Former Governor Cuomo Discusses Mayoral Run, Pledges to Combat Rising Anti-Semitism and Address City’s ‘Crisis of Leadership

Why are you running for mayor?

Our city is in crisis – a crisis of affordability, of quality of life and of leadership.  Anti-Semitism is at an all time high in recent memory, and it’s not being secreted, it’s out in the open in a way we’ve not seen in my lifetime. Quite frankly, the stakes are too high not to run for Mayor.

We need to make sure every single New Yorker, regardless of race, color, or creed, feels safe, both as we walk down the street and as we pray in our houses of worship. It’s past time we get back to the basics, and run a competent government that makes sure our neighborhoods are not only clean and safe, but allow New Yorkers to thrive. 

We’ve got big challenges, but that means we have bigger opportunities for improvement and change.  By definition the future is anything we want it to be – if we dream it, we can make it happen – that is the New York way, the New York promise.  But we need a government that can deliver, and I have the experience and proven record to do just that. 

You’ve always been a friend to the community – can you tell us about some of the work you did over your career to stand up to Anti-Semitism and fight for Israel?

Words are empty if they don’t accompany action.  I have a 40-year record of fighting for and alongside this community, starting when my father was first elected.   

As governor and before, I traveled to Israel multiple times, including in 2014 when Israel was under attack, spearheading a delegation to demonstrate our support.  While on the ground, we toured Hamas tunnels and went to Gaza, to tell the world that New York stands shoulder to shoulder with Israel. 

In 2016, when the anti-Israel BDS movement was first gathering steam, I proudly made New York the backstop, signing the first-in-the-nation executive order to enact an anti-BDS law. 

In 2019, as the result of a diplomatic trade mission to Israel, I negotiated a groundbreaking new partnership between the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and the New York Genome Center, harnessing the entrepreneurial experience of Technion and the world-class research capacity of the Genome Center, to accelerate biomedical research, advanced genomics, treatments and clinical applications, and foster the commercialization and job creation capacities of the life sciences industry. 

Later that year, after the horrific Hanukkah attack in Monsey, I passed a new law to once and for all classify mass hate crimes as domestic terrorism. The law was named the “Josef Neumann Hate Crimes Domestic Terrorism Act,” in memory of Mr. Neumann who lost his life in the attack.  In the wake of Monsey, I fought for and secured $25 million for increased security equipment for Houses of Worship. 

And in 2020, I was proud to represent the United States as the only American elected official to travel to Auschwitz to commemorate the 75th anniversary of its liberation.

There are people in the community who feel like you let them down with red zones during Covid.  How do you respond to that? 

During the dark days of COVID, there were a lot of decisions that had to be made quickly. They were hectic days and it was an exceptionally trying time. Lives were in the balance and on the other hand people’s lives were disrupted.

Some believed that some restrictions went too far, while others believed there were not enough. And I’m sure, in retrospect I could have done some things differently and not every move is ever perfect in hindsight. 

When some Orthodox communities had very high rates, we were compelled to take action, which created the impression that the community was targeted, although it was driven by the data that we had. 

Reflecting on those days, we absolutely could have done more to meet with and talk to community leaders and rabbis about what we were doing to ensure there was a two-way dialogue and that their concerns were addressed. We could have had a stronger consultation process.

I have had a special relationship with the Orthodox community going back to my 20s when my father was first elected Governor, and would never want anyone to feel mistreated in any way.

If elected, what policies will you pursue as Mayor to combat anti-semitism? 

We have so much to do, and make no mistake, Israel and Anti-Semitism are on the ballot in New York City this June. We need to send a message that Anti-Semitism will no longer be tolerated in NYC- the city that the Jewish community helped to build.  

I have proposed a multi-pronged plan to combat hate in New York City, including: 

• Have the city exercise its power to enforce violations of the human rights law – even if local district attorneys will not – and ensure offenses are prosecuted to the fullest extent possible.
• Passing a law codifying the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of Anti-Semitism into the City Human Rights Law.
• Seeking the adoption of a “masking harassment law” to crack down on the type of Anti-Semitic crimes, such as harassment of Jewish New Yorkers and property damage by masked pro-Hamas protestors.
• Having the city school system adopt a curriculum that takes seriously the issue of Anti-Semitism and other forms of bias.

We can fight to stamp out Anti-Semitism in all its forms – and we will do it, together.