A suspect is in custody in New York this week on suspicion that he shot a seven-year-old boy and his father with a BB gun outside a Kosher grocery store in a state of New York.
The child was grazed on the ear and his father was struck in the chest as the pair was approaching the Meiers Corners section of Staten Island. Although physically well, the boy was described as suffering from emotional distress.
Jason Kish, 25, now faces multiple charges, including assault as a hate crime and endangering the welfare of a child.
Antisemitic attacks have been on the rise in the U.S., prompting a bi-partisan group of legislators to call for a 'whole of government approach' to counter the growing threat.
According to the Anti-Defamation League, there has been a 167% increase in antisemitic assaults in 2021, compared to the previous year.
The FBI which has also been monitoring the trend, reported a 6% rise in 2020 alone.
The staggering statistics come as antisemitic rhetoric has been given a boost by music mogul Kanye West, who now goes by Ye, who had launched his attack on Jews on social media and television outlets.
His latest tirades included praising Hitler and calling on Jews to forgive the Nazi mass murderer.
But, Kanye has not been operating in a vacuum. When he sat down for an interview with Fox News star Tucker Carlson last month, his antisemitic comments were edited out, to protect the rapper from the unavoidable outrage that might follow. Carlson understood the gravity of such blatant hate speech and attempted to shield his camp from the stain.
No such attempt though from Donald Trump, who hosted West along with Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes at his Florida home days before Thanksgiving.
Trump opted to pander to his base, where the same views were on display even as his supporters attacked congress on January 6, when one rioter chose to appear wearing a camp Auschwitz tee-shirt.
Just decades after the murder of six million of Europe's Jews, the same hate appears to be given a legitimate platform in the U.S.
After the shooting of the father and son in New York, Mayor Eric Adams said citizens who would not accept hate, voluntarily assisted the police department in apprehending the assailant.
"That combination is what creates a safe environment," the mayor said.