The inaugural convening of the Anti-Hate in Education Center in New York was held on Dec. 5 at Manhattan’s Center for Jewish History to kick off discussions regarding complex hate and discrimination issues, and how they can be addressed through education.
At Thursday’s event, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul unveiled the education center’s new name: the New York State Center for Civil Discourse in Education. It highlights the center’s goal of creating a specific space for education leaders of “different faiths” to share strategies to combat antisemitism across the state.
Hochul also announced that the state has allocated $350,000 to help students attend the Anne Frank House exhibit at the Center for Jewish History, which is scheduled to open in January 2025.
In her opening remarks, the governor quoted the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as saying, “Whatever you choose to do, leave tracks.”
“That means you don’t just do it for yourself,” Hochul said. “You want to leave the world a little better than you found it. That has been my driving philosophy since I was honored to become your governor three years ago, and also the spirit I embrace as we come here today.”
“How are we going to leave tracks so others will see the work that we’re doing to eradicate hate in all of its forms here in the great State of New York?” she asked.
Among speakers at the event were Gavriel Rosenfeld, president of the Center for Jewish History; John King, chancellor at the State University of New York; and Hindy Poupko, senior vice president of community relations strategy and external relations at UJA-Federation of New York.
Jewish leaders from the ADL New York/New Jersey Region and Teach Coalition were also in attendance.
Hochul announced the Anti-Hate in Education Center last September, making New York the first state to respond to U.S. President Joe Biden’s national strategy to counter antisemitism, released in May 2023.
“As governor of the state with the largest Jewish population outside the State of Israel, I feel a solemn responsibility to protect and uplift New York’s vibrant, diverse Jewish communities,” she said in 2023. “It has always been my top priority to keep the people of New York safe, and we will continue taking action to fight antisemitism and use every tool at our disposal to eliminate hate and bias from our communities.”