'End Jew Hatred Day’ empowers Jewish community amid spike in hate crimes

The legislation passed a committee meeting on Tuesday and received a majority of yes votes in the City Council two days later.

News 12 Staff

Apr 30, 2023, 5:09 PM

Updated 521 days ago

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Saturday was the first official “End Jew Hatred Day” after a sweeping victory to enact it in the New York City Council.
The legislation passed a committee meeting on Tuesday and received a majority of yes votes in the City Council two days later.
There were two no’s with four abstentions.
One of the abstentions came from Councilwoman Rita Joseph, who said she did not have a chance to review the resolution and "regretfully abstained.”
Joseph addressed the situation in a Twitter post stating, “Upon review, I wholeheartedly support the resolution and commit to working with my Jewish sisters and brothers to eradicate antisemitism in New York City."
News 12 spoke to Councilwoman Inna Vernikov, a supporter of the legislation. She said the purpose of the day is to empower the Jewish community who have struggled with an increase in hate crimes across the city.
Sixty hate crimes against the Jewish community have been reported so far this year, according to the NYPD.
"It's very frightening for Jewish New Yorkers to walk the streets, to go to school – it’s really everywhere,” said Vernikov.
Bronx Rep. Ritchie Torres is also an advocate of the legislation.
"We're sounding the alarm that everyone has to be in the fight against antisemitism,” he said. “Fighting antisemitism should not be the sole responsibility of the Jewish community. It should be a burden all of us bear."