The knife attack Saturday evening that wounded five people attending a Hanukkah celebration at a rabbi's home in Monsey, New York, has prompted swift condemnation from prominent
New York leaders, members of
Congress, and presidential candidates, many of whom sounded fearful about the spread of anti-Semitic violence in the United States.Oren Segal, the vice president of the Anti-Defamation League, voiced that concern as well. In an appearance Sunday on CNN's State of the Union, he told host Jake Tapper that the
New York City area — which has recently seen multiple high profile acts of violence against its Jewish communities — is in the middle of "epidemic" of anti-Semitic incidents. He said, there has been a 17 percent rise in incidents in 2019, though he said the ADL is still trying to pinpoint the exact reasons for the motivations behind the increase, which he says is a priority for the organization.