Latest news with #InternationalHolocaustRemembranceDay
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.'
USA Today
30-04-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Trump admin removes Doug Emhoff, other Biden picks from Holocaust Memorial Council
Trump admin removes Doug Emhoff, other Biden picks from Holocaust Memorial Council Show Caption Hide Caption World marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, it's been 80 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp by the Soviet army in 1945. Fox - 32 Chicago Doug Emhoff, husband of former Vice President Kamala Harris and the first Jewish spouse to a president or vice president, has been removed from the United States Holocaust Memorial Council along with other Biden appointees by the Trump administration. The council represents the board of trustees that oversees the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., the country's official memorial for the tragedy. Emhoff is one of multiple senior Biden officials who received notice that they were being dismissed just three months into what is usually a five-year appointment. 'Today, I was informed of my removal from the United States Holocaust Memorial Council,' Emhoff said in a statement on April 29. 'Holocaust remembrance and education should never be politicized. To turn one of the worst atrocities in history into a wedge issue is dangerous − and it dishonors the memory of six million Jews murdered by Nazis that this museum was created to preserve.' Biden pick dismissed just months into five-year appointment Described as a "nonpartisan federal, educational institution," the museum usually receives presidential appointees for a half-decade term. In January, a dozen Biden officials were announced as new members of the committee. Five of them, including Emhoff, received emails from Mary Sprowls of the White House Presidential Personnel Office on Tuesday, April 29, reported the New York Times. 'On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as a member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council is terminated, effective immediately,' the email said, per the Times. 'Thank you for your service.' Terminated appointees included former chief of staff, Ron Klain; former labor secretary Tom Perez; top Obama and Biden domestic policy adviser Susan Rice; and Jill Biden's senior adviser, Anthony Bernal, reported the Times. Several non-White House appointees told the outlet they had not received termination letters. A number of the removed members are known for their work combating antisemitism, such as Rice's involvement in the May 2023 launch of the first-ever U.S. National Strategy to Combat Antisemitism. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to USA TODAY that, 'President Trump looks forward to appointing new individuals who will not only continue to honor the memory of those who perished in the Holocaust, but who are also steadfast supporters of the State of Israel.' The White House did not respond to follow-up questions asking for clarification as to why it chose to dismiss the members it did, or what being a "steadfast supporter of the State of Israel" entails. 'Never happened since the first Council was established in 1980' Critics have expressed concern that this decision is another on Trump's warpath of retribution aimed at dissenters or those perceived to be associated with them. The administration has removed or attempted to remove Biden-appointed and Democratic officials across government positions on a large scale since taking office in January. Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, said removing the appointees with no explanation "risks politicizing a vital institution" and that the museum and its council "must remain above politics." "At a time of rising antisemitism and in the face of expanding Holocaust denialism and distortion, we should be uniting to preserve historical truth," he said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. "While it's true that the White House has the privilege to appoint and dismiss members to such bodies, the latter prerogative should be used with caution and only in the most egregious situations." The group hopes the administration will reconsider or at least explain its position, he continued. Andy Hollinger, a museum spokesperson, previously told CNN in early 2021 that the Biden administration had not moved to remove any Trump appointees from the council amid other dismissals elsewhere, saying, "To my knowledge, this has never happened since the first Council was established in 1980." However, the museum's statement on April 29 did not mention the removals. 'At this time of high antisemitism and Holocaust distortion and denial, the museum is gratified that our visitation is robust and demand for Holocaust education is increasing,' it said. 'We look forward to continuing to advance our vitally important mission as we work with the Trump administration.'
