How did that make you feel?" James asked.
"Mainly sad," Hasid said.
This attack on the Jewish community is one of at least two incidents that unfolded in the city Thursday.
A similar display of hatred was spray-painted on an SUV on the Upper East Side.
Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine says this cannot be ignored.
"And it's not only graffiti and vandalism. Unfortunately, in an alarming number of cases, it is physical assaults, violent assault, and we can't accept it as normal," he said.
"The thing about antisemitism is it's frightening. You don't know what will happen to you. You don't know what will happen to your children, and not only is it frightening, it makes you feel very lonely," said Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz, with Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun.
Steinmetz attended the roundtable meeting, where community members, elected officials and the police commissioner addressed the increase in hate crimes.
Councilmember Julie Menin was among those in attendance.
"In terms of antisemitic incidents are up over 275% this year. We're seeing an enormous rise in hate crimes against the Asian American community. All of this unacceptable," she said.
Menin also held a community meeting last week after recent attacks involving Jewish people in her community unfolded.
"We had hundreds of people who attended our town hall on antisemitism," she said. "And so it's a question of educating people. It's a question of investing more resources in fighting hate crimes and calling them out, one of the most important things you can do."
Levine says denouncing hate crimes is key to preventing physical assaults from happening.
"It's disgusting," he said. "Hate speech escalates and this kind of hatred, if it festers, will emerge in violent ways."
Levine says in Manhattan, many of the hate crime incidents have involved people who are experiencing homelessness and in need of mental health and addiction services.
He says addressing that crisis is a big component in stopping hate crimes in the city.
Still, some are hopeful things will change.
"We are going to see the light at the end of the tunnel by working together," said Rabbi David Niederman. "Specific courses of action has been discussed and will be followed."
Part of that change is the removal of Inspector Jessica Corey, the commander of the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force.
Sources say there were complaints from the community about the mishandling of a hate crime case involving an Asian victim who was harassed on public transit in 2021.
While Corey's replacement has not been named, New Yorkers are hopeful the nearly 26% jump in hate crimes will go down.
Gov. Kathy Hochul also publicly condemned the latest antisemitic incidents, saying they have no home here in the state.
