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🚓 Critics condemn the NYPD’s new reporting of hate crimes
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The NYPD’s new method of reporting hate crimes has sparked backlash from critics who say that it deflates antisemitism figures. The department announced a change in its reporting method last month, counting hate crimes only after they have been investigated and confirmed as such by the Hate Crimes Task Force.
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After the new system launched, reported antisemitic crimes dropped from 31 in January to 21 in February, according to the NYPD. Jews remained the subject of the majority of hate crimes.
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“We’re all watching the manufacturing of propaganda in real time,” Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz, who leads Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun on the Upper East Side, told The New York Post. “They’ll change the method of counting antisemitic crimes and literally six months later the mayor’s office will claim that antisemitism has dropped.”
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Elisha Wiesel, son of the Nobel laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, also complained about the change. “I think there should be a loud outcry telling them to change it back,” he told The Post. “To me, if you are sincere about combating antisemitism you need to measure the complaints.”
- NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch defended the new methodology during a budget hearing this month. “I believe in transparency,” said Tisch. “I also believe that the numbers the NYPD was previously reporting were conflicting, wrong, and confusing. In my opinion, what we should be reporting on is confirmed instances of hate crimes.”
🫓 Passover prep for NY officials
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Mayor Zohran Mamdani will attend a Passover seder tonight at the City Winery in Manhattan. He will share the stage with former CNN anchor Don Lemon, Israeli musician David Broza and observant Jewish comedian Modi Rosenfeld. Amichai Lau-Lavie, a rabbi and human rights activist, will also appear via video from Israel.
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All proceeds from the Downtown Seder, a city tradition since 1991, will be donated to Seeds of Peace, which supports young leaders from regions of conflict. Mamdani will also host a private Passover dinner with city workers, reported The Forward.
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Julie Menin, the Jewish speaker of the City Council, hosted an interfaith model seder with the Jewish Community Relations Council last week at Tsion Cafe, an Ethiopian-Israeli restaurant that closed earlier this year after the owner battled harassment.
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And Gov. Kathy Hochul joined Yeshiva Flatbush, a Modern Orthodox school in Brooklyn, for a model seder on Sunday. “You could feel the joy of the Passover season in every corner of the community this week,” Hochul said on X.
🚨 Man tied to Jewish extremist group arrested for targeting pro-Palestinian activist
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A New Jersey man linked to Jewish extremism was arrested on Thursday for allegedly plotting to assassinate the prominent pro-Palestinian activist Nerdeen Kiswani.
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Alexander Heifler, 26, was arrested in Hoboken after a weeks-long undercover operation headed by the NYPD, which accused Heifler of planning to throw Molotov cocktails at cars and into Kiswani’s home.
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A police official told The New York Times that Heifler was a member of the JDL 613 Brotherhood, which is an offshoot of the Jewish Defense League, a pro-Israel group designated as a terrorist organization by the FBI.
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Mamdani said in a statement that Heifler “reportedly planned to flee to Israel following the attack.” He added, “We will not tolerate violent extremism in our city. No one should face violence for their political beliefs or their advocacy. I am relieved that Nerdeen is safe.”
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Kiswani’s rhetoric about Zionists has long drawn accusations of antisemitism, which she denies. Last month, she sued the far-right, militant pro-Israel group Betar USA and accused them of violating her civil rights by putting out social media “bounties” on her head. (Betar USA recently agreed to dissolve its New York operations following a settlement with the state attorney general.)
🥯 Jewish food report
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Hummus Bar, a beloved Israeli kosher eatery in Flatbush, opened its newest location in Crown Heights last week.
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Cattle, a new kosher ghost kitchen serving up smoked meats and burgers in Midtown, is heating up on Instagram.
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