February 20, 2026 — New York
New York City prides itself on being a place where people of every background can live openly and safely. But for Jewish New Yorkers, that sense of security is increasingly fragile.
In American Jewish Committee’s State of Antisemitism in America 2025 Report, released last week, the message from American Jews is stark: fear is shaping daily life.
More than half say they have changed their behavior in the past year because of antisemitism. Nearly one in three report having been personally targeted by an antisemitic incident, and roughly one in six has considered leaving the U.S. and moving to another country due to antisemitism in the past five years.
Just this month, the NYPD arrested a 17-year-old student at Renaissance Charter School in Jackson Heights, after he allegedly sent antisemitic emails to more than 300 classmates threatening mass violence against Jews.
That incident is part of a broader and deeply troubling pattern.
In late January, a man drove a vehicle repeatedly into the doors of Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters in Crown Heights.
Around the same time, visibly Jewish New Yorkers were physically attacked in everyday settings — including a rabbi assaulted outside a Forest Hills synagogue and Jewish victims targeted on city streets and in the subway in Brooklyn and Manhattan.
The data helps explain why the impact is so profound. According to AJC’s survey, 93% of American Jews say antisemitism is a problem in the United States, yet only 70% of the general public agrees. That gap reflects a society that does not fully recognize this threat.
So what does this mean for New York?
Antisemitism is not a Jewish problem. It is a New York City problem. When a student threatens mass violence against Jews, when a synagogue becomes a target, when people are assaulted on the subway because of who they are — that is an attack on the city’s core values and our way of life.
Hate-crime enforcement, school safety protocols, and rapid response to threats must be treated as shared civic responsibilities, not optional or reactive measures.
Elected officials, school administrators, and community leaders must condemn antisemitism clearly and consistently.
No parent should wonder whether sending their child to school comes with added risk because they are Jewish. No New Yorker should hesitate before wearing a symbol of their faith.
New York has the opportunity, and the obligation, to draw a firm line.
The safety of Jewish New Yorkers is not a special interest. It is a measure of whether this city still believes in itself.
