Rising Tide of Hate:  NYC’s Troubling Surge in Anti-Semitic & Anti-Muslim Incidents

Rising Tide of Hate:  NYC’s Troubling Surge in Anti-Semitic & Anti-Muslim Incidents

Edited by:  Fern Sidman

In 2024, New York City, often hailed as one of the most diverse and inclusive cities in the world, has seen a troubling surge in hate crimes targeting its Jewish and Muslim communities. According to a report on Saturday in The New York Post, the latest data from the New York Police Department (NYPD) paints a grim picture: anti-Semitic incidents have skyrocketed by 74% compared to the same period last year, while anti-Muslim attacks have surged by a staggering 357%. These alarming statistics shed light on a broader, more concerning trend—the growing wave of hate and bigotry that has gripped the city.

Anti-Semitism has been a persistent issue, but the 2024 figures represent an unprecedented escalation. By August 25, there had been 240 reported anti-Semitic incidents in New York City, up from 138 during the same period in 2023, as was reported by The Post.  This 74% increase is not just a statistical anomaly; it reflects a disturbing rise in open hostility toward Jewish individuals and institutions.

Manhattan, with its significant Jewish population and cultural landmarks, has been the epicenter of this wave of anti-Semitism, recording the highest number of hate crimes among the boroughs, as was indicated in The Post report. Brooklyn, home to one of the largest Orthodox Jewish communities outside of Israel, follows closely behind. While the NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force has ramped up its efforts, resulting in a 23% increase in arrests, the sheer volume of incidents of Jew hatred highlights the challenge law enforcement faces in curbing this trend.

One particularly harrowing incident involved Allan Ripp, a 70-year-old Jewish man who was viciously attacked in Central Park. On July 13, Ripp was walking his daughter’s dog when he was confronted by a cyclist who body-checked him on a pedestrian pathway. When Ripp, in an attempt to assert his rights, admonished the cyclist for riding on a walking path, he was met with a barrage of anti-Semitic slurs, The Post report revealed. The assailant, who remains at large, hurled hateful invectives, calling Ripp a “f—king Jew pig” and threatening his life. Ripp’s account of the attack highlghts the palpable fear and vulnerability felt by many in the Jewish community.

While speaking to The Post, Ripp expressed his belief that the political rhetoric and left-wing protest movements that have “demonized Israel under the guise of free speech” are directly linked to the surge in anti-Semitic attacks. According to Ripp, this rhetoric has “triggered a number of the actions we’ve seen . . . physical thuggery, insults, slurs, spits.”

Ripp’s daughter, Emily, 36, echoed these sentiments, describing a palpable shift in the city’s atmosphere. “I’ve lived in New York my whole life, I’ve never seen anything like this,” she remarked to The Post. For Emily, the escalation in violence feels like a direct projection of international tensions. “It’s a projection from what’s going on overseas. . . . Now it’s coming from your neighbors and co-workers,” she added.

Experts concur that the rise in hate crimes against Jewish and Muslim communities in New York is not happening in isolation. David Sarni, a retired NYPD detective and adjunct professor at John Jay College, put it succinctly when speaking to The Post: “When the world sneezes, New York catches the spray.” This phenomenon, where global conflicts and political movements abroad ignite local hostilities, is not new. However, the intensity and frequency of these incidents have reached alarming levels in 2024.

The statistics on hate crimes in New York City are sobering, but the individual stories behind those numbers are harrowing. Each incident represents a profound violation of the victims’ sense of safety and belonging.

January 28, 2024: A Morning of Terror on the Upper West Side

On a cold morning in January, David Kent, a 42-year-old Jewish man, experienced firsthand the venomous hatred that has become all too common in the city. The Post reported that while walking on the corner of Broadway and West 86th Street, Kent was accosted by 28-year-old Kevin Dunlop. In a shocking display of anti-Semitic aggression, Dunlop called Kent a “fake Jew” and a “f-ggot” before violently ripping the yarmulke from his head and throwing it into the street. The attack, which was captured on video, did not end there; Dunlop, who was later found in possession of a gravity knife, was arrested and charged with criminal mischief involving a hate crime, as well as weapon possession.

This incident is emblematic of the brazen nature of many anti-Semitic attacks in the city. The violence is not only physical but deeply symbolic, targeting the religious and cultural identifiers of the Jewish community.

February 12, 2024: A Brutal Assault on Staten Island

Just a few weeks later, on February 12, another anti-Semitic attack shook the city. A 25-year-old Jewish man was walking on a Staten Island street when he was suddenly attacked by a stranger wielding a baseball bat. As was indicated in The Post report, the assailant, who called the victim a “dirty Jew,” struck him over the head with the bat, leaving the young man bloodied and traumatized. The attack underscored the lethal potential of hate-fueled violence and the sense of impunity that seems to embolden these criminals.

August 5, 2024: Anti-Muslim Violence in Midtown

The surge in hate crimes has not been confined to the Jewish community. On August 5, a horrifying incident unfolded in Midtown Manhattan when a Muslim passerby was verbally assaulted and then physically beaten by a 35-year-old man from Brooklyn. The report in The Post confirmed that the attacker, who called his victim a “terrorist,” carried out the assault in broad daylight near Rockefeller Center on Fifth Avenue, a location synonymous with New York’s cosmopolitan image. The entire episode was captured on camera, highlighting the audacity of such crimes in public spaces.

August 10, 2024: Stabbing in Crown Heights

Perhaps one of the most chilling incidents occurred on August 10, near the Chabad Headquarters in Crown Heights, a neighborhood with a significant Jewish population. The Post report said that in the early hours of the morning, 22-year-old Vincent Sumpter approached Yechiel Dabrowskin, shouting “Free Palestine!” as well as spewing forth horrifying anti-Semitic slurs. Sumpter then asked Dabrowskin, “Do you want to die?” before stabbing him in the stomach. The attack left Dabrowskin with internal bleeding, and he later told Israel’s Kan 11 News, “I had internal bleeding, but thank God I had a miracle.” Sumpter, who was reportedly “looking for trouble,” was arrested and is currently being held on $100,000 cash bail on multiple hate-crime charges.

As David Sarni pointed out when speaking with The Post, New York City’s role as a microcosm of global events means that tensions abroad are often mirrored in the city’s streets. The demonization of Israel in certain political and activist circles, while framed as criticism of a state, frequently spills over into outright anti-Semitism. Similarly, the vilification of Muslims in the context of global terrorism and ongoing conflicts has fueled a resurgence of Islamophobia.

The Post also reported that among those sounding the alarm is Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Queens), who has linked the spike in hate-fueled violence directly to ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and the radical groups that exploit these tragedies to further their own agendas.

Councilwoman Ariola’s warning reflects a growing consensus among experts and city officials that the violence in Israel and Palestine has reverberated far beyond the borders of the Middle East. “Hate will not be tolerated here,” Ariola declared, according to The Post report. She emphasized that the suffering in the Middle East has been cynically co-opted by extremist groups who use it to justify acts of violence and bigotry in New York. “Too many people are trying to use the suffering of people in Israel and Palestine to justify their own bad behavior half-a-world away,” she added, as was noted in The Post report.

This troubling dynamic has not gone unnoticed by the New York Police Department (NYPD), which has seen a sharp increase in hate crimes targeting both Jewish and Muslim communities. The NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force has been on high alert, treating each incident with the seriousness it deserves. The Post reported that in a statement, the department stressed, “All hate crimes are serious incidents and are treated as such by the Police Department. Crimes that are motivated by hate are vigorously investigated by the NYPD Hate Crime Task Force.”