Jewish leaders are calling on city officials to do more to combat antisemitism. It comes after a man was taken into custody for trying to run over several Jewish people in Brooklyn on Wednesday, an incident being investigated as a hate crime, according to officials.

Police say an alleged attempt by 58-year-old Ali Asghar to mow down several Jews in his white sedan was caught on surveillance video. Witnesses said the man made antisemitic remarks and several Jewish men can be seen running into the school on East 55th Street and Glenwood Road.

What You Need To Know

  • Jewish leaders are calling on city officials to do more to combat antisemitism

  • Police say a man is in custody for trying to run over several Jewish people in Brooklyn on Wednesday, an incident being investigated as a hate crime

  • The suspect is a 58 year-old man who, according to police, attempted to mow down several Jews with his white sedan outside a Yeshivad
  • Jewish activists and businesses owners rallied in front of City Hall Thursday, demanding councilmembers create harsher penalties for hate crimes and increase public safety for Jews 

While no one was injured in the incident, Asghar, of Brooklyn, is being charged with multiple crimes — including attempted murder, attempted assault and reckless endangerment, all as hate crimes. He’s also being charged with attempted vehicular assault, reckless driving and aggravated harassment.

Mayor Eric Adams said the man appears to have been emotionally disturbed, but emphasized that there is no room for hate in the city, which he reiterated during an event for Jewish Heritage Month he hosted at Gracie Mansion Wednesday night.

“Hate has no place in New York,” Adams said. “I thank you for being here, for not allowing yourself to believe that you would take off your yamalka before walking on our street.”

On Thursday, Jewish activists and businesses owners rallied in front of City Hall, demanding councilmembers create harsher penalties for hate crimes and increase public safety for Jews.

Jewish attendees of the rally said they’ve experienced a spike of antisemitism since Oct. 7, 2023, including during recent pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Some Jewish businesses owners said it has hurt their businesses.

“Staff members came in, emptied out the registers, got up and quit,” said Aaron Dahan of Cafe Aarrone in Chelsea, Manhattan. “Essentially, they tried to paralyze the business. Not because of anything Israel related, but because we were Jewish.”

“Post Oct. 7, after the massacre, the owner — who is Israeli — put up a flag in the window. Since then, we’ve seen a 60% decrease in sales,” said Ben Stone of Blue Stripes Coffee in Union Square, Manhattan.

The latest data from the NYPD show that, as of the end of April 2024, hate crimes against Jews have doubled year-over-year, accounting for half of all hate crimes reported to police.