Antisemitic incidents in NYC soar 182% even as other crimes drop: ‘What else is new?’

Hateful antisemitic incidents skyrocketed 182% across the Big Apple in January compared to a year ago, even as other crimes such as murders and shootings reached record lows, according to NYPD data.

There were 31 hate crimes against Jewish people reported in the first month of 2026, which is 20 more than the same time last year, the startling stats show.  

The concerning figures are in contrast to the record-low number of shootings and murders that took place in the city in January as New Yorkers faced below-freezing temps for much of the month.

“Unfortunately, it’s never too cold to be antisemitic,” said Michael Nussbaum, a Queens board member of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York.

“The hate is going to be difficult to eliminate — it’s what’s in people’s hearts and minds,” he said.

“We suffered thousands of years of persecution and antisemitism. What else is new?”

One of last month’s crimes involved a New Jersey man who allegedly rammed his car into the iconic Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, on Jan. 28.

Dan Sohail, who suffers from mental illness, was charged with attempted assault, criminal mischief and aggravated harassment as a hate crime in the incident, police said. He appeared to show an interest in converting to Judaism, authorities have said.

A 32-year-old rabbi was also pummeled as he headed to his synagogue in Queens on Jan. 27. Eric Zafra-Grosso charged with two counts of assault, including one as a hate crime, in the attack.

Zafra-Grosso allegedly sneered, “F–k the Jews” as he bashed the victim, according to authorities.

Vile swastikas were painted in Gravesend Park — a playground frequented by Jewish children in Brooklyn — on Jan. 20, too.

New York Board of Rabbis Executive Vice President Joseph Potasnik called the sharp increase of antisemitic crimes a “very sad commentary.

“The high temperature of hate cannot be brought down by the cold weather,” he told The Post.

“Hate mongers don’t care about the weather. When hate is in your blood, the weather doesn’t matter.”

Overall, Big Apple crime was down nearly 7% across several major categories, including with a 30% drop in burglaries and 16% decrease in retail theft, last month compared to January 2026, according to NYPD data.

Homicides fell 60%, while shootings went down 20% when matched with January 2025 numbers.