Senate Resolution No. 2079

BY: Senator REICHLIN-MELNICK

MEMORIALIZING Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim
May 2022, as Jewish Empowerment Month in the State
of New York

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body, in keeping with
its time-honored traditions, to recognize and pay tribute to those
organizations which foster religious pride and enhance the profile of
cultural diversity which strengthens the fabric of the communities of
New York State; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
memorialize Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim May 2022, as Jewish
Empowerment Month in the State of New York; and

WHEREAS, For millennia, the Jewish people have sustained their
shared religious, cultural, and ethnic identity and traditions in the
face of enslavement, persecution, genocide, segregation and
discrimination, and all manner of adversity; and

WHEREAS, Ever since the first Jew set foot in New Amsterdam in 1654,
members of the Jewish community have made indelible contributions to the
culture, history, and social fabric of New York State and the United
States of America, strengthening the country and helping shape all areas
of American life; and

WHEREAS, The belief in the greatness of the American way of life,
the freedoms enshrined in American law and jurisprudence, and the
opportunities sustained by American democracy drew generations of Jewish
immigrants to America, including Jews fleeing persecution and pogroms in
Europe and the Middle East, Holocaust survivors, and Jews trapped behind
the Iron Curtain; and

WHEREAS, This history encouraged many Jews to become leading
proponents and supporters of the civil rights movement, marching
shoulder to shoulder with African Americans and others, united in
support for equal rights, equal protection under the law, and the
recognition and respect of human dignity; and

WHEREAS, The Jewish community has prominently participated in
virtually every civil rights effort in the American experience, fighting
against discrimination and bigotry in all its forms and demanding the
equal rights of every member of society; and

WHEREAS, On April 20, 2006, President Bush proclaimed the month of
May as Jewish American Heritage Month, following resolutions that
unanimously passed the House of Representatives in December 2005 and the
Senate in February 2006; and

WHEREAS, Despite the proclamation and resolutions, and despite the
advances made in promoting social justice for other minority groups, the
Jewish community has continued to be subjected to antisemitism and

Jew-hatred, including discrimination in the workplace, at school, and in
society; and

WHEREAS, Furthermore, this antisemitism and Jew-hatred has
manifested in the workplace, on campuses, and in society, expressing
itself as both discrimination and violence targeting Jews for their
identity and seeking to deny their shared identity, including their
indigenous connection to their ancestral homeland; and

WHEREAS, Hate crimes directed against the Jewish community have
skyrocketed in recent years, inspiring the formation of a grassroots End
Jew Hatred civil rights movement to alter public discourse and make
Jew-hatred unacceptable in contemporary society, empowering Jews with
positivity and strength to discover and enjoy their heritage in
whichever manner they choose, without fear of attack or persecution; and

WHEREAS, The State of New York expresses appreciation, gratitude,
and admiration for the substantial contributions made to the State of
New York and the United States of America by members of the Jewish
community; and

WHEREAS, The State of New York condemns Jew-hatred in all its forms
and stands resolute to end the discrimination and persecution affecting
the Jewish community; it shares an obligation to condemn and combat
Jew-hatred in all its forms; now therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body memorializes Governor Kathy
Hochul to proclaim May 2022 as Jewish Empowerment Month in the State of
New York; and be it further

RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
sent to The Honorable Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State of New York.