New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) denounced a stabbing attack at the house of a rabbi in Monsey on Saturday, the latest in a string of anti-Semitic incidents in the area.
According to the BBC, de Blasio called the situation a “crisis” and announced that he’d step up the police presence in neighborhoods with large Jewish populations.
He also said that schools in Brooklyn would have special anti-hate lessons added to the curriculum.
Cuomo added that the suspect, 37-year-old Grafton Thomas, should be prosecuted as a domestic terrorist.
Trump, who has been accused of anti-Semitism himself because of repeated attacks on Holocaust survivor George Soros, tweeted out his response on Sunday.
The anti-Semitic attack in Monsey, New York, on the 7th night of Hanukkah last night is horrific. We must all come together to fight, confront, and eradicate the evil scourge of anti-Semitism. Melania and I wish the victims a quick and full recovery.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 29, 2019
Per the BBC, New York Police Department commissioner Dermot Shea said that hate crimes are up 22% in the city this year. The city police hate crimes unit is investigating eight anti-Semitic incident reports since just December 13.
Earlier this month, two gunman killed six people at a Jewish market in nearby Jersey City, New Jersey. The shooters expressed interest in the Hebrew Israelites movement, some of whom have a searing animosity towards Jewish and white people, according to NBC New York.
