Jews in New York City were the targets of 31 suspected hate crimes last month — roughly one incident per day — according to new figures released Monday by the New York City Police Department.

Those incidents represented 54 percent of the 58 total bias crimes reported citywide in January, making antisemitic offenses the largest single category during the month.

The January tally reflected a 182 percent increase compared with the same month last year, though it was lower than the 40 antisemitic incidents recorded in December. January also marked the first full month of the city’s new administration under Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

City officials noted that antisemitic crime levels tend to rise and fall based on a range of factors, including protest activity and seasonal conditions.

In addition to crimes targeting Jews, police recorded one incident motivated by age bias, five against Asians, two against Black individuals, two related to gender, one targeting Hispanic people, seven against Muslims, three aimed at other religious groups, five based on sexual orientation, and one targeting white people.

Authorities cautioned that the statistics are preliminary and may be revised following investigations. In some cases, incidents initially believed to be hate crimes are later determined to have been motivated by other factors. Convictions in hate crime cases also remain relatively uncommon.

Hate crimes carry harsher penalties than non-bias offenses because they are viewed as attacks on an entire community rather than a single individual.

At the same time, the NYPD reported that major crimes — including murder, robbery, shootings, and felony assaults — declined overall last month, continuing a broader downward trend in violent crime across the city.

Jews continue to be targeted in New York City at higher rates than any other group. In 2025, police recorded 330 antisemitic incidents, accounting for 57 percent of the 576 total hate crimes reported citywide, according to NYPD data.

Jewish security officials and experts on hate crimes have also warned that many antisemitic incidents likely go unreported and never reach law enforcement statistics.

Among the January cases, two teenagers were charged with spray-painting 73 swastikas on a playground used by Jewish children; a rabbi was assaulted on Holocaust Remembrance Day; and a driver rammed his vehicle into Chabad’s 770.

In response to rising antisemitism, members of the New York City Council announced last week the creation of a new Task Force to Combat Antisemitism and introduced legislation aimed at curbing hate crimes.

{Matzav.com}