Vilification of Jews has emboldened NYC bigots and sparked a rash of ugly antisemitic attacks

It’s been open season on Jews in the Big Apple.Bigots have been emboldened to unleash ugly antisemitic attacks in the five boroughs, from hateful protests and vandalism to outright assaults — leaving the New York Jewish community rattled and worried about their safety, local leaders said.“There are people who are doing that violence and harassment who seem to be emboldened by the public discussion, by lack of accountability,” said Oren Segal, senior vice president of Counter-Extremism and Intelligence with the Anti-Defamation League.“But I think the most important thing that I’ve been seeing is that walking down the street, going to class, or celebrating a holiday, or just otherwise being visibly Jewish should not be an act of courage.”Since Hamas’ Oct.

7, 2023, attack on Israel, Jewish people have been so vilified that Segal said the ADL has received reports of some so afraid that they have taken off their kippahs, or religious head coverings, and other visible symbols identifying their faith.The Hannukah “festival of lights,” which began Sunday night, has also been marred by antisemitic violence across the globe, including in Australia, where two terrorists shot up a holiday celebration at Bondi Beach, killing 15 people and injuring dozens more.“The days in which the Jewish community is celebrating or observing the holidays tends to be the times where they seem to be in most danger,” Segal noted.“The fact that people have to have their head on a swivel when they are engaging in a public Hanukkah lighting or putting [a menorah] in their window, tells you a lot about the atmosphere in which the Jewish community finds itself,” he added.

“People are feeling vulnerable, and people are feeling scared,” Segal said.“And we also have to keep in mind … this is now the latest in a series of holidays that have been shattered by antisemitic violence.”Just this week, a knife-wielding goon stabbed Brooklynite Elias Rosner, a member of the...