Jim Walden for Mayor of New York City

Antisemitism

Part five of a series of “special messages” on my plans as Mayor.

“America and Israel share a special bond. Our relations are unique among all nations. Like America, Israel is a strong democracy, a symbol of freedom, and an oasis of liberty, a home to the oppressed and persecuted… The relationship between our two countries is built on shared understandings and values.”

— President Bill Clinton, September 10, 1998

When I am Mayor, I will forcefully combat hate against any group in this City. This policy message is specific to the blight of antisemitism, which has escalated dramatically over the past year.

On October 7, 2023, Israel and its people were victimized by a barbaric attack, where thousands of innocent and un-armed civilians were murdered, raped, tortured or assaulted. The culprit was Hamas. That malign group—whose written charter explicitly aims to eradicate Jews—has murdered dozens of Americans, too. The U.S. Government officially designated it as a foreign terrorist organization almost 30 years ago. And it inflicts its blood-thirsty terrorism on Palestinian people it means to rule: Hamas burrowed under civilian Palestinian communities to build and protect a terrorist infrastructure, intentionally using the population as a massive human shield.

Against this backdrop, hundreds mobilized peaceful protests on college campuses in our City to stand with Palestinian communities, as is their right. However peaceful their intent, many of them devolved into hateful antisemitism. They glorified violence against Israel or Jews or both. Others went farther, advocating acts of terrorism. Some brandished the Hamas flag, a symbol of terrorism, hate, and antisemitism.

How did college administrators respond? Many abdicated their responsibility to protect all within their campuses, including Jews. Others sought to justify and validate hate. Intellectualism was crowded out by those who found it fashionable to be bigoted and ignorant.

The tidal wave of antisemitism has also infected our City’s public schools. Some administrators and teachers either encouraged or turned a blind eye to attacks against Jewish teachers and students. My law firm had to bring a lawsuit against the Department of Education for this very problem at a public school in Brooklyn.

Protests are vital to advancing social progress and equality. But misusing Israel’s defensive response to the October 7 terrorist attack as a moment to celebrate depraved cowards like Hamas is abhorrent. Misusing it to vilify our brothers and sisters in the American Jewish community—and our critical ally, Israel—was a stain on our City.

Where did this antisemitism lead? Attacks on Jews in our City have surged more than 74% since last year, according to publicly released police data. Jews represent 11% of the City’s population, but this year they were victims of 55% of reported hate crimes.

As Mayor, I will prioritize fighting the scourge of antisemitism, so that all Jewish New Yorkers can feel safe again in their own city.

My plan will include the following specific steps:

  • On day one of my Administration:
    I will present legislation to the City Council Speaker to incorporate the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism into the City Human Rights Law. And I will amend anti-bias policies at City agencies to incorporate that definition.
  • With respect to our City’s college campuses:
    • I will present legislation to the City Council Speaker to incorporate the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism into the City Human Rights Law. And I will amend anti-bias policies at City agencies to incorporate that definition.
    • I will reverse the DOE’s shameful history of ignoring antisemitism and treating it less seriously than other forms of bigotry and hate.
    • I will form a unit within DOE to thoroughly investigate complaints of past antisemitism. I will publish the results and pursue discipline where appropriate.
    • I will initiate a top-to-bottom review of curricula taught at public schools to make sure that the history of the Middle East, including the history of Israel, is taught based on facts and facts alone, not on partisan beliefs in any direction.
  • With respect to our City’s public spaces:
    • I will apply appropriate time, place, and manner restrictions to protests. If needed, I will present legislation to the City Council Speaker to strengthen appropriate restrictions.
    • I will ensure that permits for protests include a sworn attestation from the organizers that all organizers are identified on the form, including whether any foreign person or group is paying for any part of the event. I will make all permit applications publicly available and readily accessible.
    • I will present legislation to the City Council Speaker making it a crime to wear a face covering while engaged in public demonstrations, similar to laws used to protect against the KKK during the Jim Crow era.

Let me be clear about my position on Israel.

It is a key ally. It is a strategic partner in our fight against terrorism. It is a critically important innovation partner, particularly in the technology sector. Most of all, it is our democratic partner. Israel shares our values. Israel is a democracy with robust freedoms of speech and press. Israel’s religious minorities—including Muslims, Christians, and others—have the right to practice their religions. Israel protects their sacred sites. Israel is the only country in the Middle East that guarantees these freedoms. A woman served as Israel’s Prime Minister. An LGBTQ member served as Speaker of the Knesset. A Muslim justice sat (and one sits) on Israel’s Supreme Court. In these ways, Israel has been more progressive than America.

Without equivocation, I stand in solidarity with those who support Israel’s right to defend itself in the aftermath of the October 7th terror attack, just as Israel stood with America after 9/11.

And, here, Israel fights for the return of hostages, which include seven Americans. Considering the human shield Hamas created, even the most precise and careful campaign would result in civilian deaths. So, we all do well to hope and pray for peace. But the painful truth remains: the best way to protect Palestinian and Lebanese civilians is to defeat Hamas and Hezbollah, which bear responsibility for their suffering, because their terror campaign was calculated to ensure that innocent civilians would bear the brunt of Israel’s defensive response. If facts and data—rather than passions—guide us, the inescapable conclusion is that Israel is trying to minimize civilian deaths. As a private citizen, for that I applaud them.

Jim Walden,

Candidate for Mayor