Schumer to give 'major' address on rising antisemitism

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he plans to deliver a “major address” Wednesday on the rise in antisemitism across the country.

Schumer, in a statement on X, did not provide details about the setting or timing of the address, but he highlighted the significance of his role as the highest-ranking Jewish official ever elected to public office in the United States.

“Antisemitism is a crisis in the country. As the highest-ranking Jewish elected official, I feel compelled to speak out about it. I’ll be giving a major address on it tomorrow,” he wrote in a statement.

His address comes amid an uptick in antisemitic incidents reported, especially in the time since Hamas, a US-designated terrorist organization, launched an Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel’s southern border, massacring 1,200 Israelis and taking more than 240 hostages back to Gaza.

Israel responded with a barrage of airstrikes and a ground offensive, killing more than 13,300 Palestinians – according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza – leading to widespread protests and calls for a cease-fire. The demonstrations against Israel have coincided with a rise in antisemitic activity.

In the two weeks after the attack, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) recorded a 388 percent spike in antisemitic incidents from the same time period the previous year.

In Schumer’s home state, New York City saw a 214-percent in reported hate crimes against Jews in October 2023, compared to October 2022, according to the city’s crime statistics.

A total of 101 hate crimes were reported last month in New York City, 69 of which were targeted at Jews. Other hate crimes reported last month included 8 anti-Muslim incidents, seven incidents motivated by “sexual orientation,” and four anti-Black incidents.