By Hank Russell
Governor Kathy Hochul came to the Holocaust Museum & Tolerance Center (HMTC) in Glen Cove on September 6 for a fireside chat on antisemitism. The event was moderated by former U.S. Congressman Steve Israel and Dana Arschin of HMTC.
Hochul spoke about her visit to Israel, where she met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli President Isaac Herzog and other Israeli officials. One of the more emotional parts of the visit was at Kfar Aza.
“That’s probably the toughest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” Hochul said. “The blood was still fresh. I went into safe rooms that were not safe rooms, where families were slaughtered, women were mutilated.
Noting the first anniversary of the October 7 attack is coming soon, Hochul said she will “continue to use my voice” to speak out against what is happening in Israel. “That’s the best thing I have right now, is my voice. I use the platform I have to stand up to and condemn the violence and the hatred.”
She recalled being asked by a reporter why she called Hamas a terrorist group, she recalled, “I said, because they are. … Not making this up. This is days after the attack.”
Hochul also spoke about her time in Congress sitting on the Homeland Security Committee and how she knew about Hamas even then. ‘I knew all about them. I knew all about this. We tracked this, we watched this, we knew the threats. They’ve been on the terrorist watch list since about 1996. So don’t question whether or not they’re a terrorist organization. … I mean, give me a break.”
Israel asked Hochul what she was doing to combat antisemitism statewide. She said she signed legislation tracking the teaching of the Holocaust in schools and providing security grants for cultural centers, synagogues, yeshivas and other religious institutions. She also said she has increased the size of the social media monitoring unit within the state police and made hate crimes bail-eligible.
Another topic was the rise of antisemitism on college campuses. Hochul met via Zoom with all SUNY presidents and requested that they have a plan in place on how they will handle certain situations; in addition, campus security and local law enforcement have been trained to deescalate violence and keep students safe.
“It’s not a surprise this year,” Hochul said. “Maybe people were surprised last spring, we’re on notice now. It’s all about preparing for the big storm. … People have their right to speech, but you do not have the right to threaten, harass, or intimidate another fellow student. Full stop.”
Hochul added, “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.”