‘Where are their allies now?’ Governor calls on New Yorkers to stand up to antisemites
Gov. Kathy Hochul addressed New Yorkers on rising threats against Jewish students and others amid the Israel-Hamas war
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul at the New York Stands with Israel vigil on Oct. 10, 2023. Photo by Susan Watts/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul
By Jacob Kornbluh October 31, 2023
Editor’s note: This post has been updated with breaking news about a suspect in the threats at Cornell.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Tuesday that law enforcement is questioning a “person of interest” related to antisemitic threats targeting Cornell Jewish students earlier this week. “Earlier today, law enforcement identified a person of interest as part of the investigation and this individual is currently in the custody of the New York State Police for questioning,” the governor said in a statement.
In a virtual address earlier in the day, Hochul reiterated her condemnation of the increasing number of antisemitic incidents on college campuses across the state and asked New Yorkers to come to the defense of Jews.
“Let me restate in the strongest of words,” Hochul said in a 10-minute speech. “Every single New Yorker has a right to feel safe and to be safe as they go about their daily lives and we must accept nothing less.”
Since the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack on Israel, and the Jewish state’s retaliatory air strikes in the weeks since, Jewish and Muslim students have reported a spike in verbal harassment, death threats and instances of physical assault.
At Columbia University, prosecutors brought hate crime charges against a teen accused of assaulting an Israeli student with a stick as he hung up posters of Israelis kidnapped by Hamas, and at Cooper Union college last week, several Jewish students said they feared for their lives as pro-Palestine protesters banged on the windows of a locked library where they were sheltering.
Jewish students at Cornell said they were afraid to leave their rooms after a series of hate-filled messages and calls for physical violence were posted to online campus forums over the weekend.
Hochul traveled to Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, Monday morning, met with Jewish students and vowed to find and prosecute whoever posted the graphic threats.
Speaking of her visit, Hochul said in her Tuesday remarks that she had promised the Jewish students that the state “would do everything in its power” to protect them. As a mother herself, Hochul said she understands the powerful emotions that come with the responsibility of protecting children and grandchildren.
Hochul also said that New York holds a “unique place in history” for its commitment to tolerance. And she noted times when New Yorkers have come together to support minority communities facing adversity, including Muslims after 9/11, Asian Americans during the pandemic and Black people after George Floyd’s murder. “Today, Jewish New Yorkers are experiencing the greatest increase in antisemitic hate crimes in decades,” she said. “And I must ask, where are their allies now?”
“This cruelty by New Yorkers against New Yorkers must stop,” Hochul continued. “The terrorists who seek to divide and create anarchy are winning every single day that we lose respect for opposing views and voices.”
Hochul outlined a series of actions her administration is taking to address the issue. She mentioned the expansion of efforts by law enforcement to protect campuses, synagogues, mosques and cultural institutions. And she promised more investment to prevent hate crimes, including additional security grants. Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado has in recent months convened roundtables across the state to discuss combatting hate, and Hochul said that starting this week he will lead another series of community conversations on rising incidents of bigotry.
Hochul also announced that Jonathan Lippman, the former chief judge at the New York State Court of Appeals, who is Jewish, will conduct an independent third-party review of City University of New York policies related to antisemitism and discrimination.
CUNY, with 25 campuses, has an enrollment of 260,000 students and has been at the center of several controversies involving allegations of antisemitism, some rooted in anti-Israel activism, in recent years.
Hochul said Lippman’s recommendations will be a “roadmap” for institutions across the state and the country.
The governor ended her remarks with a promise that “the safety and security of New Yorkers cannot and will not be threatened without consequences.”
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