Antisemitism is raging in New York during the Hamas-Israel war while Islamophobia against Muslims also is on the rise, a new survey released Monday reveals.
About three-quarters of New York voters — 73% — said Jews in the state are experiencing a great deal or some antisemitism, while only 16% said there is not much or any at all, the Siena College poll found.
And of those who cited antisemitism as a problem, 75% said the hatred increased after Hamas invaded Israel on Oct. 7.
At the same time, 62% of voters say Muslims in New York are experiencing Islamophobia, and a majority of those respondents say that hatred has increased since Oct. 7.
Nearly six in 10 of voters — 59% — say the Hamas attacks on Israeli citizens are a crime that should be condemned without hesitation or explanation.
But another 25% of respondents say while they condemn the murder of Israeli civilians, they believe the attacks were a result of decades of Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians.
Meanwhile, 54% of voters, while condemning the killing of innocent Palestinian civilians in Gaza, said Israel had no choice but to retaliate against Hamas and protect itself and try to free Israeli citizens taken as hostages by the terrorists in the Oct. 7 attack.
But nearly one-third of respondents — 30% — said the death of Palestinian civilians should be condemned without hesitation or explanation.
“New Yorkers see both antisemitism and, to a slightly lesser degree, Islamophobia as widespread, and both have increased since the October 7 Hamas attacks in Israel,” said Don Levy, director of the Siena College Research Institute.
“A strong majority comes down on the side of Israel in this ongoing war. Majorities from every region and party say that the Hamas attacks should be condemned without hesitation.
“While this view is held by two-thirds of white voters, black and Latino voters are closely divided between the choices of condemnation without explanation, and condemnation along with placing blame on Israel’s treatment of Palestinians,” added Levy.
Self-identified liberals were more sympathetic to the Palestinian cause and less supportive of Israel than more moderate and conservative voters who side squarely with Israel.
A slim majority — 51% of voters — support providing more military and economic aid to Israel while 37% of respondents were opposed.
A similar majority back providing more assistance to Ukraine in its war to repel Russian aggression.
While the Hamas-Israel war and protests and bigotry have dominated the news in recent weeks, New Yorker voters have hardened their view that the border-migrant crisis is not being addressed.
A significant 82% of voters said the influx of migrants remains a very serious or somewhat serious problem, mirroring the results of previous polls.
Nearly twice as many voters (48%) said migrant settlement has been more of a burden than a benefit (25%).
Similarly, nearly two-thirds of voters — 64% — said it’s time to slow the flow of migrants while only 29% said New York should accept and assimilate them.
The anti-migrant sentiment comes amid opposition to the cost of sheltering migrants and placement of facilities to house them across New York City and state.
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Voters also continue to view crime as a nagging problem — 53% of respondents said it has gotten worse in the state, while 40% said it was more of a problem in their own neighborhood.
As for national politics, Democrat President Biden is struggling even in blue-leaning New York.
A majority of voters — 53% — disapprove of his job performance compared to 45% who approve.
A startling 55% of New York Democrats said they prefer another nominee for president while just 41% said they want Biden renominated.
Two-thirds of voters say the United States is going in the wrong direction while only 25% said it’s on the right track.
Still, Biden beats former Republican President Trump 46% to 36% head-to-head rematch.
But Robert Kennedy Jr. captures nearly one-fifth of the vote — 18% — when his independent candidacy is thrown in the mix, while professor Cornel West gets 5%.
Kennedy appears to take votes equally from Biden and Trump.
With Kennedy in the race, Biden leads Trump 37% to 28% for Trump, followed by Kennedy with 18% and West, 5%.
As for the GOP nomination for president, two-thirds of New York Republicans say Trump is their guy, while 26% prefer a different candidate.
The Siena College Institute surveyed 803 registered voters from Nov. 12-17.
It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.6 percentage points.