Latest news with #HolocaustRemembranceDay
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Silence in the Face of Antisemitism Is a Choice — It's Time to Choose Differently
I've spent the last few days asking myself the same question: How did we get here? How did we reach a point where antisemitism is so thoroughly normalized that it barely registers? Earlier this month, I sat in the Capitol Building on Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) and found myself reflecting on a painful truth: Since October 7, we've watched similar patterns that preceded the Holocaust begin to repeat. Synagogues defaced. Jewish students assaulted. Blood-libel conspiracy theories spread, such as the age-old trope that Jews operate in secret cabals that control world events. Jews being falsely blamed for all the world's evils. Antisemitic slogans — like 'Jews run the media' and 'Globalize the Intifada' — are broadcast through bullhorns. And each time, just as before, the overwhelming response has been silence. Attacks, slurs, threats, and vandalism targeted explicitly at Jews were met not with outrage, but with rationalization, dismissal, complacency, denial, misinformation, or some deranged distortion of history. I sat and reflected, watching as the last remaining Holocaust survivors walked into our Capitol 80 years after the end of the Holocaust. Abraham Foxman spoke about his experience as a survivor, a living reminder of what happens when complacency goes unchecked. Then he uttered words that shook me: 'Silence is a choice.' We're not absolved of our moral responsibility to ensure 'never again' by turning away: Saying nothing is also an active choice. As a lifelong activist, I've learned the importance of drawing lines — clear boundaries that define what culture will and will not tolerate. Since October 7th, I have searched endlessly for that line as it pertains to Jews. Is there a limit to the overt antisemitism that my peers and friends would tolerate? Was anything ever going to cross the boundary when they wouldn't choose silence? I watched every boundary be crossed, over and over. Still silence. If someone had told me two years ago that Kanye West would release a song called 'Heil Hitler,' in which he repeatedly did a Nazi salute in a music video distributed around the world — and the dominant cultural reaction would range from detachment to casual amusement — I wouldn't have believed it. That Adolf Hitler, the architect of the systematic genocide of six million Jews, could be publicly lauded by a global celebrity without immediate and widespread condemnation? Impossible. It's like the most surreal test of how far people would let this virulent, incessant Jew-hate spread. And still, silence. But this isn't about Kanye West (as much as he might wish it were). It's about a society that encounters a song called 'Heil Hitler' and chooses not to care. What was once confined to backrooms and fringe forums is now broadcast in the open — and the response is a collective shrug. The hate is horrifying, yes. But it's the detachment, the complacency, that allows it to flourish. People treat silence as neutrality. But Abe is right: Silence is a choice. The Holocaust didn't begin with gas chambers. It began with silence, with yellow stars and Jewish professors quietly dismissed. And with neighbors watching passively as it all happened — each one grasping for a reason that made the horrors a little easier to justify. That same silence reverberated during the pogroms in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as Jewish families were attacked and no one intervened. It echoed when Jewish communities were cleansed out of all the countries in the Middle East from where they originated. And it echoed again, painfully, after October 7th, when Jewish women were raped, mutilated, and murdered — and many of the loudest feminist voices fell silent. Some remain silent still. Maybe 'believe women' didn't mean Jewish women? Antisemitism doesn't go away. It's a virus with a long memory. As I write this, my phone buzzes: Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky, two staffers for the Israeli embassy, have been murdered by terrorists. Their deaths are not theoretical. They're the tangible consequences of a culture that dismisses antisemitism until it turns violent. This is the intifada being globalized. The hateful rhetoric of these mobs turned into action. Sarah and Yaron's murderer yelled 'Free Palestine' — the same words used to harass and target Jews outside of cancer hospitals, libraries, synagogues, and their homes. I keep asking myself how this hate became so mainstream, but I know the answer. It's something Jews have always known: Antisemitism doesn't go away. It's a virus with a long memory. It mutates and reemerges with each new generation. In an age where we're finally having honest conversations about the systemic racism and misogyny embedded in our culture, where we're being asked to examine our own complicity, our inherited biases, the subconscious ways we perpetuate harm, I'm asking: Can you extend that same lens to antisemitism? And if your knee-jerk reaction is, 'I'm not antisemitic,' or to recite some historical narrative, can you look inward and ask yourself how age-old conspiracy theories about Jews have, just maybe, seeped into your worldview? How assumptions about Jewish power, wealth, loyalty, and identity might be coloring your reactions, or lack thereof? For years, I have been trying to teach — with compassion and patience — what antisemitism is, with the genuine hope and belief that if people only knew, they would learn and change. And yet, despite the collective understanding that hate speech should be defined by how it's received and not intended, I am gaslit over and over by the very people that echoed those sentiments for every other marginalized group — by the idea that the very real hate and