New York City Council Passes Resolution Declaring April 29th as “End Jew Hatred” Day Amid Rising Anti-Semitic Incidents

NEW YORK — The New York City Council on Thursday passed a resolution declaring April 29 as “End Jew Hatred” day, even as officials work to stem the steady rise of anti-Semitic incidents across the country. the Big Apple.

Two council members voted against the measure and four abstained, sparking outrage among Jewish community supporters. 41 people voted in favor.

The resolution was championed by Inna Vernikov, a Jewess elected on a Republican Party ticket and a staunch opponent of anti-Semitism in city politics. She cited figures from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) showing that anti-Semitic crimes had reached an all-time high with regular incidents on the streets of New York City.

“A disturbing pattern of anti-Semitic hate crimes now distinguishes our city,” Vernikov said at the council meeting. “Things have gotten so bad that American Jews are beginning to question their safety and future in our city and as individuals who were visibly Jewish have been attacked in broad daylight for their faith, for their identity and for their religion, who could blame them? “.

She explained that the resolution was meant to send the message to Jews in the city that “we put aside political differences to eradicate anti-Jewish hatred because we all recognize that anti-Semitism is unacceptable.”

The resolution did not detail how the city will celebrate this day each year.

The New York Senate introduced similar legislation last year that cited “End Jew Hatred,” which is an organization that advocates passing state and local legislation to combat anti-Semitism. The group had also joined protests against anti-Jewish hatred alongside New York community leaders.

Shahana Hanif, a progressive Democrat representing Brooklyn, said she voted against the resolution because it was sponsored by “far-right organizations and right-wing Islamophobic figures.”

“They didn’t stand up for Muslims, they didn’t stand up for trans people in New York or anyone else,” she said.

“End Jew Hatred” says it wants to eradicate anti-Semitism in Western societies, rejects all partisan affiliations and the group refuses to position itself on other issues.

Hanif is co-chair of the city council’s Progressive Caucus and she represents part of Boro Park, a neighborhood with a large Jewish population — with many identifiable religious Jews.

Charles Barron, another Brooklyn Democrat, chose to abstain in the vote, blaming “the inconsistency of members of the Jewish community, and in particular its leaders, in denouncing hatreds, such as hatred of the Palestinian people, such as the killing of Palestinian women and children by the State of Israel or the theft of land by Israel. »

Barron also accused community leaders of supporting apartheid in South Africa.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reported that Barron “associates with anti-Semitic hate groups and promotes extreme anti-Israel positions with the intention of demonizing the Jewish state.”

Sandra Nurse, also a Democratic representative from Brooklyn, also rejected the resolution.

Rita Joseph (Brooklyn) abstained but later said she regretted the decision, saying she hadn’t had time to properly review the proposed text.

Vernikov and other Jewish members of the council lambasted opponents of the measure.

“It is absolutely staggering that there are Council members who clearly do not want to eradicate anti-Jewish hatred. Your anti-Semitism is breaking through,” Vernikov said.

“In this city, who among you can deny that anti-Semitism has become a real problem? asked Kalman Yeger, another Jewish council member.

Eric Dinowitz, Chairman of the Council’s Jewish Caucus explained that “it is simply a lie to say that the Jewish community does not stand with our brothers and sisters in other communities and if you don’t see it, it’s just because you don’t want to see it”.

New York police say 32 anti-Jewish hate crimes were committed last month, and 61 since the start of the year.

In New York City, 263 hate crimes targeting Jews were recorded by police in 2022 – an average of one anti-Semitic incident every 33 hours in the Big Apple.

These incidents ranged from violent assaults to verbal harassment and acts of vandalism to anti-Semitic graffiti.

Jewish security groups say many attacks go unreported.