Karl-Anthony Towns Attends Jewish Youth Charity Event as NYPD Data Shows Antisemitic Hate Crimes Dominate NYC Cases

Karl-Anthony Towns showed up Monday night to a fundraiser in New York City for Chazaq, a Jewish youth education and anti-bullying nonprofit, according to The Algemeiner. The Knicks center told the crowd it was "an honor to be able to play for y'all and represent what this city is." The organization gave him a gift tied to its "speak no evil" anti-bullying campaign.

The appearance landed against a grim backdrop. NYPD data cited by Fox News shows antisemitic hate crimes accounted for roughly 55% to 60% of all confirmed hate crimes in New York City so far in 2026, even though Jewish New Yorkers make up about 10% of the city's population. In the first quarter alone, the NYPD recorded 78 antisemitic incidents out of 143 total confirmed hate crimes, according to the same data.

The numbers follow two stabbings near Central Park that reignited concern over antisemitism in the city. Rabbi Ari Berman, president of Yeshiva University, has criticized Mayor Zohran Mamdani's "obsessive focus" on Israel, arguing it "betrays New Yorkers," according to a Fox News panel discussion. Commentator Lizzy Savetsky went further, connecting Mamdani's rhetoric on Israel to the rise in hate incidents.

Mamdani has not been shown by any source here to have called for or condoned violence against Jewish residents. His public position, as characterized in these reports, is a call for Netanyahu's arrest if he enters New York City over war crimes allegations tied to the Israel-Hamas conflict, not a statement targeting Jewish New Yorkers. Critics like Berman and Savetsky argue the rhetoric creates a permissive climate for hate regardless of intent. No source here presents evidence directly linking Mamdani's statements to either Central Park stabbing.

Towns' gesture stood out because two other NBA players moved in the opposite direction. Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving and San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama both liked an Instagram video of Mamdani calling Netanyahu a "war criminal" and urging federal authorities to arrest him if he sets foot in New York City, according to Fox News. Liking a post is a low bar for public commitment, but in a moment when Jewish community leaders are already raising alarms, the optics mattered enough that Fox News Digital reporter Jackson Thompson flagged it as a split within the league.

None of the four sources reviewed here identify any public statement, apology, or clarification from Irving or Wembanyama explaining the like. Wembanyama, a French national in just his third NBA season, has not previously waded into Middle East politics in American media. Irving has a longer history of controversy, including his 2022 suspension by the Brooklyn Nets over sharing a film containing antisemitic material, which he later apologized for.

The Chazaq fundraiser and the Instagram likes are separate events that happened to surface in the same news cycle. Fox News framed them as a direct contrast, "Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns reportedly attends Jewish fundraiser as other NBA players take opposite stand," implying a binary choice among NBA players. Towns attending a charity dinner and two other players liking a mayor's video are not directly comparable actions, and no source shows Irving or Wembanyama making any statement about Jewish New Yorkers specifically.

What is measurable is the hate crime data itself. The NYPD figures, as reported, show antisemitic incidents are the single largest category of confirmed hate crimes in the city this year, far outpacing the Jewish population's share of city residents. That is a data point independent of any mayor's rhetoric or any athlete's social media activity, and it is the fact driving the concern from Jewish organizational leaders regardless of which political explanation one accepts for it.

Mamdani's office has not been quoted in any of these reports responding directly to the antisemitism criticism or to Berman's specific characterization of his focus on Israel as "obsessive." That leaves an open question about how the mayor's administration plans to address the hate crime numbers directly, separate from the ongoing debate over his foreign policy rhetoric. The Upper West Side stabbing investigation, referenced in Fox News coverage, also remains active, with no publicly confirmed motive tied to Mamdani's statements as of this writing.