trauma that we know to be antisemitic is, in fact, not. I don't want to live in a world where 'Heil Hitler' is a trend, Or where a couple is gunned down on the streets of D.C. for attending a Jewish event (which happened to be about raising money for aid to Gaza). I don't want to live in a world where women are raped on video by terrorists, and families are stolen out of their beds, and the response is 'Yeah, but…' I don't want my children to live in a world where Jewish suffering is dismissed. Because that's exactly what led to the Holocaust. I want to believe we're better than that. So please: If you're reading this, don't choose silence. Listen to our stories and our experiences, and teach your children about them. Call hate what it is, and refuse to let a hate anthem become a cultural moment. We do know how we got here, because it's happened before. And we know how this story ends: With people like Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky (z'l) murdered, days after the world scrolls mindlessly past a song praising a genocidal dictator. Your silence is a decision; your silence is antisemitism. So if indeed you're not antisemitic, then make a different choice. Mandana Dayani is an Iranian-born attorney, business leader, human rights activist, and co-founder of I Am A Voter, a national, nonpartisan civic engagement organization; she most recently served as President of Archewell, the media and philanthropic organization founded by Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex. In January 2025, President Joe Biden appointed her to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council's Board of Trustees; a vocal advocate against antisemitism, Mandana recently addressed the United Nations Special Session on Sexual Violence on October 7, and her video condemning Hamas has been viewed over 50 million times. The post Silence in the Face of Antisemitism Is a Choice — It's Time to Choose Differently appeared first on Katie Couric Media.
New York Post
17-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Mamdani doubles down on bizarre refusal to sign resolution condemning Holocaust
NYC Socialist mayoral wannabe Zohran Mamdani continued to offer a bizarre excuse Saturday about why he refused to sign a resolution denouncing the Holocaust, and blew off questions about skipping out on a separate resolution celebrating Israel's 77th anniversary. The pro-Palestine state Assemblyman from Queens parroted his staff's response after the firestorm of criticism, insisting he didn't sign the Holocaust resolution because he's not co-sponsoring any resolutions in this year's legislative session. 'This year at the beginning of the year, I told my staff that we would not co-sponsor any resolutions that came into our Assembly office, and that has nothing to do with the substance of the resolution. I'm proud to be a supporter of that resolution,' the embattled lawmaker said leaving a mayoral candidate forum hosted by the United Federation of Teachers in Midtown. 3 NYC Socialist mayoral wannabe Zohran Mamdani continued to offer a bizarre excuse Saturday about why he refused to sign off on a resolution condemning the Holocaust. Robert Miller 'I was proud to vote for the Holocaust resolution,' he added. 'I voted for that resolution every year that I've been in office.' 'I would absolutely sign the resolution' in the future, Mamdani insisted. The resolution calls on the state to proclaim Jan. 27, 2025 as Holocaust Remembrance Day in the state of New York. He refused to elaborate on why he's not co-sponsoring resolutions this year. Mamdani also dodged questions from The Post when asked why he skipped signing another resolution Wednesday celebrating the Jewish state's 77th anniversary, opting instead to get an endorsement in the mayoral race from anti-Israel former Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-Bronx). 'Thank you so much,' Mamdani said Saturday when asked about the Israel resolution before walking away. 3 Ex-'Squad' Rep. Jamaal Bowman endorses Zohran Mamdani for mayor. Courtesy of the Mamdani Campaign Mamdani is running second in most Democratic mayoral primary pols, trailing only former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, but his snub of the resolutions have sparked outrage as New York City counts the largest Jewish population outside of Israel. Four other fellow socialist Dems joined Mamdani in not signing onto the pro-Israel resolution: Assemblymembers Emily Gallagher (D-Brooklyn), Claire Valdez (D-Queens), Marcela Mitaynes (D-Brooklyn) and Sarahana Shrestha (D-Ulster). That resolution called for 'congratulation the State of Israel on the 77th of its establishment and reaffirming the bonds of friendship, cooperation, and shared values between the people of the State of New York and Israel.' 3 People waving Israeli flags at a 'March of the Living' event in Budapest on May 11, 2025. Mamdani opposes signing off on a resolution recognizing Israel's 77th anniversary AFP via Getty Images It also designated 2025 as the '77th Anniversary of the establishment of the modern State of Israel in the ancestral home of the Jewish people.' Mamdani's campaign spokesperson Andrew Epstein told Politico the mayoral candidate opposes the Israel resolution because it notes Israel 'continues to strive for peace with security and dignity for itself, its neighbors and throughout the world in order to fulfill the prophecy of becoming a light unto the nations.' 'I think that is belied by the conduct of the right-wing government over the past 18 months,' Epstein insisted. Ex-City Councilman David Greenfield (D-Brooklyn), who now runs the Met Council charity, said Mamdani's refusal to back the Holocaust resolution – no matter the reason — makes him 'unfit to be mayor.' 'NOT supporting a pro-Israel resolution does NOT make you an antisemite,' he said on X. 'However, NOT recognizing the Holocaust certainly does.'
