Jewish and Muslim Americans in cities across the United States are expressing worries about the potential increase in hate crimes and harassment due to escalating tensions between Israel and Palestine. Recent incidents in Brooklyn, New York City have further fueled these concerns. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) reported a hate crime where three assailants waving Israeli flags verbally assaulted and physically attacked three men walking on 86th Street. Another incident involved two men grabbing a Palestinian flag from individuals and assaulting one of them. Additionally, two juvenile boys pointed fake guns at a local synagogue in Gravesend.
Corey Saylor, the research and advocacy director at CAIR, expressed particular concern for young people on university campuses who have faced harassment and threats for expressing solidarity with Palestine. Harvard’s Palestine Solidarity Committee recently issued a letter blaming the Israeli regime for the ongoing violence, which received backlash from Jewish students who felt it did not adequately address the attacks or show sympathy for innocent victims. A billboard truck displaying the names and faces of students who signed the letter near the Harvard University campus has been seen as an act of political intimidation.
As tensions continue to rise, Jewish Americans are concerned for their safety. The Southern Poverty Law Center’s Intelligence Project has been tracking an alarming increase in antisemitic sentiment across the United States, fueled by the country’s growing white nationalist movement.
While major U.S. cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington D.C., have increased security measures ahead of expected protests, the Anti-Defamation League has stated that there are currently no credible threats to Jewish communities in the United States.
