New coalition seeks to tackle LI anti-Semitism

Based on what they say is a rise of hate crimes against Jews, a half dozen organizations have joined together to form the Long Island Coalition to Combat Anti-Semitism.

The founding members of this new coalition are: the American Jewish Committee, the Anti-Defamation League, the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County, the Jewish Community Relations Council, the Long Island Board of Rabbis and the Suffolk Center on the Holocaust, Diversity and Human Understanding.

They plan to stage events to inform the public about the history, causes and current-day realities of anti-Semitism, along with pro-active strategies to counter it.

“Since the renewal of hostilities in the Middle East last summer, we have seen a rise of hate crimes against Jews sweep across Europe, South America, Australia and elsewhere,” said Steven Markowitz, chairman of the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County in Glen Cove.  

Based on figures provided by the Anti-Defamation League there were 26 anti-Semitic incidents in Nassau last year and 10 in Suffolk. New York Regional Director Evan Bernstein said that the organization’s preliminary numbers for 2014, which will not be finalized and released until early next year, show an uptick in these incidents.

He highlighted five incidents that occurred this year. A letter containing anti-Semitic remarks and white powder was mailed to an office building in East Garden City on June 13. Fourteen days later a swastika was found etched into a brick at the Jewish Community Center in Plainview. On Aug. 16, two swastikas were drawn on a street in Great Neck and on Aug. 24 a swastika was painted on the post office in Roosevelt. Anti-Semitic graffiti was spray painted on the back wall of a business in Oceanside on Sept. 6.