I’m Manhattan’s district attorney. This is how I’m combatting antisemitism
More money, more staff and targeting criminal conduct at campus protests
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 30: Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg stands with members of his staff at a news conference following the conviction of former U.S. President Donald Trump in his hush money trial on May 30, 2024 in New York City. Trump was found guilty on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first of his criminal cases to go to trial. Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Manhattan has long been a center of Jewish culture and a safe haven for Jews around the world. Yet there has been a disturbing increase of antisemitism over the past year. As Manhattan district attorney — and a lifelong resident of the borough — I am extremely troubled by this increase in anti-Jewish hate.
Some Jews have expressed that they are afraid to wear their kippahs or Star of David necklaces for fear of being harassed or assaulted. Many have overheard blatantly antisemitic comments on the transit system or in their neighborhood.
It is unacceptable that simply being visibly Jewish can make someone feel — or be — less safe.
That is why my office has taken an aggressive and comprehensive approach to combating antisemitic hate crimes and keeping everyone — regardless of their religion or background — free from hatred. Critically, we have significantly expanded our capacity to not only prosecute hate crimes, but also to support victims and ramp up community outreach and engagement. We are doing that through both a more well-resourced Hate Crimes Unit and the creation of our new Survivor Services Bureau.
Combating hate crimes has been a top priority for my administration. One of my first initiatives when I took office in 2022 was to successfully advocate for an additional $1.7 million in baseline funding from the City Council to expand the Office’s Hate Crimes Unit. We increased staffing in that unit from two to 15 specially trained prosecutors, hired new investigators and analysts, and expanded our community outreach work.
Building out the unit has enabled us to meet this disturbing moment. Our hate crimes docket is at an all-time high, and antisemitic hate crimes make up nearly 30% of those open cases. It doesn’t matter whether the case involves violence, property damage or threats — we take all investigations and prosecutions of antisemitic hate crimes extremely seriously. We have charged individuals for stalking and assaulting an Israeli tourist; assaulting a Jewish man with a yarmulke in Times Square; vandalizing synagogues; threatening “Zionists” on the subway; and planning a terrorist attack on the Jewish community.
We are devoting significant resources to proactive investigations in coordination with local NYPD precincts and NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force.
We have also sought to strengthen the prosecutorial tools at our disposal, and recently championed the Hate Crimes Modernization Act, which added 23 additional hate crimes offenses to state law, including gang assault and criminal possession of a weapon.
But prosecution is only one piece of the puzzle. Supporting hate crime survivors is also a key element of our holistic approach to public safety.
Our new Survivor Services Bureau assists victims of all violent crimes, including hate crimes, with the ultimate goal of having each victim supported by both a prosecutor and an advocate from the very beginning of their case. Services provided through SSB can include counseling, navigating medical bills, finding emergency housing placement, and providing guidance throughout court proceedings.
Our Hate Crimes and Community Partnerships Units have also increased proactive trainings and outreach. In addition to regularly training members of NYPD on best practices for investigating hate crimes, we speak directly to impacted communities. Over the past several months, for example, we have met with Jewish student groups on college campuses about how our office can provide support and assistance. We have also conducted security trainings with Jewish organizations and synagogues, and hate crimes trainings with college public safety directors and Title IX Coordinators.Furthermore, we hired a new staff member in our Community Partnerships Unit who focuses on outreach to the Jewish community.
I know that the campus protests at local universities about the war in the Middle East have made many in the Manhattan Jewish community, both on campus and throughout the borough, feel unsafe. We have taken strong actions to curb unlawful actions that contribute to that feeling, including by indicting eight people for felony burglary charges for illegally occupying a City College of New York building during an April protest, and indicting an individual on felony charges for burning another person’s Israeli flag at a Columbia University protest.
There were reports of extremely disturbing antisemitic comments made at these protests, which is horrific, dangerous and unacceptable. I know that the fear this rhetoric instilled in students, faculty and community members has not disappeared as protests continue throughout campuses and the borough. My office has been in touch with the administrations of Manhattan universities and colleges, as well as the NYPD, and we will not hesitate to pursue cases when protests cross the line from peaceful, legal demonstrations into illegal activity.
Over the past several months I have also personally sat down with Jewish advocacy groups, synagogues and cultural organizations to hear from residents about the antisemitism they have experienced, and ways we can work together to improve safety and security. Those meetings are continuing throughout the fall, and I would encourage anyone interested in participating to reach out to our Hate Crimes Unit – we are eager to work directly with the Jewish community and provide any support that we can.
There is a lot more work to do, but I am confident that through continued collaboration and partnership, we will ensure Manhattan continues to be a safe and welcoming home for the Jewish community.
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