Oct. 31 (UPI) — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is allocating additional resources to local police departments and houses of worship in response to a surge in reported hate crimes during the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
In an address on Tuesday, Hochul outlined several initiatives, including $50 million in grants for local law enforcement to combat hate crimes and $25 million in security funding for vulnerable community groups and cultural centers.
The New York Times reports that police have seen a significant rise in hate crimes, primarily against Jews, following the recent Hamas attacks on Israel.
In the third week of October, there were 51 hate crimes, with 30 being antisemitic, compared to just seven in the same period last year.
Hochul emphasized her commitment to safeguarding the safety and welfare of all New Yorkers following the increase in antisemitic incidents.
“My top priority is to protect the safety and well-being of all New Yorkers,” she said. “Let me be clear: We cannot allow hate and intimidation to become normalized. As governor, I reaffirm that there is zero tolerance in New York for antisemitism, Islamophobia, or hate of any kind, and it’s critical we deploy every possible state resource to keep New Yorkers safe.”
Hochul is also calling on Judge Jonathan Lippman, a former Chief Judge of New York, to conduct an impartial third-party assessment of City University of New York’s policies related to antisemitism and discrimination.
The comprehensive review will encompass interviews and research into the campus climate and an evaluation of university policies and procedures for addressing antisemitism complaints.
Lippman is expected to report his findings in the spring.
“As a judge and lawyer, my focus has always been first and foremost on fairness and equal justice,” he said in a statement. “That same sense of fairness, and freedom from intimidation, for Jewish students and all others in CUNY’s academic community, will be at the center of my review. “
Hochul said she also intends to expand the New York State Police’s social media analysis unit in response to the increasing hate crimes.
On Monday, Hochul met with students at Cornell University after threats of violence were posted online Sunday, aimed at the Center for Jewish Living.
The online posts, directed at Cornell students, contained explicit threats of violence, sexual assault and derogatory comparisons to animals.
