Julie Menin, speaker of the New York City Council, announced what she called a five-point action plan to fight Jew-hatred, protect schools and houses of worship and expand Holocaust education during an event on Friday morning at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in the Battery Park neighborhood in lower Manhattan.
“As the first Jewish speaker of the City Council and as the daughter and granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, this issue is deeply personal to me,” she said at the event.
“At a moment of rising antisemitism, the City Council is taking decisive, responsible action to invest in education, strengthen protections for schools and houses of worship, support community safety and ensure we have the tools to confront antisemitism wherever it appears,” the Democrat said.
According to the New York City Police Department, antisemitic incidents accounted for 57% of all reported hate crimes in 2025, though Jews make up just 10% of the city’s population.
Menin said that the legislative package aims to protect New York and ensure that “hatred, harassment and intimidation are never normalized in our city.”
The City Council intends to allocate $1.25 million to the Museum of Jewish Heritage over two fiscal years to expand Holocaust education through broader school outreach, Menin said. The council also aims to introduce legislation requiring the city’s education department to distribute materials to students on how social media use can contribute to antisemitism and other forms of hate, the speaker said.
The plan also includes a Schools and Houses of Worship Access and Safety Act, which would establish protected perimeters around entrances and exits of houses of worship while preserving protesters’ right to free speech, and a reimbursement program to help private schools install security camera systems, which the council would prioritize based on financial need.
The City Council also intends to fund security training for community-based religious institutions and create a dedicated antisemitism reporting hotline housed within the city’s human rights commission.
Eric Dinowitz, a Jewish council member and chair of its Jewish caucus, stated that as Jewish New Yorkers face “growing threats of antisemitism, words of encouragement and sympathy are not enough.”
“Our laws, budget and initiatives must directly confront the ever-growing threat of antisemitism,” the Democrat stated. “Data must be transparent, houses of worship and educational institutions must be protected and smart investments must be made to educate our youth and secure sensitive locations.”
‘A living, relevant force’
Mark Treyger, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, told JNS that the City Council is responding to rising Jew-hatred in New York City in a meaningful way.
“This five-point plan will help ensure the safety and security of our community while tackling antisemitism before it takes root through the kind of education initiatives JCRC-NY continues to advocate for,” he told JNS.
He added that his organization applauds Menin’s “unwavering commitment to protecting Jewish New Yorkers and confronting hate in all its forms.”
Jack Kliger, president and CEO of the Museum of Jewish Heritage, praised Menin’s decision to invest in Holocaust education to fight back against Jew-hatred.
“Education is our most powerful tool in confronting antisemitism, and speaker Menin has consistently understood that truth,” he stated. “Her leadership and this historic investment in the museum’s educational programming will allow us to reach more students, expand innovative learning experiences and ensure that Holocaust education remains a living, relevant force for New York City’s young people.”
“We are deeply grateful for her partnership and her unwavering commitment to education as a foundation for understanding, empathy and civic responsibility,” he added.