Politico
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Zohran Mamdani defends staying off Holocaust Remembrance resolution
NEW YORK — Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani said Friday that his public statements should outweigh his actions on non-binding resolutions, following POLITICO reporting the mayoral candidate did not sign onto measures commemorating the Holocaust and honoring Israel. 'I have condemned the Holocaust every year. This is something that is very clear to me and every New Yorker, and is something that I've made clear mostly in public statements, which is where most New Yorkers are actually engaging with their politics,' Mamdani said at an unrelated press conference. Andrew Epstein, a spokesperson for Mamdani's campaign, shared the lawmaker's social media posts commemorating International Holocaust Remembrance Day in 2024, 2023, 2022 and 2021 and said Mamdani has supported more funding for Holocaust survivors, including by signing onto Assemblymember Nily Rozic's budget letter advocating to allocate more to a state program for survivors. He did not present some of this information when initially asked for comment ahead of POLITICO's first story. Mamdani did not sponsor the annual resolution for Holocaust Remembrance Day any of the last four years. He was only listed as a sponsor in 2021, his first year in office. Most assemblymembers' names appear on the resolutions each year. Epstein said Mamdani was not on it this year because he did not have enough time to review resolutions while running for mayor. When asked why he didn't back the Holocaust measure in previous years, Mamdani downplayed the importance of Albany's typically ceremonial resolutions. 'The longer I've spent in Albany, the fewer resolutions I've cosponsored. But I've made it a point to vote for the resolution every single time it has come to the floor,' he said in a statement — referring to the voice votes, which allow members to verbally say 'aye' without having their votes recorded. The Queens Democrat was eager to defend his record. He released a video Friday evening, accusing POLITICO of making 'baseless accusations' and 'falsely claiming that I refused to condemn the Holocaust.' 'In January, I told my Assembly staff not to co-sponsor any resolutions that were emailed to our office,' he said. 'It had nothing to do with the content of the resolution. But I understand this has caused pain and confusion for many. … I have voted every year for the Holocaust Remembrance Day Resolution, including this year, to honor the more than six million Jewish people murdered by the Nazis.' It is not clear whether Mamdani was present for the floor vote 'every year.' For at least part of the 2023 and 2024 floor speeches on the Holocaust resolution, archived video from the Assembly shows that Mamdani was not in his seat. The videos don't capture the full debates, so it isn't entirely clear whether he came into the chamber in the middle of a speech. Transcripts from those day's proceedings do not include any remarks by Mamdani. When asked about the discrepancy, Epstein responded by saying he would no longer communicate via text message. Andrew Cuomo, the frontrunner in the mayoral race, has attacked Mamdani and other opponents for not being sufficiently supportive of Israel; critics on Friday accused Mamdani of being antisemitic. 'NOT supporting a pro-Israel resolution does NOT make you an antisemite. However, NOT recognizing the Holocaust certainly does,' David Greenfield, a former City Council member and Orthodox Jew who leads an anti-poverty nonprofit, posted on X in response to POLITICO's story. 'Zohran is unfit to be mayor of NYC.' Reports of hate crimes in New York have risen as the war between Israel and Hamas continues, and that conflict and its impact in the city have become an issue in the race. Mamdani has criticized the Israeli government before and has framed his clear statements claiming there is a genocide in Gaza as an asset. Cuomo's campaign declined to comment. Other Mamdani rivals said they would have acted differently. 'I am proud to have signed onto resolutions recognizing the State of Israel, and condemning the Holocaust. With antisemitism on the rise, we must do everything we can to combat hatred in all forms,' state Sen. Zellnor Myrie said in a statement. New York City Comptroller Brad Lander likewise 'supports the Holocaust Remembrance resolution and would have signed onto it,' campaign spokesperson Dora Pekec said in a statement. 