Law enforcement agencies around the United States are being pressed to increase patrols and visible security near Jewish schools, synagogues and community institutions as the Jewish High Holy Days approach on Sept. 11 — a date that also marks the 25th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks.
Sydney Altfield, CEO of the New York-based Teach Coalition, which works across seven states, said Jewish families should not have to fear for their children’s safety in school or their own safety while gathering for prayer.
She warned that Jewish day schools and places of worship have faced a growing threat environment in recent years.
According to an Anti-Defamation League review of federal crime data, antisemitic incidents made up nearly 63% of all religion-based hate crimes nationwide in 2025 — the third-highest total of anti-Jewish hate crimes ever documented in federal records.
In New York City, hate crimes climbed 9.4% through July compared with the same period in 2025, NYPD figures showed. More than half of those reported incidents targeted Jewish New Yorkers, even as the city recorded historically low levels of murders and shootings.
Some Jewish leaders have pointed criticism at Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a vocal critic of Israel who has accused the country of carrying out “genocide” during the Gaza war and has called for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be arrested. Mamdani has maintained that he has no tolerance for antisemitism.
The broader rise in antisemitism and anti-Jewish hate crimes across the country has left many in the Jewish community deeply anxious as the High Holy Days draw near.
Rosh Hashanah and the High Holy Days often bring heightened security concerns for synagogues and Jewish institutions, but those worries are especially intense this year because the holiday’s start coincides with the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.
The Jewish holidays include Rosh Hashanah on Sept. 11, Yom Kippur on Sept. 20 and Sukkot on Sept. 25.
The New York City metropolitan region has the largest Jewish population outside of Israel.
Teach Coalition, a project of the Orthodox Union, operates in seven states: New York, New Jersey, Florida, Pennsylvania, Maryland, California and Nevada.
Typically, the NYPD increases its patrols around Jewish institutions during the High Holy Days, as it did earlier this year during the Jewish holiday of Purim.
“The NYPD will have a security briefing as we get closer to the holidays,” an NYPD rep told The Post on Sunday. “And yes, in prior years, we have increased patrols during this time.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul, while addressing the Central Synagogue in Manhattan on Friday, also pledged to boost security for synagogues and Jewish communities across the state ahead of the holy days.
A bigoted madman recently unleashed a horrific, antisemitic assault at the place of worship.
“If you need more money, if you need more protection, I will send the New York State Police here,” Hochul said, the Jerusalem Post reported. “We will fortify this place not only now but certainly ahead of the approaching High Holidays.”
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, during her own remarks to Central Synagogue on Aug. 21, promised that Jewish institutions across the Big Apple will “not be left to protect themselves” against rising antisemitism.
