New York Gov. Kathy Hochul directed flags at state buildings to be flown at half-staff and landmarks across the state to be illuminated in yellow on Wednesday, marking the third anniversary of Hamas-led attacks on Oct. 7, 2023.
Hochul also directed the Israeli flag to be flown at the state Capitol and Empire State Plaza in remembrance of the victims and in solidarity with the Israeli people.
“It’s hard to fathom that it has been three years since the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre,” Hochul stated. “Three years since the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust. The pain of that dark day has not faded. But neither has the strength, resilience and enduring hope of the Jewish people.”
The landmarks being illuminated include One World Trade Center, the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, the Kosciuszko Bridge, Moynihan Train Hall, Grand Central Terminal’s Pershing Square Viaduct and the Roosevelt Island Lighthouse.
Hochul has been a vocal supporter of New York’s Jewish community. In September, she told JNS, “I want Jewish New Yorkers to know that I will always be there for them,” and pledged to do “everything I humanly can” to protect Jewish communities, synagogues and yeshivas.
Her administration has also increased security funding for organizations vulnerable to hate crimes. In April, Hochul announced up to $70 million in new funding through the state’s Securing Communities Against Hate Crimes program, building on more than $131.5 million already awarded for 1,745 security projects since she took office.
