New York City councilman Chaim Deutsch, a Democrat representing the city’s 48th district, spoke out at the CTeen event in Times Square Saturday night, warning of the rise of hate crimes in the city this year, including the recent spate of anti-Semitic attacks and acts of vandalism.

The CTeen international conference, which drew thousands of teenagers, has become an annual event for the outreach group, held every February.

Along with a concert featuring Jewish music star Yaacov Shwekey and a mass Havdalah ceremony, the event also included an address by councilman Deutsch, who urged attendees to work to keep the memory of Holocaust victims alive as the generation which endured the genocide ‘dwindles each and every day’.

"We've had an 88% increase in hate crimes here in New York City. Hate crimes here in New York City and across the country are on the rise. My message to you all today: You are our future. We rely on you to spread Holocaust education as our Holocaust survivors are dwindling each and every day."

Deutsch pointed to recent anti-Semitic incidents in New York, including the recent vandalism at a Jewish elementary school in Queens. The words “Hail [sic] Hitler” and swastikas were scrawled a several sites on and around the school.