Countering the narrative that the rise in anti-Semitic hate crimes is a result of President Trump’s rhetoric catalyzing right-wing fanatics to attack Jews, The New York Times acknowledged in a piece written on Wednesday that the narrative might have a huge hole in it.
The Times wrote about the rising tide of anti-Semitic hate crimes committed in New York City, where anti-Semitic incidents have comprised half of all hate crimes in 2018. The Times wrote, “To put that figure in context, there have been four times as many crimes motivated by bias against Jews — 142 in all — as there have against blacks. Hate crimes against Jews have outnumbered hate crimes targeted at transgender people by a factor of 20.”
Here’s the kicker: The Times author wrote, “During the past 22 months, not one person caught or identified as the aggressor in an anti-Semitic hate crime has been associated with a far right-wing group, Mark Molinari, commanding officer of the police department’s Hate Crimes Task Force, told me. ‘I almost wish it was sometimes more clear cut,’ he said. ‘It’s every identity targeting every identity.’”
The Times author admits that the rise in anti-Semitism preceded the Trump presidency, noting, “For several years now, expressions of anti-Jewish sentiment have made up the preponderance of hate crime complaints in the city.”- READ MORE