FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 21, 2022

Statement from County Executive Ed Day

Yesterday afternoon the Jewish Federation and Foundation of Rockland County issued the following statement on their Facebook page:

In the context of recent discussions at the County Legislature, the term "hidden persuaders" was quoted and used by a number of legislators to describe persons they claimed control the county government. The Community Relations Committee of the Jewish Federation of Rockland condemns the use of well-worn antisemitic tropes like "hidden persuaders" by anyone, of any political stripe, especially among our representatives.

This theme has too often been used by those with an antisemitic agenda as a code word for Jews. Only a few days ago, these exact tropes motivated the terrorist who took hostages in a Colleyville, Texas synagogue. We call on all who have used or quoted this language to retract it immediately, and invite them to meet with Federation to learn more about the terrible outcomes of the use of these words and tropes.

No matter where these words and themes arise - in the legislature, on social media, on campus, in conversations at work - they must be called out. Federation and our partners are ready and eager to educate, inform, and work with those who are not yet familiar with the hateful nature and violent antecedents of such words. We are equally prepared to confront the antisemitic use of such themes with malign intent, wherever they emerge. Let there be no mistake - there can be no space in Rockland where hate prevails.

The Jewish Federation and Foundation of Rockland County has expressed clear concern about this language. I have consistently called on Rockland residents to listen to and learn from their friends and neighbors and I encourage all those who used the language referenced above or repeated it to do so now.

I want to acknowledge Rabbi Justin Schwartz for publicly announcing his intent to speak with the Federation this morning on WRCR. I urge everyone to use this incident as a learning opportunity about the horrors of anti-Semitism and the holocaust so that no one can claim ignorance on these issues.

We have an excellent local resource in the Holocaust Museum and Center for Tolerance and Education. While the Museum is closed to in-person visits during the month of January due to COVID-19 there are a wealth of resources available on their website: https://holocauststudies.org/

I want to echo the words that the Jewish Federation and Foundation of Rockland County used in one of their Facebook posts on this topic, “We learn from the past, and we build a better future.” May we all learn from the past, from each other and build a better future together for the safety and well-being of all Rocklanders.

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