May 4, 2022
American Jewish Committee’s regional offices in New York State—AJC New York, AJC Westchester/Fairfield, and AJC Long Island—organized an advocacy summit—Albany Day—in the state capital, to brief legislators and their staff on AJC’s State of Antisemitism in America report, educate them on how to understand, combat, and prevent antisemitism, and advocate for the passing of state Senator Anna Kaplan and Assemblymember Nily Rozic’s Holocaust education bill.
More than 40 legislators and senior staff attending the briefing, in which AJC Westchester/Fairfield Director Myra Clark-Siegel presented AJC’s Understanding Antisemitism training module to a diverse body of legislators from across the political spectrum and state.
After the briefing, the regional offices participated in back-to-back meetings with state Senators, Assembly Members, and representatives of the Executive Chamber, to advocate for a comprehensive plan to combat antisemitism in New York and discuss the Holocaust education bill, which at the time had stalled in the Assembly.
AJC leaders also met with state Senator Anna Kaplan and Israel's consul general in New York, Amb. Asaf Zamir, to honor Israel's Independence Day in the Senate Chamber. AJC was recognized by the body for our Israel advocacy and received a standing ovation from the Senate floor.
After this remarkable day of advocacy, the Holocaust education bill passed just weeks after our successful trip. AJC's New York State regional office staff and board members joined Governor Hochul for the signing of the bill. AJC has long championed robust Holocaust education and we are thrilled to see this bill signed into law.
Albany Day was a special day to be #JewishandProud and represent AJC New York in our state capital!
Read more about Albany Day and AJC's impactful advocacy work in AJC New York Assistant Director Marisa Bearak's article in the New York Daily News.
