Speaking to 800 Congregants, Cuomo Urges New Yorkers to Mobilize and Fight Antisemitism at Polls During Address at Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun
Let New York City set the international standard of a people, of a government, of a society that has zero tolerance for any antisemitic act of any kind, and let us speak the word loud and proud and let the power of our example set a new model to follow.
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, candidate for mayor of New York City, addressed 800 congregants at Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun in Manhattan for a Shabbat service earlier today. Governor Cuomo reaffirmed his commitment to the Jewish community and urged New Yorkers to mobilize and combat antisemitism at the ballot box. He recently released his agenda to fight Antisemitism. In accordance with Sabbath observance, all forms of electronics were not used in the synagogue on Saturday. A copy of his remarks, as prepared, are below.
Shabbat shalom!
It is truly an honor to be with you today at KJ. Let me begin by thanking Rabbi Steinmetz for your leadership on fighting antisemitism and your leadership in the community at large.
I am here to say that I am sorry. I am sorry for the pain and anguish you felt on October 7 and every day since. I’m sorry for any antisemitism you have experienced and the repugnant behavior of demonstrators masked as Hamas that you have endured. I’m sorry if you have not felt safe on the streets right here in your own hometown. I’m sorry for the unimaginable pain and hardship the hostages and their families endured and continue to endure.
I'm sorry for my mistaken assumption that widespread antisemitism could never happen again in modern sophisticated, educated society and certainly not in NYC.
I thought it was a lesson from the past but could never happen in the present. A lesson grandparents shared to teach us about history. That it was – like polio – a terrible disease yes, but that it was cured – never to threaten again. I was wrong.
My father, Governor Mario Cuomo, and I were always hyper-aggressive supporters of Israel. Not as a matter of politics, but because it was personal. We are family, literally. We led delegations to Israel, helped expose Hamas tunnels, passed some of the strongest anti-discrimination laws in the country, and made New York the first state to stand firmly against BDS. I was the only elected official at Auschwitz for the 75th anniversary.
But obviously it wasn’t enough.
I now fully appreciate the shocking reality that antisemitism is not a lesson of the past, but very much a problem in the present. That antisemitism is a virus that lives in the body politic and as soon as the immune system is weakened, the virus is manifested.
Obviously, the recent issues in the Middle East have weakened the immune system and the virus is raging.
But let us remember the context. Yes, there are different positions on the problems in the Middle East, it is a horrible, heart-wrenching situation and people have a constitutional right to express different political opinions – God bless America.
And people have a right to demonstrate in support of their opinions – God bless America.
But no one has a right to destroy public or private property during that demonstration and no one has a right to harass or disparage or discriminate against another based on race, color or religion and the law is the law - and the law must be enforced equally and fairly without political bias - and God bless America for that too.
I underestimated the threat that antisemitism could rear its ugly head once again, but now accepting that painful reality - the question is, what do we do about it?
Elie Wiesel once said that the opposite of love is not hate, but that the opposite of love is indifference. Silence is acceptance. This country made that mistake once and must never make it again.
We know that passivity does not work. We cannot sit by and hope that this aggression and violence passes us by. Sha shtil is not a viable option if we are to succeed. The enemy is organizing, fundraising, and mobilizing. So we have work to do.
The Jewish community has had a strong united response to the October 7 attack and offered much help to Israel in its time of profound need and we should also have an action plan to operationalize our public relations and government relations response to activities underway here and across the country.
Think globally, act locally, as they say. And New York City should set the precedent.
This will be a multi-front effort. We must start with educating the public about the facts of the situation and the history behind it. Ignorance is our enemy.
The most urgent need is with young people. We must re-educate them and counter the propaganda they have been fed.
A young generation that doesn’t understand the history of Israel and has had a biased education brings us to a point where almost half of those under 30 do not believe the State of Israel has a right to exist. TikTok doesn’t teach history. So 1947, and 1967, the multiple attempts at peace, the Camp David Accords.
Let me be very clear. Anti-Zionism is antisemitism.
Second to our efforts to educate and reeducate the public, is to insist that our government’s response is fully supportive of the Jewish community and aggressively fighting antisemitism. Any ambivalence by government officials will only fuel the opposition. If there are no consequences to illegal activity it sends a subliminal signal that supports the disruption and violence. And the truth is the forces of antisemitism and pro-Palestinian policies are organized, well-funded and mobilized, and have significant political strength, even right here in the city of New York.
The far-left wing of the Democratic Party, the extremist wing, has been supportive of many of the radical pro-Palestinian efforts and organizations that advanced those causes. The Democratic Socialists of America – so-called DSA – have significant influence in New York City and many top city officials are members of the DSA. New Yorkers must understand the very real threat they pose.
To begin the DSA advocates socialism as an economic policy – everything is free education, transportation, housing, healthcare you name it and tax the rich to pay for it.
Obviously, it is unrealistic as there would be no rich people left in New York to pay for anything, but none of this is based in reality. They also support the defund the police policy which reduced the number of police officers by 3,000 and allowed crime to increase on the streets and subways.
But most frighteningly, the DSA advocates that Israel is a racist apartheid state that is engaged in ethnic cleansing. On Oct 7 they proclaimed ‘long live the resistance.’ The DSA charter explicitly supports BDS policies against Israel and incredibly many major NYC politicians are their disciples.
We cannot allow this political movement to continue unopposed. We must inform New Yorkers of the severity of this challenge and the danger it poses and mobilize political opposition to stop them. These are Democrats who run in Democratic primary elections. They can be stopped.
Inform, mobilize, motivate, and let’s beat them on Election Day and send a message that resonates across the country that the Jewish community is fighting back and when hate and discrimination is revealed, it is defeated.
The most immediate and essential order of business for New York is to ensure the safety of our Jewish brothers and sisters, both in reality and perception. No one should feel they should take off their yarmulke to walk down the street.
No one should think they should put the Star of David inside their shirt.
No one should feel the need to look over their shoulder leaving a synagogue.
This city must ensure that you feel safe on every street, every day, every hour, that must be the mandate. If you discriminate or harass an individual on the basis of their religion, or destroy property, that is illegal, and people must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. No more slaps on the wrist, no more excuses.
I'm sorry for what you have gone through, but we have learned a painful lesson and we are now on notice. We will take action, collectively. New York City stands with Israel. New York would not be New York without the Jewish community. It has been part of New York City since its first days on the tip of lower Manhattan when the first immigrants stepped off the boats.
It's our legacy at this pivotal moment. Let New York City set the international standard of a people, of a government, of a society that has zero tolerance for any antisemitic act of any kind, and let us speak the word loud and proud and let the power of our example set a new model to follow.
But I give you my word you will have no greater friend, no stronger advocate, no one who will fight harder to protect you, your family, and your rights than Andrew Cuomo.
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