Amid rise in hate crimes, Westchester leaders look at antisemitism at home, online
While there were about 1,000 incidents targeting Jewish people across the U.S. in 2013, the number jumped to more than 2,000 by 2020.
Eduardo Cuevas- George Latimer is set to expand the local human rights law’s discriminatory harassment statute
- Gov. Hochul directed about $25 million for security to protect people at risk of hate crimes
Westchester County experts on Wednesday laid out a series of actions to combat antisemitism in the wake of a national rise in hate crimes, particularly during the pandemic.
From a state pledge to allocate millions for the protection of those targeted by hate crimes to an expansion of a Westchester human rights law, prosecutors, elected officials and nonprofits took aim at the systemic problem.
In a Zoom panel Wednesday, state Sen. Shelley Mayer, of Yonkers said incidents and crimes targeting Jewish people have increased during the pandemic.
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“This is an American problem and we need to see it that way,” said Mayer, who is Jewish. “It’s not a problem that only Jews are targeted. It is a problem when hate is so prevalent in our communities and exhibited through acts of violence, intimidation or anything else that really gets at the fabric of our diverse communities.”
She pointed to antisemitic acts and crimes tracked by the Anti-Defamation League. These ranged from threats in September to blow up a Brooklyn synagogue, to a swastika found on an Ossining playground in August.
The New York metropolitan area has the largest concentration of Jewish people in the U.S.
The uptick in threats or attacks targeting Jewish people isn’t new, according to Scott Richman, the ADL’s regional director for New York and New Jersey. The ADL has conducted audits of incidents for more than four decades. National figures have increased since 2010.
While there were about 1,000 incidents targeting Jewish people across the U.S. in 2013, the number jumped to more than 2,000 by 2020, even with lockdowns and physical distancing, Richman said. Still, 2019 had the highest number of antisemitic incidents on record.
“It’s found a way,” Richman said. “It became virtual,” pointing to "Zoom bombs" where people enter virtual meetings and input antisemitic language or images.
In 2020, hate crimes targeting people based on a person’s protected identity, including race, religion or sexual orientation, rose to their highest level in more than a decade, according to the FBI.
Nearly 10% were anti-Jewish, despite Jewish people only making up a fraction of all Americans. Of those targeted for their religion, anti-Jewish cases made up more than half of offenses, the FBI found.
Westchester District Attorney Mimi Rocah, who is Jewish, told panelists that her office hasn’t seen a spike in antisemite cases. However, she said any act creates an environment where people feel unsafe.
She said hate crimes are among the hardest to prosecute because of the “heightened element of intent” that must not only show evidence of a crime, but also that the suspect intentionally targeted a person because of a person’s protected status.
On Friday, County Executive George Latimer was set to sign a bill to expand the scope of the local human rights law’s discriminatory harassment statute to apply to words and conduct on the street or between neighbors.
"This isn't just kids' play," Latimer told The Journal News/lohud. "This is intimidation. This is a threat."
Previous county laws only applied to discrimination in places such as the workplace, housing or credit lending, said Tejash Sanchala, the executive director of the county Human Rights Commission, which would be tasked with investigating and adjudicating these cases under the new law. The county could also weigh civil fines up to $250,000, according to the bill language.
When addressing antisemitism and other forms of hate, Sanchala said it’s important to report acts of hate to law enforcement and leave evidence intact to not risk an investigation. People should not promote offensive materials. It’s also important to record or document incidents.
On Wednesday, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced nearly $25 million for nonprofits' security to better protect people at risk of hate crimes, which built on $43 million for organizations to prepare against hate crime attacks.
Leaders questioned the role of social media in proliferating antisemitism and other forms of hate. They said tech companies should better monitor hate, but users can also flag such posts.
Officials also considered how schools can stem hate, including through mandated reporters and the state's 2010 Dignity Act, intended to create public school environments free of harassment and discrimination through educational resources and data collection on incidents.
Mayer, the chair of the state Senate’s education committee, said schools have not effectively taught students about anti-semitism and other forms of hate, despite state law requiring instruction on shared histories of diversity.
Hearing personal stories of Holocaust survivors can help people understand the effects of violence and hate, she added. It's especially true if people haven’t been in contact with Jewish communities.
“Before a generation leaves us and dies out,” she said, “we must make sure that those stories — the real stories of young people who were young during those days — are told to the next generation.”
Eduardo Cuevas covers diversity, equity and inclusion in Westchester and Rockland counties. He can be reached at EMCuevas1@lohud.com and followed on Twitter @eduardomcuevas.