Hate Does Not Belong in Hempstead by Town Councilman Anthony D’Esposito

Hate Does Not Belong in Hempstead

By Town Councilman Anthony D’Esposito

Recently, hate-filled propagandists once again targeted local Jewish neighborhoods with anti-Semitic flyers spreading Jew-hatred and untrue conspiracies. In addition to the distribution of these despicable flyers, the grounds of Hempstead Town Hall were vandalized with a disgusting message attacking the Jewish people.

The perpetrators responsible for spreading these leaflets promoting prejudiced, fringe media platforms and scrawling hateful messages on public buildings do not want local families to feel safe in their own communities and, in doing so, seek to tear apart the fabric of this country. In their own words, they have “distributed thousands and thousands” of leaflets that contend there is a “Jewish mafia that has hijacked our country.” We have seen this type of language before, and we know what it can lead to.

This will not be tolerated in the Town of Hempstead.

The distribution of these flyers by vile anti-Semites is the latest chapter in an unsettling series of attacks on the Jewish community across the United States. While law enforcement professionals must continue doing everything in their power to investigate and prosecute those behind this campaign of hate, the government at all levels has a responsibility to do everything possible to ensure those propagating these grotesque, anti-Semitic lies are met with a unified voice of opposition. We will not allow this evil ideology to take root here in our hometown. Indeed, it appears the anti-Semites recognize the Town of Hempstead’s opposition to their diabolical plans; they came to the seat of our government to deliver a message of hatred for the Jewish people via graffiti on Town Hall property – the property of the people.

The United States’ response to this rising trend in anti-Semitic hatred must be a multifaceted one, including all elements of our society and extending to our nation’s policy decisions.

Our collective fight against anti-Semitism should begin in the classroom, where students can be taught the past results of organized hatred through a historical lens. Schools must ensure our children fully understand the atrocities inflicted through mass acts of hatred and societal silence, such as the Holocaust. Knowing one’s history is key to recognizing the danger of anti-Semitic speech and actions.

We must also combat the present-day insidious tactics targeting our friends in Israel, which has long been America’s most trusted ally. Since Israel’s modern founding, bad actors on the world stage have sought the total annihilation of the Middle East’s lone democracy – an obsession powered by institutional anti-Semitism. The United States must continue to stand with our allies in Israel and remind our adversaries in places such as Iran and Syria that the arsenal of democracy will not stand idly by while the Jewish state is singled out for persecution.

Sadly, this institutional anti-Semitism found in the capitals of our nation’s enemies has been seen creeping into the halls of power here in America as well, advanced via tactics supported by radicals hellbent on seeing Jews suffer. Chief amongst the tactics utilized by the organized anti-Israel lobby is the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which is a coordinated effort designed to isolate Israel and cripple its economy. We see this agenda propagated daily by radical politicians like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar and the rest of the Socialist Squad who want BDS to be our national policy. This madness must be stopped. I have in the past stood up to this putrid display of hate and will continue to do so as long as I breathe.

As a Town Councilman, I was proud to work with now-County Executive Bruce Blakeman to make Hempstead one of the first local governments in America to adopt a strong anti-BDS law. America’s largest township vowed to sever ties with companies and organizations engaged in anti-Semitic BDS policies that are nothing more than thinly veiled anti-Jewish hatred. In utilizing the law, my colleagues on the Town Board and I successfully pressured Unilever to stop its Ben & Jerry’s ice cream brand from embracing the BDS movement and discriminating against the Israeli people.

In Congress, I will finish what my friend Congressman Lee Zeldin started and enact the Israel Anti-Boycott Act into federal law and invest in Israel’s security by fully funding the Iron Dome Missile Defense System. On the domestic front, I pledge to work with parents and educators to incorporate important historical lessons detailing the rise of anti-Semitism into school curriculum, and partner with federal and local law enforcement officials to step up investigations into conspiracists who spread their putrid, anti-Semitic propaganda in communities both here on Long Island and across the country.

With anti-Semitic incidents like the distribution of hateful, conspiracy-laden flyers on the upswing across this country and the rise to national prominence of expressly anti-Israel politicians among the Radical Left, this year’s election will shape our collective response to this threat. We must send those who seek to harm the Jewish people – and their enablers – a clear, unambiguous message that they do not share our American values.

Town Councilman Anthony D’Esposito represents the 4th District in the Town of Hempstead. A former NYPD detective and former Chief of the Island Park Fire Department, Anthony is running for Congress to represent New York’s 4th Congressional District in November.