Town Of Hempstead Creates Task Force To Combat Antisemitism
HEMPSTEAD, NY — As the High Holy Days approach, the Town of Hempstead is taking proactive steps to keep the Jewish community safe.
Supervisor Don Clavin, on Thursday, announced the creation of a task force to combat antisemitism in America’s largest township.
“I’ve had a lot of residents reach out to us,” Clavin told Patch about concerns since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. “We wanted to show people [that] we’re taking action.”
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Clavin noted that Hempstead Town has the second-largest Jewish population in New York. With antisemitic incidents on the rise in the county, Clavin said, “it’s now a call to action.”
An advisory board is being launched with members from the Town Board and community leaders, who will use the platform to address antisemitism, so they can “see and discover where it’s really starting,” Clavin said.
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Ultimately, the advisory board will create a program for outreach, “particularly with a focus at schools to combat this antisemitism,” Clavin said.
He said a large part of the task force will be on educating young people by bringing awareness, “because they clearly don’t understand,” Clavin said.
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It’s not just a problem on Long Island, as antisemitic incidents have soared over 140% last year and campus antisemitic incidents have tripled, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
“Something needs to be done,” he said. “Leaders throughout this region, not just in the town, but across Long Island and New York State, really have to step forward and combat the antisemitic rhetoric that is really destroying the fabric of our communities.”
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