New York Governor Kathy Hochul says she’s asking a former chief judge of the state to conduct a study of anti-Semitic incidences at some public colleges and universities to see if policies and procedures need to be changed to curb a rise of hate speech on campus.
Hochul, in a speech Tuesday, addressed the rising number of incidents of hate speech and anti-Jewish threats since the conflict between Israel and Hamas militants began in early October.
“Today, Jewish New Yorkers are experiencing the greatest increase in antisemitic hate crimes in decades,” Hochul said. “And I must ask, where are their allies now?”
Hochul, a staunch supporter of Israel who visited that country soon after the initial Hamas attack on October 7th, says it’s possible to be critical of military actions by Israel, without engaging in antisemitism.
“You can vigorously oppose Israel's response following the attack on their people, but still be vigorously opposed to terrorism, Hamas, antisemitism and hate in all of its forms,” the governor said.
Hochul says she’s asked former chief judge Jonathan Lippmann to look into reports of antisemitism at the City University of New York college campuses that began even before the recent violence in Israel and Gaza.
“It's been growing on a number of campuses and seen most acutely in the City University of New York. At my request, Judge Jonathan Lippman, former Chief Judge of the New York State Court of Appeals, has agreed to conduct an independent, third-party review of CUNY's policies and procedures related to anti-Semitism and discrimination,” Hochul said.
She says while the review will be limited to CUNY, she hopes the recommendations will provide a “roadmap for other public and private colleges in New York.
Hochul also announced that a suspect is in custody in connection with the violent threats to a kosher dining hall and the Center for Jewish Living at the Cornell University campus.
