See what this Long Beach religious leader had to say about the state's next move to combat antisemitism

The battle against hate and antisemitism is still going on, seemingly with an unknown endpoint. Hateful words and images have been spoken and heard across Nassau County.

To try to mitigate the problem, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced in July more than $51 million in grants to strengthen safety and security measures at nonprofit, community-based organizations that risk being the victims of hate crimes because of their ideology, beliefs or mission. It was the largest amount of money ever made available by the state’s Securing Communities Against Hate Crimes grant program. Created in 2017, the program provides funding for the effort to prevent hate crimes against houses of worship, nonprofit civic centers, cultural museums, daycare centers, and other organizations.

Last week, she announced something else.

Hochul announced comprehensive state action Sept. 19 to fight antisemitism, at the Center for Jewish History, making New York State the first state to respond to President Biden’s national strategy to counter antisemitism. Hochul also announced the creation of the New York State Anti-Hate in Education Center and Annual Convening that will combat hate, create a safe and inclusive environment and focus on eliminating antisemitism. Further, the Division of Human Rights has announced plans to improve hate and bias incident data collection and launch the agency’s first-ever small grants program for community anti-bias work.

“As Governor of the state with the largest Jewish population outside the State of Israel, I feel a solemn responsibility to protect and uplift New York’s vibrant, diverse Jewish communities,” she said. “No one should have to fear for their safety while going to their place of work, going to school, or just walking the streets. It has always been my top priority to keep the people of New York safe, and we will continue taking action to fight antisemitism and use every tool at our disposal to eliminate hate and bias from our communities.”

The New York State Anti-Hate in Education Center will bring together stakeholders, as a working group, from a range of partner institutions and organizations, including CUNY, SUNY, the New York State Education Department, and The Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities in order to combat hate, create a more safe, inclusive and equitable climate across the state.

The experts brought together will analyze, research and brainstorm potential solutions to the complex hate and discrimination issues that are still around. They will also make education and training plans for across the state, make recommendations about effective and equitable policies to combat hate crimes and discrimination and think of strategies for evaluating the effectiveness of all these anti-hate initiatives.

“I think education is key,” Rabbi Eli Goodman, of Chabad of the Beaches, said. “The grants alleviate the current situation due to the current hatred but for the long-term goals, I think education is really key. People have to be taught the understanding of different cultures, people having different dress codes and different ways of life. I think that’s a great idea.”

Over the course of next year, the focus of the Anti-Hate Center and its inaugural convening, scheduled for next summer, will be antisemitism. The center is set to work on additional hate issues on a rotating basis. One of its objectives of the center is to define hate and its impact on education. The goal is for the center to address the hate itself and then take a deep dive into looking at how it can be addressed through education.

The Office of Victim Services is working to offer more support to victims of antisemitism by simplifying the Victim Compensation Application, allowing them access to some sort of reimbursement. Additionally, state police will re-launch law enforcement focused Hate Crime Investigative Seminars. The New York State Office of Mental Health created the Spotlight on Jewish Campaign to recognize the unique issues surrounding Jewish Americans’ mental health. 

“Committees I’m not always a fan of because sometimes it gets stuck in the committee process but if it’s something that will go beyond meetings and beyond conferences, I think that’s fantastic,” Goodman said. “If we have the right framework and the right message then I think it would be instrumental in the long run.”

Hochul announced in July more than $51 million in grants to strengthen safety and security measures at nonprofit, community-based organizations that risk being the victims of hate crimes because of their ideology, beliefs or mission. It is the largest amount of money ever made available by the state’s Securing Communities Against Hate Crimes grant program. Created in 2017, the program provides funding for the effort to prevent hate crimes against houses of worship, nonprofit civic centers, cultural museums, daycare centers, and other organizations.

Goodman said his synagogue received a state grant in 2020 for about $50,000 for the same purpose. It has been working to implement new safety and security measures.