The New York Police Department has reported 311 total hate crimes through September

The New York Police Department has reported 311 total hate crimes through September, as opposed to 250 reported through the same period in 2018, according to Deputy Inspector Mark Molinari, who heads the department’s Hate Crimes Task Force.

Molinari said 52 percent of the reported hate crimes, or 163, have targeted Jews. Over the same period last year, the NYPD reported 108 anti-Semitic hate crimes.

At a meeting Thursday with Jewish philanthropists, Molinari discussed the numbers and how to prevent anti-Semitic crimes in the city. He recounted a list of anti-Jewish hate crimes that had made the news just this week.

Nearly three-quarters of American Jews feel less secure. The rise in anti-Semitism is becoming the major threat to the quality of Jewish life in the entire world. In spite of the anti-Semitism that once became a cohesive factor, there has been erosion of Israel among Diaspora Jews. The annual evaluation of the Jewish People's Policy Institute shows that anti-Semitism is no longer a secondary concern and has a significant impact on the challenges facing the Jewish people.
The annual assessment of the situation and dynamics of the Jewish people is published in full each year for the New Year. The comprehensive report, which is currently being published, was prepared as a joint work of the Jewish People Policy Institute Fellows in the Samuel Rosner Concentration. Executive summary of the report was presented every year to the Israeli government by the institute's co-chair, Ambassador Dennis Ross and President Avinoam Bar Institute -Yosef.
Special emphasis was placed on two key issues this year: the Anti-Semitism Index, which integrates Jewish risk levels in various countries against the background of attacks against them, attitudes toward Jews and their sense of security. And a new integrated index for Israel-Diaspora relations.
The report shows that although 14 percent of Americans have anti-Semitic attitudes, more than 50 percent are troubled by violence against Jews. Ninety percent of Americans will not hesitate to vote for a Jew for the presidency of the United States, and Jews are the most beloved religious group in the United States, more than Catholics, evangelicals, and other religious groups.
The annual assessment also shows that anti-Semitism in Europe is far more serious and threatening than in North America. Across the continent, there is an increase in the rate of anti-Semitic incidents, along with the strengthening of anti-Israeli sentiment. The source of these phenomena is a dangerous combination of the increase in Muslim immigration and of the right and the extreme left groups. Populist leaders in countries such as Hungary, Italy, Poland and other countries that tend to support Israel simultaneously create an unfriendly environment for immigrants and minorities that intensifies anti-Semitic phenomena, and yet they tend to support the State of Israel.
The report states that Trump's friendship with Israel has led to impressive results, including: recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, transferring the US embassy to it, recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, support for UN institutions, consistent support for Israel's right to defend itself, and focus on the Iranian threat.
Examining the Triangle of Relations: Washington, Jerusalem, and the Jewish community in the United States show that while the link between Jerusalem and Washington is strengthened by the growing cooperation between the Israeli government and the government, the link between Israel and the Jewish community is weakening, given the deep support of the Jews in the Democratic Party.
Ambassadors Dennis Ross and Stuart Eisenstadt note that the proximity to Trump raises difficulties for the majority in the Jewish community who support the Democratic Party: "The president is a polarizing figure in American society, and identifying with him leads to the alienation of a significant portion of American Jews. Israel's long-term interest requires firm relations with the entire US political system.
The Institute's president, Avinoam Bar-Yosef, points out that despite the great importance of the relationship between the Israeli government and the US government, relations with the Jewish community need to be strengthened while deep dialogue with all its constituents: "North American Jewry is one of the most important strategic assets For the future of the Jewish people. Recently, different Jewish identities are developing in Israel and the United States and it is the duty of leadership in Israel and the Diaspora to build bridges for mutual understanding in order to strengthen and build on the commonality, "says Bar-Yosef.
Indeed, the Institute warns of the erosion trend in Israel and the Diaspora, a trend that is particularly prominent among American Jewry. The Diaspora Composite Index indicates a severe erosion trend in Israel and its proximity, especially among the younger generation.
There is a noticeable increase in the comfort of non-Jews living in Israel "as they are" approaching the Jewish feelings there. The Institute's colleagues offer various explanations of what may appear to be a contradiction: on the one hand, a significant improvement in living and employment standards and, on the other, disappointment among the minorities with the expectations that developed as a result of the "Arab Spring Revolution" and the suffering suffered by opponents of the regime in Arab countries.