New York Gov. Kathy Hochul came to Long Island last week to reiterate her commitment to fighting back against antisemitism. She said the key to combatting anti-Jewish hate is to empower law enforcement to find and investigate hate crimes, and increase education about the Holocaust and Jewish history.
“Every school should be a tolerance center," Hochul said. "That's just what we should be teaching our young people: tolerance for everyone and embracing it. This is what makes New York so fascinating and exciting, and those who don't honor that and respect that, maybe New York isn't your home.”
At the Holocaust Museum and Tolerance Center in Glen Cove, Hochul said 100% of the state’s middle schools teach about the Holocaust, but educators should look for ways to enhance the curriculum.
“There are thousands more ways we can use creative digital content to make it more relevant to young people in a way that they can relate to," she said. "Let's make that our next challenge.”
Tension in the Jewish community has increased since last October when Hamas attacked Israel and took hundreds of hostages, including Omer Neutra, a native Long Islander.
The war that broke out after the attack has sparked protests across the U.S. and led to arrests on the campuses of Stony Brook University and Yale.
