NYC ramps up security for Rosh Hashanah amid rising antisemitism

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch announced a ramp-up of security operations ahead of September's Jewish High Holy Days and the 25th anniversary commemorations of the 9/11 terror attacks. At a Wednesday press conference, Mamdani urged residents to avoid wandering through lower Manhattan on Friday. Streets surrounding Ground Zero will be shut down as dignitaries like Vice President JD Vance prepare for the memorial service. The mayor also voiced deep concern for Jewish New Yorkers facing a sharp rise in antisemitic hate crimes recently.

I want to speak directly to our Jewish New Yorkers now, Mamdani said during his remarks. Your safety during these sacred days is of the utmost importance to our administration, and we will work tirelessly to ensure that you can observe the holiday securely. There will be an increased NYPD presence outside of synagogues across the five boroughs, as well as other Jewish religious and cultural locations.

Mamdani noted there are no specific or credible threats against New Yorkers right now, yet he insisted the city must stay vigilant for the weekend's events. Commissioner Tisch backed him up on that point while highlighting a troubling trend in hate crimes generally, with antisemitic offenses climbing fastest of all. Even as shootings and murders have fallen to historic lows, hate crimes are moving in the wrong direction through the first eight months of this year. Confirmed hate crimes citywide are up 16%, and antisemitic hate crimes are up 9%. And once again, more than half of all confirmed hate crimes in New York City have targeted Jewish New Yorkers, even though Jews make up only about 10% of this city's population. Those numbers are deeply disturbing, Tisch said.

She pointed to specific incidents, including the July stabbing of Moshe Grunhaus, a 50-year-old Jewish man wearing a kippah who was attacked with a screwdriver outside The Jewish Center in Manhattan's Upper West Side. Intelligence officers have also disrupted multiple plotted attacks on Jews in New York in recent years. Since October 7th, our intelligence community has also tracked threats and disrupted plots directed at Jewish institutions here in New York, including alleged plans for attacks against a Manhattan synagogue and a Jewish center in Brooklyn, she said.

Tisch assured the city's Jewish population that they can count on the NYPD as their partner now and throughout the year. I want all Jewish New Yorkers to know this. You have a partner in the NYPD now and throughout the year. As of today, there are no specific, credible threats directed at High Holy Day celebrations in New York City. But we remain vigilant, she said. Fox News Digital reached out to both the mayor's office and the NYPD for additional comment but did not receive further statements immediately.