NYC Speaker Menin proposes 5-point plan to combat antisemitism |
NEW YORK — New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin on Friday announced a legislative plan to combat antisemitism, as many Jews fret about community safety under Mayor Zohran Mamdani and hate crimes in the city disproportionately target Jews.
Menin is a Jewish moderate, the daughter and granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, who became the City Council speaker earlier this month, a powerful position where she can serve as a counterweight to Mamdani. There is no evidence of tension between the two lawmakers so far and both have signaled a willingness to work together.
Menin, during a briefing at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Manhattan, said the antisemitism plan includes an educational initiative; a buffer zone around schools and houses of worship to prevent harassment; two security programs for schools and houses of worship; and a hotline to report antisemitic incidents that will collate data about patterns of antisemitism.
“Antisemitism is rising all around our city and around the country. It’s not merely impossible to ignore, it’s irresponsible for us, as a city council, to not address it head-on,” Menin said, while flanked by a bipartisan group of Jewish and non-Jewish City Council members.
“Combating antisemitism should not be just an ideological issue,” she said. “Everyone must come together to calm tensions, to bridge divides and recognize that we are one city, united, in the fight against antisemitism.”
Jews are targeted in hate crimes more than all........