Hochul, NY lawmakers demand anti-Semitism accountability at universities
'Today, Jewish New Yorkers are experiencing the greatest increase in anti-Semitic hate crimes in decades. And I must ask, where are their allies now?' said Gov. Hochul.
New York lawmakers are taking a stand against pervasive anti-Semitism both from the public and on the state’s college campuses in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre of Israeli civilians and Israel’s military response.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced Tuesday that New York City’s public school system, the City University of New York (CUNY), will undergo a state-issued review of its anti-Semitism policies
”Today, Jewish New Yorkers are experiencing the greatest increase in anti-Semitic hate crimes in decades,” Hochul said. “And I must ask, where are their allies now?”
“You can vigorously oppose Israel’s response following the attack on their people, but still be vigorously opposed to terrorism, Hamas, antisemitism and hate in all of its forms,” said the Democrat governor. “We cannot allow any New Yorker to live in fear.”
”We will take on the antisemitism we have seen on college campuses. The problem didn’t begin with the weeks following the Oct. 7 attacks,” Hochul said. “It’s been growing on a number of campuses and seen most acutely in the City University of New York.”
Judge Jonathan Lippman, former Chief Judge of the New York State Court of Appeals, will conduct an “independent, third-party review” of the policies, which Hochul says will provide information for recommendations that “will be a roadmap for institutions across the state and the country.”
[RELATED: NYU prof’s ‘decolonization’ org praises ‘heroic’ Hamas after brutal attacks against Jews]
Meanwhile, new legislation introduced by New York Republican lawmakers would freeze funding for public colleges in the state that fail to train faculty and students on reporting instances of anti-Semitism.
The bill would require each school to develop policies for reporting such incidents and ensure that individuals are trained in those policies and processes.
“New Yorkers deserve a state free of antisemitism, and our students deserve a college experience free of threats,” said Nassau County Republican Assemblyman Ed Ra, who introduced the bill.