Police at a Jewish community event in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, June 5, 2024. (Luke Tress)

The NYPD reported 55 antisemitic incidents in May, the highest tally since November, indicating that the post-Oct. 7 spike in antisemitism in the city has not abated.

The total for May was more than double the same period last year, which saw 22 incidents. Anti-Jewish incidents accounted for 64% of all reported hate crimes in the city in May.

Hate incidents against Jews spiked after the Oct. 7 invasion of Israel, with 69 in October and 62 in November. 

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The number has fluctuated since then, from 17 reported incidents in February, to 43 in March and 32 in April. Jews remain the group most targeted in hate crimes nearly every month. 

Jewish security officials have said the pattern of anti-Israel protests in the city may play a role in the fluctuations. According to the mayor’s office, there have been more than 1,000 protests in the city related to Israel since Oct. 7. Last month saw heated protests surrounding college graduations and Israel’s military operations in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza.

There were 86 total reported hate crimes last month, including two against Asians, one targeting a Black person, six motivated by gender, four against Muslims, nine based on sexual orientation, and two against white people. Three were against unspecified ethnic groups, and four based on other religions.

The figures represent preliminary police data and are subject to change if, for example, an investigation finds that an altercation that had appeared discriminatory was not actually motivated by bigotry.

Not every reported hate crime results in an arrest or prosecution, and numbers can be revised following the initial tally. The legal standard for proving bias is high, making prosecution difficult.

In one high-profile incident last month, a man was charged with a slew of hate crimes after aiming his car at Orthodox Jews in Brooklyn.

Several incidents that occurred in the weeks after Oct. 7 are being pursued by prosecutors, including one in which a suspect allegedly punched a Jewish Israeli near Times Square while shouting antisemitic epithets. Another involves a 19-year-old who was charged with attacking an Israeli student with a stick on the Columbia University campus. The crimes can take years to prosecute.

This article originally appeared on JTA.org.

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