Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt and Borough President Eric L. Adams, plus local elected officials, local faith leaders and other community partners are teaming up to combat anti-Semitic violence in Brooklyn.
There are 600,000 Jewish people in Brooklyn, including a large population of Syrian Jews. It was reported that 52 percent of hate crimes in New York City are targeting the Jewish community.
Ninety-three incidents of anti-Semitic violence, harassment and vandalism took place in 2018 alone. Thirteen of 17 violent anti-Semitic assaults citywide took place in Brooklyn. The DA shared that offenders of these crimes have recently fallen into one of these three categories of people: mentally ill, hateful or juveniles under age 17.
On Tuesday, leaders announced a new initiative to help curb and reverse the rise in hate attacks and anti-Semitic violence. Greenblatt shared that the ADL will be bumping up it’s “No Place for Hate” program within schools. They believe that education is key in combating hate crimes against marginalized communities — especially recently, with teens committing some crimes.
According to the website, the No Place for Hate program is described as an initiative for “a school climate improvement framework that provides PreK–12 schools with an organizing framework for combating bias, bullying, and hatred, leading to long-term solutions for creating and maintaining a positive and equitable climate.” No Place for Hate® schools receive their designation in the following ways:
• Building inclusive and safe communities in which respect and equity are the goals and where all students can thrive
• Empowering students, faculty, administration and family members to take a stand against bias and bullying by incorporating new and existing programs under one powerful message
• Sending a clear, unified message that all students have a place where they belong “
No Place for Hate is making an additional $250,000 investment for the 2019-20 year. This will allow them to reach at least 10,000 more students. Additionally, this new outreach will include 40 new schools within the Brooklyn area. The ADL and Adams made it clear that the program is the first in a series of steps to help the marginalized communities in Brooklyn.
News of this initiative comes after six attacks targeting the Jewish community that took place within the past week-and-a-half. NYPD Hate Crimes is investigating these incidents.
