NYPD, Mayor Mamdani to discuss security plan ahead of Jewish holidays, 9/11
While the city remembers 9/11, thousands of Jewish New Yorkers will also be heading to synagogues for Rosh Hashanah.
Both events are on Friday, and security is top of mind for New York leaders.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and NYPD Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch will be unveiling their plan at 1 p.m. Wednesday. CBS News New York will stream their news conference live.
Tuesday, Gov. Kathy Hochul said that more state troopers will be deployed into Jewish communities and around synagogues during the high holidays. She also announced $70 million in grant funding to nearly 300 organizations considered vulnerable to hate crimes.
"We shouldn't have to do this. We should never have to be thinking that these places of worship and places children go to school had to be fortified against hate, and I pray that this time will pass, that at some point the fever will break," Hochul said.
The money can pay for safety measures including cameras, locks, panic buttons, barriers and even cybersecurity.
This comes amid a rise in antisemitism in the city. Reported hate crimes are up 16% so far in 2026, with more than half targeting Jewish New Yorkers.
At Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz's Upper East Side synagogue, people are screened and have to show ID before they go inside.
"What has happened with security is that it is essentially a tax that has been levied on the Jewish community. It's an antisemitism tax," he said. "It's wonderful that we now are getting some government money. It nowhere meets the needs of the community, which is much larger."
Steinmetz said they are already at "max security."
A recent survey found that, on average, synagogues are now spending more than $400,000 every year on security. Money that can come at the expense of classrooms, programs and other needs.
