Even if Asghar Ali is a mere lunatic seeking to harm Jews amidst a rise in antisemitism, he still instilled fear.
As a demented driver, Asghar Ali allegedly tried to mow down Orthodox students and a rabbi outside a Brooklyn yeshiva this week, the police were quick to state that there was no apparent link to terrorism.
However, the disturbing incident that was caught on camera shows Ali revving his engine and driving onto the sidewalk as he attempted to run down the Jewish men while shouting, “I’m gonna kill all the Jews” in a terrifying antisemitic attack.
Even if Ali acted alone, his actions are clearly influenced by the pervasive antisemitism and anti-Jewish sentiment that have been increasingly visible at pro-Palestinian demonstrations, on the internet, and in the media.
As Mayor Adams recently expressed, New York City has “normalized” a terrible hatred towards Jews, as has much of the rest of the world.
Data from the NYPD shows a sharp increase in antisemitic attacks since the terror attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7th, and anti-Jewish hate crimes in New York City nearly doubled in the first quarter of the year.
Just this week, prosecutors charged Skiboky Stora on hate crime charges related to what they described as “anti-female, anti-white, and antisemitic attacks” in Chelsea from September to March.
In one occurrence, Stora allegedly followed a couple and told them to “die, Jews, die” after they caught him ripping down posters of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
Ali, Stora, and the numerous anti-Israel protestors, many of whom are violent, are successful in instilling fear in Jews in New York City, a city with a large Jewish population.
Jews have faced despicable comments and even violence on college campuses from Columbia to UCLA and on the streets.
They have witnessed the world condemn Israel while turning a blind eye to nations committing real crimes simply because Israel is the Jewish homeland.
Law enforcement and other officials investigating Ali’s attack must not dismiss it as the act of an isolated lunatic. This incident indicates a troubling trend for the city that must be stopped immediately.
As Adams pointed out, such a climate would not be tolerated if, for example, African Americans were the target.
It cannot be allowed to persist when Jews are the ones under attack.
