Mayor Bill de Blasio Delivers Remarks at the Anti-Defamation League Annual Meeting

June 10, 2014

NEW YORK—On Tuesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio delivered remarks at the Anti-Defamation League annual meeting in Manhattan. Below are the remarks as prepared for delivery.

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery

Let me begin by thanking my old friend Jay Eisenhofer, who in addition to an illustrious legal career has had an illustrious ADL career. He got involved right out of law school and has been a driving force behind the ADL New York Region.

Friends, I’m very glad to be here today, with an organization that does so much good. ADL has always had a dual mission: combatting anti-Semitism, but also combatting all forms of bigotry. And both are critical.

If anyone doubts anti-Semitism is still a vital concern, they need to only read the headlines from Ukraine, where 70 years after the Holocaust, the Jewish community is again in danger. Or take a look at Kansas, where three were killed in April in shootings at two Jewish organizations.

The ADL released the first global survey of anti-Jewish attitudes last month—and it’s a sobering report. Even today, in the 21st Century, 26 percent of the world continues to harbor anti-Semitic views.

Of course, this goes beyond anti-Semitism. Headlines from around the world also make clear the need for ADL’s broader anti-bigotry mission. ADL does critical work each day educating folks on these issues—and taking action. I am particularly impressed by the work of ADL’s New York Region, which has been such a strong and consistent voice on anti-Semitism and all forms of hate in New York.

Take one of your signature issues: combatting bullying. Like much of the country, our city has had terrible incidents stemming from this. One case of many happened in 2012, when 12-year-old Harlem boy Jose Morales hanged himself. Jose had been relentlessly bullied for being short and brainy. And not having a father. Jose left us too soon.

Here in New York City, ADL’s “No Place for Hate” program is doing important work on bullying. For one, it’s partnering with the Department of Education and teaching kids how to combat bullying, cyber-bullying, and hate. “No Place for Hate” educates students, teachers, parents and everyone alike ways to stand up against hate. At this year’s “No Place for Hate” recognition ceremony at Skirball Center, nearly 500 students were honored for the work they did in the program—an army of students who will be spreading the message of acceptance and inclusion throughout the city.

In light of ADL’s big “Global 100” report, let me just say a few words about anti-Semitism in America. It undoubtedly exists—recent murders in Kansas are only the latest disturbing example. But by global standards, there actually isn’t a great amount of it in America, and it has been declining. Specifically, the first time ADL studied anti-Semitic attitudes in the U.S. in 1964, it found 29 percent of Americans held anti-Semitic attitudes. This year, just 9 percent did, which is very low compared to national percentages as high as 61 percent in Asia, 69 percent in Europe, and 92 percent in the Middle East.

Why the difference between the U.S. and much of the world? The way the political mainstream regards anti-Semitism and bigotry. Unfortunately, in much of the world, these views are allowed into the mainstream political debate. We’re seeing this in Greece, where the far-right Golden Dawn party is overtly embracing Nazi symbols and themes. And that’s accepted as part of the political debate there, with the party winning nearly 10 percent of the vote in an election last month. In France, we’re also seeing the National Front using ugly anti-Semitic language—and winning elections while doing so. And in Italy, some of its Northern League’s leaders who traffic in crude racism still have a significant following and presence in parliament.

Now, this is not to say America does not have its extremists. We do. Some elements of the Tea Party, for example, have expressed disturbing, racist and homophobic views. And this is not to suggest Europe does not have many good people working against hate and racism. In Italy, France, Germany and other countries, there are a number of political figures and others standing up to hate.

Still, as a country, the United States has drawn clear lines. We do not tolerate open anti-Semitic or open racism in our political discourse. And in most cases, anyone who engaged in it in either party is effectively marginalized. Their political career would be over—because there is zero tolerance for such views in the American mainstream.

Here in New York City, my administration has a clear zero tolerance policy when it comes to bigotry and anti-Semitism. For me, these issues are very personal. I’ve been to Yad Vashem three times—most recently, Chirlane and I took Dante. And we all have very powerful memories from the trip. One that’s forever etched in my mind is seeing Yad Vashem’s Children’s Memorial, and those tiny lights representing the 1.5 million children who died in the Holocaust. It’s hard to fathom a greater crime against humanity than what those lights symbolized.

We recently had a case of a taxi driver photographed wearing a swastika armband while he drove his cab. The ADL New York Region did not squander any time calling on the Taxi and Limousine Commission to investigate and take action. You know, some said it was a question of free speech. And I’m a strong supporter of the First Amendment. But that driver had no right to wear a symbol of racial hatred while picking up fares in a New York taxi. The TLC took swift action, suspending the driver’s license for 30 days and making clear there is no place for swastikas in New York taxis.

And last month, when anti-Semitic graffiti and swastikas appeared in Borough Park, the NYPD pursued this matter aggressively. The Hate Crimes Task Force quickly arrested Michael Setiawan and charged him, which also sent an unequivocal message that acts like this are not tolerated in New York City.

There have also been terrible acts of violence against the city’s LGBT population in recent years, including the attack on Mark Carson, the gay man who was shot to death in May of last year in Greenwich Village. ADL has been a very strong and influential voice on LGBT issues, filing friend-of-the-court briefs in last year’s two big Supreme Court gay marriage cases, United States v. Windsor and Hollingsworth v. Perry. Nor did it shy away from writing to the Nigerian ambassador to protest that nation’s shameful anti-gay legislation.

My administration is committed to doing everything we can to fight for LGBT equality, and to ensure the city’s streets are safe for all New Yorkers. Eradicating hatred and bias crimes in New York City is a vital mission—but the Mayor of New York must do more. And I appreciate the special obligation that comes with being Mayor of the city with the world’s largest Jewish population—including defending Israel and speaking up when it is attacked. It also means defending its status as a homeland for the Jewish people. Know this: As long as I am Mayor, Israel will have a strong supporter in City Hall.

When ADL was founded in 1913, there were different views—even in the Jewish community—about how to respond to anti-Semitism and bigotry. Some believed it was best not to make waves—not to “get in the gutter” with anti-Semites. They preferred to remain silent and hope for the best. But Chicago lawyer named Sigmund Livingston disagreed—and that was why he founded the ADL. In his book “Must Men Hate?” Livingston wrote, “The worker in the vineyard does not rid the vineyard of weeds by declaring them to be noxious. He takes a hoe and goes out to uproot the poisonous growth.”

He was right—and ADL is right to continue its work in this tradition, by uprooting the very stems of hatred themselves. I want you to know that as long as you do this vital work, I will be right there beside you, pulling up the weeds.

Thank you.