Jewish leaders expect to ban most masks in public in NY next year: ‘Nothing political about prejudice’

jewish leader say their top priority Next year Albany in New York will be pressured to pass a law To prevent most people from wearing masks Publicly to thwart bigots and other criminals who spread hate.

“There is no First Amendment right to harass people and commit serious crimes,” said state Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (D-Bronx), who is co-sponsoring a bill for such a mask ban.

“We will make it illegal for people to conceal their identity in order to harass, stalk, and threaten others,” Dinowitz said. Saying that such a measure is overdueGiven the level of hatred, vandalism and threats against Jews following the terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

“This is our top priority going into the legislative session in Albany,” Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt told The Post.

“I’m optimistic that this will pass, but it’s going to take work,” he said. “It’s going to take work to make sure that lawmakers on both sides of the aisle understand that there’s nothing political about bias. “

Greenblatt, speaking at a Post editorial-board meeting, said civil libertarians such as the New York Civil Liberties Union have claimed that such a ban would hamper the free expression of protesters and dissidents, including opponents of Israel.

But supporters of the bill say at least some mask-wearing protesters and vandals are emboldened to spread hatred because their identities are hidden.

“There is freedom of expression. “But it is wrong to intimidate people because of their racial or religious or any other type of identity,” Greenblatt said.

The proposed bill would exempt individuals who need to wear a mask for health or religious beliefs or for safety at work.

Dinowitz said penalties for those who violate the measure and knowingly wear masks during hate-filled protests, acts of vandalism and other crimes will range from a misdemeanor to aggravated harassment, a Class A misdemeanor that could result in a year in jail. Can be imprisoned.

Long Island’s Republican-run Nassau County approved such ban in August, and the measure has been upheld in court, at least so far.

ADL is part of the #UnmaskHateNY coalition, which is supporting the campaign to outlaw veiled threats intended to harass and terrorize Jews, Blacks and other Americans.

The NAACP and the National Urban League are among the civil-rights groups that are part of the coalition.
Supporters said such bans on wearing hoods and masks helped expose Klu Klux Klan members who terrorized blacks in the South.

But such face covering restrictions were repealed during the COVID-19 pandemic in many states, including New York, when face coverings were deemed necessary to prevent the spread of the deadly disease at the height of the outbreak.

Now, anti-Semitism is on the rise in New York has reached breaking point – Some compared the city to the 1930s and the rise of Nazism, Jewish leaders told The Post.

For example, hateful vandals sprayed red paint on the home of the Brooklyn Museum’s director and Jewish board members, and at least two homes were also scrawled with the red triangle symbol used by Palestinian Hamas terrorists to mark targets for death. To show.

Many other anti-Semitic crimes have been committed by masked rioters or harassers traveling in groups spreading their hateful terror, including on the subway and even on Ivy League campuses such as Columbia University in Manhattan.

“Deliberately concealing his identity while hunting Jews inside the New York City subway, shouting ‘Death to the Jews!’ There is no constitutional right to destroy college property while chanting ‘or vandalizing the home of a Jewish museum director with anti-Semitic graffiti simply because of his identity,” Mark Mark, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York Traeger said.

“These heartbreaking actions point to the intent behind the passage of anti-mask laws at the turn of the 20th century, which was to provide law enforcement with the tools they needed to hold hate groups like the KKK accountable.”

In October, the ADL released a shocking report revealing that the number of anti-Semitic attacks in the US rose 200% to more than 10,000 last year, the highest number ever recorded by the group tracking Jew hatred. And there was a huge increase in it on a large scale. College campus.

“This legislation is overdue and needed as soon as possible. This is a very high priority, said Dinowitz, a close ally of Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and a fellow Bronx Democrat.

Hudson Valley Senator James Skoufis (D-Cornwall), who is vying to become the next Democratic National Committee chair, pushing the bill In the upper room.

“As we craft this important bill, I am grateful for the partnership and support of stalwarts in New York’s civil rights and faith communities,” Skoufis said in a statement.

“It is important that there is broad buy-in for this public safety measure to ensure that we do not suffer another year during which people are attacked by individuals covering their faces to avoid accountability “

Asked about the push, Hochul’s office referred The Post to the governor’s comments in June, when he Expressed support for mask banAs has state Attorney General Letitia James.

“People have a right to be safe while walking on our streets, on our public transportation, in their places of worship,” the governor said at the time.

“And no one should be able to hide behind a nearly full-face mask to commit such atrocities against fellow New Yorkers. “This is where we have to draw the line.”

A spokesperson for #UnMaskHateNY, a coalition led by civil rights and faith leaders that is supporting the reinstatement of New York’s mask ban, said in a statement, “In 2024, safety conditions on campuses, streets and subways will deteriorate to the extent that It got worse as people became masked. Harassing New Yorkers became an everyday occurrence.

“We need accountability and relief.”