NYPD Commissioner returns to the synagogue where she grew up: "Jews will not be required to live in fear"
A week after the antisemitic attack at the Central Synagogue in Manhattan, Jessica Tisch returned to the community where she grew up and promised: Jewish institutions will not be left to defend themselves alone. Before her remarks, she was called to the Torah, and at the end, she received a standing ovation from hundreds of congregants who rose in her honor as the Torah scroll was returned to the ark.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch returned last night (Saturday) to the Central Synagogue in Manhattan — the synagogue where she grew up, prayed, and got married — and promised hundreds of congregants that the police would not leave Jewish institutions and families to deal with the wave of antisemitism in the city alone.
"Jewish institutions will not be left to defend themselves without a partner in the NYPD," Tisch declared. "Jewish families will not be told that they must accept fear as the price of practicing their faith in New York."
Tisch was received with prolonged applause in the packed synagogue. Before her remarks, she was called to the Torah, recited the blessings, and stood beside the community rabbis during the reading. At the end of her address, hundreds of congregants rose from their seats in her honor and cheered for her as the Torah scroll was returned to the Holy Ark to the sound of music and singing.
The event took place exactly one week after Larry Montes, 46, from the Bronx, burst into a Friday night prayer service at the location. According to the indictments filed against him, he shouted antisemitic and racist slurs, attacked a 63-year-old female congregant and a 65-year-old security guard, and vandalized property at the synagogue. Alongside the charges filed against him in New York State, Montes was also charged in federal court with two hate crimes and the destruction of religious property resulting in injury.
Tisch said that a hate crime is not intended to harm only the direct victim. According to her, it carries a threatening message to everyone who shares the victim's identity: that they do not belong, that they are vulnerable, and that they should be afraid. "This message hits the Jewish community with particular force," she said.
The police commissioner noted that Jews make up about 10% of New York's population, yet for years they have accounted for about half of the confirmed hate crime victims in the city. According to her, since the beginning of the year, the number of hate crimes against Jews has risen by 8.5% compared to the same period last year, and in July alone, an increase of 53.3% was recorded compared to July 2025.
"We know that violence can beget more violence. Every publicized attack increases the risk of another attack. People who are already on the edge do not always need instructions. Sometimes all they need is a spark."
According to her, this is why the police take threats seriously and act before hatred turns into violence. She detailed that precinct commanders and community affairs officers work with synagogues and yeshivas, while the Intelligence and Counterterrorism Bureau deploys forces based on threat assessments. The Hate Crime Task Force, she added, works to investigate incidents and bring those responsible to justice.
"As a proud Jew and a member of this community my entire life, I promise you that I stand with you during these uncertain and dangerous times," Tisch said. She added that behind her commitment stand 35,000 NYPD officers, the city's counterterrorism apparatus, and the Hate Crime Task Force.
"For me, this commitment is professional," the police commissioner concluded. "Here, at Central, it is also very personal."
