Legislator Drucker: Task Force to Combat Antisemitism Represents a Crucial Opportunity to Eradicate Hatred in Nassau County
(MINEOLA, N.Y.) – On Tuesday, May 10, Nassau County’s Task Force to Combat Antisemitism held its first meeting in the Ceremonial Chamber of the Theodore Roosevelt Executive and Legislative Building in Mineola.
The Task Force was birthed of a resolution Nassau County Legislator Arnold W. Drucker (D - Plainview) co-introduced on June 22, 2021, which was later adopted unanimously by the full Nassau County Legislature in August 2021 and amended this year.
Today, Legislator Drucker issued the following statement:
“Last June, when I filed the legislation alongside my Minority Caucus colleagues to establish this special task force, it was clear at that time that the need for action was urgent,” Nassau County Legislator Arnold W. Drucker (D - Plainview) said. “These fears were borne out by the Anti-Defamation league’s 2021 audit of antisemitic incidents, which recorded a 34 percent increase in incidents as compared to the previous year.”
“Today, as the distinguished members of this Task Force begin our collective work to eradicate the scourge of antisemitism from our County, I am humbled by the gravity of the mission we are embarking upon,” Legislator Drucker continued. “Now is the time to roll up our sleeves and work collaboratively with residents and community leaders to devise and enact meaningful, enduring legislation that will strike directly at the fetid sources of antisemitism in our county.”
Working under the guidance of the Working Definition of Antisemitism as adopted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), the task force is directed to host one or more public hearings to engage governmental and community leaders, law enforcement personnel, clergy, academics, members of the public and key stakeholders to gather facts about the origins and extent of antisemitism in Nassau County.
Upon the completion of these hearings and a public comment period, the task force will submit a report containing recommendations for legislative action.
In addition to its fact-finding mission, the Special Legislative Task Force to Combat Antisemitism is tasked with educating youth by hosting a Virtual Youth Roundtable Against Antisemitism. Focused upon how the law and public policy can help to diminish bias and insensitivity, the event will be known as “Cardozo Day” in honor of esteemed New York jurist and former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Benjamin N. Cardozo.