'He's proud to have the most comprehensive, serious plan to actually combat antisemitism, including bolstering the existing Mayor's Office to Prevent Hate Crimes, strengthening the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force, partnering with the Citizens Crime Commission to identify and prevent extremism online, and pioneering new anti-hate education programs for our young people.' Mamdani said Friday he would fight antisemitism as mayor and has committed to an '800 percent increase in funding for hate violence prevention' through his proposed Department of Community Safety. Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, a left-leaning group that has co-endorsed Mamdani and Lander, defended him. 'Anyone attempting to misrepresent his record is blatantly using the horrors of the Holocaust as a political cudgel,' JFREJ Communications Director Sophie Ellman-Golan said in a statement. 'Zohran knows that the job is about materially improving people's lives. He has a record to back that up, and a policy platform that demonstrates his ongoing commitment to serving all New Yorkers, including Jews.'
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Zohran Mamdani defends staying off Holocaust Remembrance resolution
NEW YORK — Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani said Friday that his public statements should outweigh his actions on non-binding resolutions, following POLITICO reporting the mayoral candidate did not sign onto measures commemorating the Holocaust and honoring Israel. 'I have condemned the Holocaust every year. This is something that is very clear to me and every New Yorker, and is something that I've made clear mostly in public statements, which is where most New Yorkers are actually engaging with their politics,' Mamdani said at an unrelated press conference. Andrew Epstein, a spokesperson for Mamdani's campaign, shared the lawmaker's social media posts commemorating International Holocaust Remembrance Day in 2024, 2023, 2022 and 2021 and said Mamdani has supported more funding for Holocaust survivors, including by signing onto Assemblymember Nily Rozic's budget letter advocating to allocate more to a state program for survivors. He did not present some of this information when initially asked for comment ahead of POLITICO's first story. Mamdani did not sponsor the annual resolution for Holocaust Remembrance Day any of the last four years. He was only listed as a sponsor in 2021, his first year in office. Most assemblymembers' names appear on the resolutions each year. Epstein said Mamdani was not on it this year because he did not have enough time to review resolutions while running for mayor. When asked why he didn't back the Holocaust measure in previous years, Mamdani downplayed the importance of Albany's typically ceremonial resolutions. 'The longer I've spent in Albany, the fewer resolutions I've cosponsored. But I've made it a point to vote for the resolution every single time it has come to the floor,' he said in a statement — referring to the voice votes, which allow members to verbally say 'aye' without having their votes recorded. The Queens Democrat was eager to defend his record. He released a video Friday evening, accusing POLITICO of making 'baseless accusations' and 'falsely claiming that I refused to condemn the Holocaust.' 'In January, I told my Assembly staff not to co-sponsor any resolutions that were emailed to our office,' he said. 'It had nothing to do with the content of the resolution. But I understand this has caused pain and confusion for many. … I have voted every year for the Holocaust Remembrance Day Resolution, including this year, to honor the more than six million Jewish people murdered by the Nazis.' It is not clear whether Mamdani was present for the floor vote 'every year.' For at least part of the 2023 and 2024 floor speeches on the Holocaust resolution, archived video from the Assembly shows that Mamdani was not in his seat. The videos don't capture the full debates, so it isn't entirely clear whether he came into the chamber in the middle of a speech. Transcripts from those day's proceedings do not include any remarks by Mamdani. When asked about the discrepancy, Epstein responded by saying he would no longer communicate via text message. Andrew Cuomo, the frontrunner in the mayoral race, has attacked Mamdani and other opponents for not being sufficiently supportive of Israel; critics on Friday accused Mamdani of being antisemitic. 'NOT supporting a pro-Israel resolution does NOT make you an antisemite. However, NOT recognizing the Holocaust certainly does,' David Greenfield, a former City Council member and Orthodox Jew who leads an anti-poverty nonprofit, posted on X in response to POLITICO's story. 'Zohran is unfit to be mayor of NYC.' Reports of hate crimes in New York have risen as the war between Israel and Hamas continues, and that conflict and its impact in the city have become an issue in the race. Mamdani has criticized the Israeli government before and has framed his clear statements claiming there is a genocide in Gaza as an asset. Cuomo's campaign declined to comment. Other Mamdani rivals said they would have acted differently. 