N.Y. ‘can be a model for peace,’ gov says amid war, spike in hate crimes
Gov. Hochul used her Christmas address Monday to condemn a spike in antisemitic and Islamophobic hate crimes across New York since Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel.
In her speech, which was pretaped from the state Capitol in Albany and released Christmas morning, the governor said the “troubling increase in hatred and bigotry around our state” must be an impetus for New Yorkers of all faiths and creeds to band together.
“All major religions — Christians, Muslims and Jews alike — encourage us to keep peace at the center of our thoughts and in our lives,” she said. “I believe that we can be a model for peace for the rest of the world.”
In their assault, Hamas terrorists killed about 1,200 people, most of them Israeli civilians, and took more than 240 hostages. Since then, Israel has conducted an aggressive military campaign in the Gaza Strip that has left more 20,000 Palestinians dead, thousands of them children, according to Gaza officials.
Since the unease in the Middle East erupted, hate crimes have surged in New York, with NYPD data showing a dramatic uptick in violence and harassment against Jews and Muslims.
Earlier this month, a 28-year-old man allegedly opened fire outside an Albany synagogue while shouting, “Free Palestine!” No one was injured in the gunfire. That incident came after a string of anti-Muslim hate crimes in the city, including an assault on three victims in Brooklyn by assailants who allegedly shouted, “F--k Islam.”
“A blizzard of hatred, antisemitism and Islamophobia, gunshots ring out in front of synagogues, street vendors are being harassed because of their religion — attacks on our friends, on our families, all creating real fear,” Hochul said.
“In an ordinary year, my holiday message would be a simple expression of peace and goodwill,” Hochul said. “But this year is different, this year we must transcend wishes and platitudes. Instead of yearning for peace, let’s actually live it. Instead of hoping for goodwill, let’s cultivate it.”
Mayor Adams, who has, like Hochul, been a vocal supporter of Israel since the war broke out, did not focus his holiday messaging on the conflict overseas.
Instead, the mayor encouraged New Yorkers, in brief remarks at the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network headquarters in Harlem, to “give a little” this holiday season.
“I say to all New Yorkers: As you sit down with your families, remember those that don’t have families. Let’s go to the shelter, let’s go into the subway, give out some socks, let’s walk through the streets and see people are living on the streets, let’s join that energy,” Adams said before helping serve Christmas Day meals.
“Let’s be there for them, and they can go from being homeless to being the mayor of the City of New York.”