Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Delivers Remarks at Union Temple of Brooklyn

November 2, 2018

Mayor Bill de Blasio: I just wanted to say the incident that happened here at Union Temple – and this is my neighborhood and I know so many people who are members of this congregation. This was tremendously upsetting and it’s coming at a time when Jewish New Yorkers are feeling a profound sense of loss and sadness because of what happened in Pittsburgh at the Tree of Life Synagogue and all those who were killed there because of their faith.

And we are here in the city that has the largest Jewish population in the entire globe, a city that is devoted to respecting all faiths. It’s proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with our Jewish community but we understand, I understand, the pain that Jewish New Yorkers are feeling right now. And this incident only added to it, a sense that once again a synagogue had been desecrated and a sense of fear and the unsettling reality.

But my message to all New Yorkers and especially to Jewish New Yorkers is – the perpetrator will be apprehended. The NYPD, in cases of hate crimes, puts extraordinary resources into play, has a had a very consistent history of finding perpetrators and ensuring that they experienced all the consequences of the law. And that sends a message that we do not tolerate hate, we do not accept it in any form.

We will never accept anti-Semitism in New York City, and we stand shoulder to shoulder with our Jewish brothers and sisters in this hour of real need. So, I’m going to go in now as the Sabbath services are concluded and the Sabbath meal is beginning. I’m just going to go in and provide support and solidarity with the members of this congregation, and let them know there will be police presence here. There will be extra police presence in the coming days to protect them and we’ll continue to protect the Jewish community all over New York City.

Thank you everyone. Thank you.

[...]

Mayor: Thank you so much, Rabbi, and thank you for your leadership always and for your leadership especially at this moment. But, everyone, first of all, Shabbat Shalom.

Audience: Shabbat Shalom.

Mayor: I have such appreciation for this temple and everything it represents in our community and obviously I am a fellow resident of this community and I’ve watched with great admiration over the years so much that happens here spiritually and in terms of community involvement, and I therefore was all the more shocked when I got the news that messages of hate were sprawled here. And I understand that’s deeply unsettling.

And I wanted to come here to just express support. I wanted to come here to just express support. I wanted to come here to say – especially after what happened last week in America, particularly what happened at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh but also simultaneously, the other things that happened around the country that suggested an atmosphere of division and hate that we have a real sacred responsibility as New Yorkers in the most diverse city in the world, in the city that is great because of its respect for all faiths and respect for people, in the largest Jewish city in the world as well – we have an obligation to stand by each other, support each other, show love, and show solidarity, and never take anything that’s an affront to the community in a way that isn’t serious, that isn’t purposeful.

Sometimes there’s that impulse to minimize events and hope they’ll go away but I am reminded of one of the most powerful, of the many powerful, things that Elie Wiesel said. He said the opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. My [inaudible] we will never be indifferent.

If we see an affront, if we see hate speech, if we see acts of hate, we will always confront it. And that, I think, is the value of New York City that can be believed in whether it’s directed at a synagogue, a mosque, a church, or people of any background in any sense.

And just to conclude, one of the ways we do that is by showing human support, moral support. Another way we do that is by showing that security will be there. You’ll certainly see an NYPD presence in the coming days here now [inaudible].

There are many forms that this takes and yet another is to make sure whenever there is a hate crime that the investigation, the action, the follow up is swift. So I am confident that the individual involved will be apprehended. And I’m confident there will be the proper consequences because we have to send a message that this is never acceptable.

And just, with that, to everyone, thank you for being a community of faith and love. Thank you for what you do for each other and for our neighborhood and our city. I know this sad moment will not change your faith or your commitment, and I just want you to know I’m honored to stand shoulder to shoulder with you.

Thank you.