In the First Days of 2022, Attorney General Letitia James Promises to Stand With New York’s Jewish Community
James tells me: “Hate will not be tolerated in this state or across the nation!”
On January 5th 2021, over 10,000 people marched on the Brooklyn Bridge reciting the slogan “No Hate, No Fear!” in support of Jewish New Yorkers. The cause of such fervor? In 2021, antisemetic hate crimes skyrocketed to an all time high. Continued attacks plagued innocent Jewish children and families – those simply crossing the street, praying in synagogues, or celebrating Hanukkah together. In the last year, there was even an increased presence of NYPD officers in neighborhoods with large populations of Jewish residents.
As we begin a new year, however, New York’s Jewish community faces a possibly brighter future – one with fewer spray-painted Swastikas, less stabbings, and no more Stars of David snatched from the necks of innocent New Yorkers; Attorney General Letitia James promises to stand with the community, no matter what will come in 2022. (James, who recently terminated her run for governor, is most known for her investigation of Donald Trump’s business affairs.)
In the middle of Times Square, the attorney general speaks with me passionately. James declares that “We have to shine a light on all the darkness that’s in this world; we have to stand with the Jewish community – stand with them arm to arm, shoulder to shoulder – against antisemitism.”
Later, when she makes her speech on stage at the “Shine A Light” Hanukkah event in Midtown, the attorney general vocalizes how important it is for New Yorkers to band together “with no space between us.” Accordingly, with strong state and city-wide leadership like that of Attorney General James, hopefully 2022 will bring better things for New York’s Jewish population – and perhaps statistics of antisemetic hate crimes will simmer down at last. Personally, I think that there is hope for a safer future, as James pledges to me that “Hate will not be tolerated in this state or across the nation!”
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