Israeli Consul General in New York, Ofir Akunis spoke at an event for young Jewish community leaders in New York and addressed the sharp rise in antisemitic hate crimes in New York City since Mayor Zohran Mamdani took office.
“The mayor is busy inciting against and promoting a boycott of the Jewish state. His method is the 'well-known' antisemitic one: ‘No matter what - blame the Jews.’ This is exactly the same method that was used a century ago by the Third Reich," Akunis said.
He stated: "Data released by the New York Police Department points to a sharp increase in antisemitic hate crimes since he took office. This is further proof of his failure to protect the city’s Jewish community. Mamdani continues to incite and fuel his supporters to attack the State of Israel and its Prime Minister. This must stop before it is too late!"
His comments follow the release of the NYPD's hate crime statistics for the month of July, which show that antisemitic hate crimes in New York City rose sharply in July, accounting for nearly 70% of all confirmed hate crimes reported during the month.
The NYPD recorded 33 confirmed hate crimes in July, including 23 targeting Jews, up 53.3% from the 15 anti-Jewish incidents recorded in July 2025. Muslims were the targets of five confirmed hate crimes, compared with two during the same month last year.
So far this year, the department has recorded 360 confirmed hate crimes, a 9.4% increase from the 329 reported during the same period in 2025. Of those incidents, 205 targeted Jews, 56.9% of the total, while 26 targeted Muslims. Anti-Jewish hate crimes have increased 8.5% year over year, while anti-Muslim incidents have risen 62.5%.