Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch pledged Friday that Jewish institutions across New York City will “not be left to protect themselves” amid a surge in antisemitism, speaking at Central Synagogue just one week after a violent, hate-fueled attack rattled the house of worship.
Tisch, who grew up attending the synagogue at Lexington Avenue and East 55th Street, assured Jewish New Yorkers that the NYPD’s support would continue, after many in the congregation witnessed 46-year-old Larry Montes carry out a disturbing antisemitic assault during Shabbat services last week.
“What happened here is unacceptable anywhere in this city. No New Yorker should be assaulted or threatened because of who they are or how they worship,” Tisch told the packed congregation.
“A hate crime such as this is a message written in violence,” the commissioner said, condemning the attack.
“The physical wound is inflicted upon one person, but the fear is intended for an entire community,” she said. “It is meant to tell everyone who shares the victim’s identity that they do not belong, that they are vulnerable, that they should be afraid.”
Tisch said that message carries a particularly painful weight for Jewish New Yorkers, noting that “for years now, Jewish New Yorkers have accounted for roughly half of the city’s confirmed hate-crime victims, despite making up approximately 10% of its population.”
As of August, hate crimes targeting Jewish New Yorkers had risen 8.5% so far this year, including an alarming 53.3% jump in antisemitic hate crimes in July 2026 compared with July 2025.
“We know that violence can inspire more violence. Every high-profile attack raises the risk of another,” Tisch added.
“Individuals already on the edge do not always need instructions,” she said. “Sometimes, all they need is a spark.”
“That is why we take threats seriously, and why we work aggressively to intervene before hatred becomes violence.”
The police commissioner asserted that her job, and that of the NYPD, “is to act” and that the department “stands behind this work” combatting antisemitic hate crimes across the city — with precinct commanders and community affairs officers working with synagogues and yeshivas, “doing everything we can to ensure their safety.”
The NYPD “Intelligence and Counterterrorism Bureau acts aggressively against potential threats and directs resources where they are needed,” she asserted.
Tisch vowed that “Jewish institutions will not be left to protect themselves without a partner in the NYPD.”
“Jewish families will not be told to accept fear as the price of practicing their faith,” she added.
The commissioner promised as a “proud Jew” and “lifelong member” of the Central Synagogue congregation, “you have my word that I stand with you in these uncertain, precarious times.”
“And as Police Commissioner, you have my word that behind that commitment stand 35,000 members of the NYPD willing to risk their own lives for people they have never met, supported by the most robust municipal counterterrorism capacity in the world and a Hate Crimes Task Force that is second to none,” she promised.
“For me, that commitment is professional,” Tisch added.
“Here at Central, it is also deeply personal.”
