Suffolk To Target Antisemitism In New Legislation: Bellone

SELDEN, NY — Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone announced on Friday that Suffolk will introduce legislation aimed toward addressing and preventing acts of hate and violence motivated by antisemitism.

The legislation would adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA)’s working definition of antisemitism in the county in accordance with May being Jewish Heritage Month.

"Bigotry, violence, hate, antisemitism, racism has no place in Suffolk County," Bellone told reporters from the Center for Social Justice and Human Understanding on the Selden Suffolk County Community College campus. "The first step in combating hate is defining it."

The working definition of antisemitism, according to the IHRA website, is:

"Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities."

Once adopted, Suffolk organizations will be directed to apply the definition as an educational resource to address and prevent bias-related activities motivated by antisemitism, Bellone said. Those include the Suffolk County Police Department, Suffolk County Office of Minority Affairs, the chief diversity and inclusion officer of Suffolk County, and the Suffolk County Human Rights Commission.

"We are reaffirming our unwavering commitment to promoting and encouraging dignity, respect, and equality for all," Bellone said. "We have seen a rise in acts of antisemitism and hate. There doesn't seem to be, unfortunately, a week that goes by where we don't see some act of antisemitism. It is unacceptable. It is disturbing. And we will not tolerate it in Suffolk County."

Bellone, paraphrasing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., said "injustice against one is an injustice against all."

He urged people to call out acts of hate in Suffolk and said the county's adoption of the IHRA's working definition of antisemitism is an important step.

Avi Posnick, the Northeast regional director for StandWithUs, an international education organization that supports Israel and fights antisemitism, thanked Bellone for defining antisemitism.

"With antisemitism on the rise, the more municipalities, law enforcement and social service agencies, and educational establishments are educated about what antisemitism is, the greater our chances of more people standing against its spread in our society," Posnick told Patch. "There's a lot of misinformation and misunderstanding about antisemitism, which creates confusion about how to identify it. In adopting the IHRA Definition of Antisemitism, the County Executive has taken the bold step of lighting a candle in that darkness."

The county's adoption of the IHRA's definition of antisemitism is important to helping students in schools, Posnick said.

"We are seeing antisemitism rising in our schools," Posnick said. "No one is born hating. No one is born as an antisemite. However, today's students are the future county executives, community leaders and policy makers. We must educate them today before their hearts and minds are poisoned."