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June 12, 2015 2:15 pm
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ADL Concerned Over Spike in Antisemitic Crimes in New York

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avatar by Eliezer Sherman

File photo of swastika graffiti. Photo: WikiCommons.

File photo of swastika graffiti. Photo: WikiCommons.

The Anti-Defamation League expressed concern over the latest New York Police Department’s crime report, which indicated higher levels of antisemitic crime so far this year.

“The increased number of reported antisemitic incidents is significant and troubling,” said ADL Regional Director for New York Evan R. Bernstein.

But the ADL does not believe that the spike in incidents, 53 hate crimes against Jews this year, are a cause for alarm, said Bernstein.

The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force said there was a 29 percent rise in antisemitic crimes this year, over the same period in 2014.

“The good news is that most of these incidents were low-level, non-violent offenses, including anti-Jewish graffiti and other forms of criminal mischief. But each and every incident should be taken seriously,” said Bernstein.

“NYPD’s approach — of proactive reporting, monitoring, prosecution and community engagement — serves as a model for how to address bias motivated crime, and we commend their efforts and their vigilance,” he said.

Two swastikas etched outside a kosher supermarket in Brooklyn marked the first antisemitic hate crime this year, as reported by JP Updates.

Last month, a Jewish man was punched in the face early Saturday as he was heading to synagogue, in what police called a hate crime.

Last August also saw a similar spike in antisemitic crimes, but the NYPD attributed that to the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza taking place at the same time.

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