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
NY Attorney General Letitia James issues guidance supporting DEI in schools
New York Attorney General Letitia James told schools on Wednesday that President Trump's attempts so far to ban diversity, equity and inclusion programs were on shaky legal ground — paving the way for a showdown with the White House. In joint guidance led by James, a coalition of 14 attorneys general said neither an executive order nor a memo from the U.S. Education Department — known as a 'Dear Colleague' letter — threatening schools with DEI policies could make or change the law. 'The administration cannot ban diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility efforts with a 'Dear Colleague' letter,' James said in a statement. 'Schools and educational institutions can rest assured that they are well within their legal rights to continue building inclusive learning environments for their students.' 'My office will always stand up for the rule of law and defend New Yorkers from threats.' In the Feb. 14 letter, the Education Department gave schools and colleges two weeks to drop all policies and actions that treat students differently based on race. The guidance would dramatically expand the Supreme Court's 2023 ruling against affirmative action in college admissions to all race-based efforts in schools. Schools that do not comply risk unwanted scrutiny — or the loss of federal funding, the letter warned. But as the deadline came and went on Friday, few schools in New York made sweeping changes, the Daily News has reported. And in follow-up guidance this month, the Education Department appeared to soften its stance, recognizing it could not directly control school curriculum and permitting schools to recognize events such as Black History Month and International Holocaust Remembrance Day. 'The Dear Colleague Letter is clear: The Trump Department of Education will not allow educational institutions that receive federal funds to discriminate on the basis of race,' Craig Trainor, the acting assistant secretary for civil rights at the department, said in a statement released with the FAQ. In a press release, the attorney general's office blasted the letter as an attempt to 'misinterpret and improperly expand the U.S. Supreme Court's narrow ruling.' The law, under James' interpretation, still permits colleges to boost diversity by non-racial means, such as targeted outreach to applicants from poor backgrounds. It's not yet known how the Trump administration will respond to schools that continue diversity programming. During his first month in office, Trump's Education Department launched an investigation into the Ithaca City School District over an annual student conference in which white children were reportedly excluded. The Dear Colleague letter is currently being challenged in court.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Department of Education clarifies school DEI guidelines, saying Black History Month doesn't violate order
The Department of Education clarified that observances such as Black History Month are not in violation of an order warning state education departments that they must remove diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies or risk losing federal funding. The guidance came after the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights sent a letter to the departments of education in all 50 states in mid-February notifying them of a Feb. 28 deadline to comply with the order. "Title VI prohibits recipients of federal funding from discriminating on the basis of race, color, or national origin," the guidance reads, adding "Schools may not operate policies or programs under any name that treat students differently based on race, engage in racial stereotyping, or create hostile environments for students of particular races. "For example, schools with programs focused on interests in particular cultures, heritages, and areas of the world would not in and of themselves violate Title VI, assuming they are open to all students regardless of race," the guidance continued. "Nor would educational, cultural, or historical observances – such as Black History Month, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, or similar events – that celebrate or recognize historical events and contributions, and promote awareness, so long as they do not engage in racial exclusion or discrimination." Ohio State University 'Sunsets' Offices Amid Ongoing Review Of Dei Work "Whether a policy or program violates Title VI does not depend on the use of specific terminology such as 'diversity,' 'equity,' or 'inclusion,'" the guidance, dated Feb. 28, also said. Read On The Fox News App The letter in February from Craig Trainor, the acting assistant secretary for civil rights in the Department of Education, said, "Educational institutions have toxically indoctrinated students with the false premise that the United States is built upon 'systemic and structural racism' and advanced discriminatory policies and practices." "Proponents of these discriminatory practices have attempted to further justify them—particularly during the last four years—under the banner of "diversity, equity, and inclusion" ("DEI"), smuggling racial stereotypes and explicit race-consciousness into everyday training, programming, and discipline," he wrote. Doge Initial Findings On Defense Department Dei Spending Could Save $80 Million, Agency Says "All educational institutions are advised to: (1) ensure that their policies and actions comply with existing civil rights law; (2) cease all efforts to circumvent prohibitions on the use of race by relying on proxies or other indirect means to accomplish such ends; and (3) cease all reliance on third-party contractors, clearinghouses, or aggregators that are being used by institutions in an effort to circumvent prohibited uses of race," Trainor concluded. "Institutions that fail to comply with federal civil rights law may, consistent with applicable law, face potential loss of federal funding." The letter comes after President Donald Trump signed executive orders directing agencies to provide a plan to eliminate federal funding for "illegal and discriminatory treatment and indoctrination in K-12 schools, including based on gender ideology and discriminatory equity ideology." He also signed orders to end DEI programs in federal agencies. The Department of Education previously announced the removal of mention of DEI from documents and websites. The department also placed employees who led DEI initiatives on leave and dissolved its Diversity & Inclusion Council. Fox News' Landon Mion contributed to this article source: Department of Education clarifies school DEI guidelines, saying Black History Month doesn't violate order
