Assembly adopts Holocaust Remembrance Day resolution and issues renewed call to confront antisemitism

The New York State Assembly adopted a resolution memorializing Gov. Kathy Hochul to proclaim Jan. 27, 2025, as Holocaust Remembrance Day, speakers said Monday as they urged intensified efforts against antisemitism.

Assemblymember Rosic, sponsor of the resolution, opened the floor discussion by marking the 80th anniversary of Auschwitz’s liberation and saying the day "compels us not only to remember the atrocities of the past, but to confront the dangerous resurgence of antisemitism in our own time." The measure passed by voice vote.

Members across the chamber recounted family histories, warned about rising antisemitic incidents on college campuses and in public life, and called for policy responses. Assemblymember Eichenstein, who said he is a grandchild of four Holocaust survivors, warned that "hate speech, which was allowed to fester, over time turned into violent attacks," and urged immediate educational steps. Assemblymember Glick cited the mechanization of genocide in Nazi Germany and said, "That evil and the undermining of people's moral compass is at the heart of hate speech." Assemblymember Lunsford reminded colleagues that victims also included political opponents, Roma, LGBTQ+ people and others, and said, "when we rise in this chamber to remember today, we need to remember the government actions that led to this because everything that happened in Germany was legal." Several members urged stronger enforcement of hate-crime laws and increased education about the Holocaust on college campuses and in schools.

Assemblymember Yeager, who described his family’s escape routes through Shanghai, and other members who identified as descendants of survivors, stressed the urgency of action in the face of recent incidents in New York, including vandalism and threats against Jewish-owned businesses and places of worship. A number of speakers connected recent international events to a spike in antisemitic acts locally and argued the state should act to protect vulnerable communities.

The resolution was adopted by voice vote without a recorded roll-call tally. The measure asks the governor to issue a proclamation recognizing the date and was presented as a symbolic but imperative step to bolster education and protections for Jewish New Yorkers.

Members concluded with calls for continued legislative work to combat hate crimes and bolster educational programs that teach the history and lessons of the Holocaust.