Jewish New Yorkers continued to be the primary victims of hate crimes in the city during the first half of 2026, accounting for more than half of all confirmed incidents despite representing only around 10% of the city’s population, reports Jerusalem News Syndicate.
New figures released by the New York Police Department (NYPD) show that between 1 January and 30 June, 178 confirmed antisemitic hate crimes were recorded. This represents a slight increase from the 174 incidents recorded during the same period in 2025 and accounts for more than 55% of all confirmed hate crimes in New York City.
By comparison, the NYPD recorded 21 confirmed anti-Muslim hate crimes and 33 hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation during the same six-month period.
Speaking at a press conference at NYPD headquarters, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani highlighted increases in several categories of hate crime. He noted that incidents based on sexual orientation had risen by 57%, anti-Muslim hate crimes by 50%, and antisemitic hate crimes by 2%.
The mayor also acknowledged the disproportionate impact on the Jewish community.
„While Jewish New Yorkers comprise only 10% of our city’s population, antisemitic hate crimes account for 55% of all confirmed hate crimes,” he said, adding that there is no place for hatred of any kind in the city.
The published figures show that from April to June, 99 of the city’s 172 confirmed hate crimes targeted Jews, representing approximately 57% of all confirmed cases during that period. Eight confirmed incidents targeted Muslims.
The NYPD did not release a separate breakdown for June alone. However, based on cumulative figures, approximately 26 confirmed antisemitic hate crimes and four anti-Muslim hate crimes were recorded during the month.
Reported hate crime figures, which include incidents still under investigation, indicate an even greater concentration of antisemitic offences. Between April and June, 138 of 237 reported hate crimes—around 58%—targeted Jewish victims.
Mayor Mamdani also emphasised broader crime trends, describing the first six months of 2026 as the safest start to any year since records began.
He said the city’s public safety strategy was producing results across New York’s five boroughs, with significant reductions in violent crime.
The way New York reports hate crime statistics has also changed during the past year. Following a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents at the beginning of 2026, the city initially began publishing only confirmed hate crimes rather than all reported incidents, making direct comparisons with previous years more difficult.
In March, officials introduced a revised system that publishes both confirmed hate crimes and all reported incidents separately. According to the NYPD, every allegation is investigated by its Hate Crime Task Force before determining whether it meets the legal definition of a hate crime under New York State law.
The department says publishing both confirmed and reported figures is intended to improve transparency and provide a more complete picture of hate crime trends across the city.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch credited police officers with helping to reduce overall crime while continuing to target violent offenders and investigate hate-related offences.
She said the city had recorded the fewest shootings, shooting victims and murders for the first half of any year on record, describing the results as evidence of focused policing and sustained law enforcement efforts.
Separate data published through the NYPD’s CompStat 2.0 system also indicated an overall decline in hate crime during June. Between 1 and 28 June, 29 hate crimes were recorded, compared with 50 during the same period in 2025. However, across the year as a whole, reported hate crimes remained 5.4% higher than during the corresponding period last year.
The latest figures reinforce the continuing concern that, despite representing a relatively small proportion of New York City’s population, Jews remain by far the most frequent targets of hate crime in the city.
Photo Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office
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