The New York State Democratic Party has passed a resolution condemning antisemitism. It was first reported Oct. 18, less than three weeks after Mayor Zohran Mamdani rolled out a $26 million plan to fight anti-Jewish hate.
The resolution condemns threats and violence against Jews, Nazi imagery and antisemitic conspiracy theories, along with less overt forms of prejudice, and calls for education and public action. It also gives credit to both Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mamdani, though Democrats remain divided over Israel.
Mamdani’s plan, announced Sept. 29 and run through the city’s Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes, sets aside $6.4 million in community grants for hate-crime prevention and victim services. Another $1 million is earmarked for security upgrades at synagogues and other houses of worship. The city also said it would bring back its interagency Security Infrastructure Working Group, expand Holocaust education and contribute $2 million to a Holocaust memorial in Queens.
The money is divided among several programs, and not every institution will qualify for every pot. A shul that wants to reinforce its doors may fall under different rules than a volunteer group that teaches safety or helps people report incidents.
The announcement left some details open, including which agencies will handle the grants, when applications will be accepted and how the city will track awards. Smaller mosdos, many of which don’t have anyone on staff to write grant applications, may need help getting through the process.
The party resolution deals with a different issue: how elected officials respond when antisemitism comes up in political debate. According to reports, it recognizes Hochul’s push to protect houses of worship and Mamdani’s increase in hate-crime prevention funding. It’s an area where the party’s factions agree, even as they disagree over Israel.
In Queens, shuls and yeshivos already coordinate with local precincts, community volunteers and city agencies on security. City grants could pay for upgrades many institutions have put off. Planning, and keeping security details private, will still fall to the institutions themselves.