The Rise of Anti-Semitism in State Government and why we Should all be Concerned

A Column from the Desk of Assemblyman Doug Smith (R,C,I-Holbrook)

You may have read a recent article detailing how a simple, bipartisan bill to require the New York State Education Department to verify that the Holocaust is being taught in schools caused quite a stir in Albany this week. With the Holocaust being perhaps the most impactful event of the early 20th century, it would make sense that its importance in education is focused on. Unfortunately, it was awash in some controversy. Not because the bill demanded further funding, and not because of an arbitrary deadline it did not meet. This bill was controversial because a few Assembly Democrats on the Education Committee pushed to “hold” the bill, or delay it to the point where it would die and not make it to the Assembly floor for a vote. A cosponsor of this bill myself, I was scratching my head as to why anyone would vote against it. As Ranking Member on the Education Committee, as well as being a former educator myself, I am comfortable saying there are only a handful of individuals who would be upset with a bill such as this; and it is not students, teachers, or faculty. It is people who harbor anti-Semitism in their beliefs.

I have noticed a pattern of decisions and actions taken, both in legislative work and in personal environments, from my colleagues that are cause for concern. I cannot read hearts and minds, but when taking into account the rise in anti-Semitic attacks across the country in the wake of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it’s hard not to see the patterns of anti-Semitic-backed decision-making at play.
Officially, State Democratic leadership, would tell you the unsuccessful attempt to block this bill was because the New York State Education Department is already mandating Holocaust education, and it is a waste of time. I believe the true reason they do not want to see a vote come to the floor, on this otherwise benign bill, is because they do not want a small group of their newly elected self-proclaimed Democratic Socialists to speak out against it publicly. In recent days, some of these same members have vocally supported the anti-Israel “BDS movement” and one of my colleagues in the State Assembly even went so far as to post on her Twitter page an image wiping the nation of Israel off the face of the map.

Our bill specifically stipulated that the State Education Department conduct a review to ensure that the Holocaust is being taught in schools across New York, which I still believe to be a sound practice, particularly when, again, there is no added expense. Additionally, I think the state that is home to the largest population of Jewish Americans as of the 2020 Census should be more than comfortable ensuring the tragedy that was the Holocaust is being taught in schools properly, especially because it’s continually reported that many young people and even adults are still ignorant about the real numbers – that 6 million people of the Jewish faith, in addition to millions of other ethnic and religious minorities in Europe – were killed in a calculated culling across five years.

These numbers grow even more troubling considering that in the wake of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict reaching heights not seen before, a rise in anti-Israel sentiment has flowed among Democratic Socialists and far-left activists. With that, whether intentionally or not, has come a rise in anti-Semitic hate that Jewish youth are experiencing as never before. The last thing we need is for this attitude to be reinforced in any capacity in state government, or any government. Our role as legislators is, in part, to protect the citizens of our state, and we cannot do that if some state legislators actively and vocally participate in their demonization. I am happy that, with bipartisan support, efforts to block our bill were unsuccessful. I am hopeful that as we improve our efforts to teach New York students about the Holocaust, my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will continue to stand together to defeat hate and anti-Semitism everywhere in the Empire State.