'I am proud to have signed onto resolutions recognizing the State of Israel, and condemning the Holocaust. With antisemitism on the rise, we must do everything we can to combat hatred in all forms,' state Sen. Zellnor Myrie said in a statement. New York City Comptroller Brad Lander likewise 'supports the Holocaust Remembrance resolution and would have signed onto it,' campaign spokesperson Dora Pekec said in a statement. 'He's proud to have the most comprehensive, serious plan to actually combat antisemitism, including bolstering the existing Mayor's Office to Prevent Hate Crimes, strengthening the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force, partnering with the Citizens Crime Commission to identify and prevent extremism online, and pioneering new anti-hate education programs for our young people.' Mamdani said Friday he would fight antisemitism as mayor and has committed to an '800 percent increase in funding for hate violence prevention' through his proposed Department of Community Safety. Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, a left-leaning group that has co-endorsed Mamdani and Lander, defended him. 'Anyone attempting to misrepresent his record is blatantly using the horrors of the Holocaust as a political cudgel,' JFREJ Communications Director Sophie Ellman-Golan said in a statement. 'Zohran knows that the job is about materially improving people's lives. He has a record to back that up, and a policy platform that demonstrates his ongoing commitment to serving all New Yorkers, including Jews.'
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Never Again' Is a Commitment, Not a Commercial
At last week's London Marathon, Nike displayed billboards that featured the slogan, 'Never again, until next year,' aiming to capture the sentiment of runners who, after completing a marathon, vow not to run again only to return the following year. But for those of us in the Jewish community, "Never Again" isn't an athletic rallying cry-it's a sacred vow etched into the global conscience after the Holocaust. The timing? Just days after Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. The result? Tone-deaf at best, deeply offensive at worst. Nike Sparks Backlash for 'Never Again' Ads at London Marathon As a granddaughter of Holocaust survivors-my grandparents endured unimaginable horrors at Auschwitz and rebuilt their lives in the United States-I don't take these words lightly. "Never Again" was the rallying cry of survivors, their children, grandchildren, and now great-grandchildren. Two out of every three European Jews were killed in the Holocaust, and of the roughly 3.5 million who survived, fewer than 10% left alive today to speak for themselves. So I feel the need to speak up for those who cannot. When corporations repurpose language that carries historical and emotional weight, they risk trivializing that trauma. In this case, the offense cuts even deeper because of the proximity to Holocaust Remembrance Day. While we make up a tiny fraction of the global population, Jews occupy a disproportionate amount of the news cycle, often related to antisemitism, violence, and erasure. I don't believe this campaign set out to cause harm. But good intentions don't absolve impact. Maybe the marketing department didn't realize 'Never Again' is a critical reference to the Holocaust, which certainly speaks to the lackadaisical education efforts toward ensuring we don't have another Holocaust. As marketers, we pride ourselves on storytelling. But when we borrow from someone else's story-especially one written in blood, trauma, and survival-we have a responsibility to tread with care. This incident is also a cautionary tale for any brand trying to move at the speed of culture. I don't say this lightly, given that 10 years of my career was driven by being on the bleeding edge of real-time social media marketing. Speed without wisdom is recklessness. Tapping into a moment, a trend, or a phrase might win short-term attention-but it's not worth it if you alienate the very communities you claim to support. There's a phrase in Jewish tradition: 'tikkun olam,' or 'repairing the world.' That's what my grandparents believed in when they rebuilt their lives from the ashes of Auschwitz. That's what I strive for as a business leader and a mother. And that's what brands must embrace if they want to lead not just in revenue, but in responsibility. And that's why I write this. Because I have both a voice and a responsibility to just do it. Dear reader: When and how will you use your voice?
