New York jews demand unanimous vote for "End jew hatred day"

[yankeedoodle]

Left-leaning NYC Council members slammed after failing to support 'End Jew Hatred Day' resolution
https://nypost.com/2023/04/28/nyc-council-progressives-vote-no-from-end-jew-hatred-day/

A group of left-leaning New York City Council members, including Brooklyn's controversial Charles Barron, failed to back a resolution to establish an "End Jew Hatred Day" in the Big Apple – and are facing criticism from both sides of the aisle.

"After speaking on the floor about the atrocities of the Holocaust, I was sick to my stomach listening to the explanations on the NO votes and abstentions on a simple resolution asking to proclaim a day to End Jew Hatred," said the GOP lawmaker who sponsored the bill, Inna Vernikov.

"It is unacceptable and deeply hurtful to hear elected officials say NO to ending antisemitism," the Brooklyn council member told the Post.

"To those who escaped gas chambers and horrors of the Holocaust, I am ashamed."

The resolution to mark the day annually on April 29 ended up passing Thursday with 41 yes votes and two no votes – from Brooklyn Democrats, Shahana Hanif and Sandra Nurse.

Four other Democrats from the borough — Rita Joseph, Alexa Avilés, Jennifer Gutiérrez, and Barron — all opted to abstain.

In his explanation for not voting, Barron insisted it was not due to anti-Semitic beliefs – but then shockingly went on to blast Jewish people for doing "nothing about African people dying."

"Leaders in the Jewish community even supported apartheid in racist South Africa and said nothing about African people dying," he said during the Thursday hearing.

"So it was difficult for us to get up here and I'm not afraid to say it because of what people might think," he went on.

"But if we read history, and if we read all of the dynamics of what's going on around race in this city, you will see people are resenting that — you'll see that when people are not pro-anti-Semitic, they're  just anti- the inconsistency of the Jewish community."

In 2013, the Anti-Defamation League described Barron as being associated with anti-Semitic hate groups and having promoted anti-Israel ideals. He has allegedly been linked to the radical New Black Panther Party.

He refused in 2003 to support a resolution denouncing anti-Semitic remarks made by former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed.

"I will be voting against any resolution pro-Israel in this council until this council has the heart to be fair with the Palestinian cause and come up with a [similar] resolution," Barron said at the time.

Hanif, who co-chairs the progressive caucus, said she opposed the End Jew Hatred movement because it was crafted by what she called "far-right" Republicans, with whom she refused to collaborate.

"They have not stood up for Muslims. They have not stood up for trans New Yorkers, or anybody," she told the floor, in reference to the conservatives.

"And I've not seen my colleagues step up — those who introduced this legislation — to support our trans siblings."

Hanif's office told The Post Friday the council member has a history of working with the Jewish community and addressing anti-Semitism.

"Council Member is vehemently opposed to anti-Semitism and all forms of hatred," Hanif's office said.

The statement later added: "The Council Member does not believe that supporting resolutions sponsored by far-right Republican politicians, who invoke persecution in one breath and then turn around and support Republican governors who are demonizing trans youth, will further efforts to address hate crimes in our City."

The remaining council members who voted no or abstained did not immediately respond to The Post on Friday.

The Republican Vernikov was joined by Democratic Congressman Ritchie Torres (D-NY) in denouncing those who refused to support the bill.

"Antisemitism has a long and ugly history. It has seen a resurgence in NYC with a record # of hate crimes," he tweeted in the aftermath.

"How can anyone vote against a resolution to end anti-Semitism?"

NYGOP Chair Ed Cox said radical progressives' "refusal to even acknowledge this reality and to express support for this historically victimized community demonstrates their abandonment of decency and takeover by the socialist, anti-Semitic far left."

The bill's language focused mostly on anti-Semitism and cited a recent Anti-Defamation League's audit report that found anti-Jewish attacks were on the rise.

Specifically, the resolution noted that a record high of 2,717 anti-Semitic attacks had been reported across the US in 2021 — including 416 in New York State alone.

The bill also relied on data from the Americans Against Antisemitism non-profit that said nearly 200 cases of anti-Jewish hate crime assaults had taken place in the Big Apple between April 2018 and August of last year.

New York State and Long Island's Nassau County have already declared April 29 End Jew Hatred Day.

New York City encompasses "the largest Jewish community on any city the world" – even surpassing the combined number of Jews living in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, the resolution wrote, citing census data.

Nearly half of the Big Apple's Jewish community calls Brooklyn home.