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Mayor Adams Looks to Police and Education to Combat anti-Semitic Hate Crimes

Mayor Adams Looks to Police and Education to Combat anti-Semitic Hate Crimes

By Yehudit Garmaise

Mayor Eric Adams’ strategy to combat anti-Semitic hate crimes is to investigate each and every allegation, even those that took place in the past, with speed and efficiency, he said Feb. 1 at a meeting of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (JCRC-NY).

“It is crucial to send the message that hate has no place in our city,” said Mayor Adams about the skyrocketing rate of hate crimes that target the Jewish community in New York state.

While in 2020, the NYPD reported that the number of anti-Semitic hate crimes, was 121: the largest of number for all minority groups, in 2021, the number of Jews who were targeted sadly saw a 50% increase, when the NYPD reported 179 anti-Semitic crimes.

“It breaks my heart,” said Mayor Adams, “when I look and see the increase in anti-Semitism in this city and the extent to which people don’t really appreciate the beauty of our diversity.”

The mayor then said he “wants to put in place some real, tangible, short-term, and long-term ways of how to come together as a city.”

The first place the mayor is going to improve to reduce anti-Semitic hate crimes is the NYPD.

“I want to hit 'reset' with my police department,” he said. We’re going to build back support for our police. A safe city from gun violence, hate crimes, a safe city from anti-Semitism.”

Furthermore, Mayor Adams emphasized the crucial role education can play to stop racial and cultural prejudices.

Non-Jewish young New Yorkers must be taught about the senseless hatred that the Jewish community has had to face. Without this education, youth are much more likely to engage in anti-Semitic or racist behaviors, Adams said. 

“We also want to look into our schools,” where the mayor said, “We have a captive audience, every day with young people.

A classroom cannot only be in the sterilized environment of four walls. Anytime you have a 14 [or a] 15-year-old draw a swastika on a building, that’s a clear indicator that we have failed by not introducing them to the cultures and rich contributions that all of our brothers and sisters of different faiths have contributed to this city: particularly the Jewish community.” 

The help and partnership of the Jewish council, which promotes diversity, is incredibly important to his vision of a safer NYC, said the mayor, who called on the group’s members to help him to increase public safety in the city. 

“It’s built in your culture to show respect to all human begins: to make the city a safe place to raise children and families,” Mayor Adams said. 

Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office


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