Governor Cuomo to Attend Official Commemoration of 75th Anniversary of Liberation of Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland

Statement

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo will join leaders from around the world at the official commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. The Governor -- along with Empire State Development President & CEO Eric Gertlerand Secretary to the Governor Melissa DeRosa -- will depart for Poland on Sunday afternoon and attend the official commemoration events on Monday.

Amid a rash of hate crimes in New York and across the country, including the brutal stabbing that took place during a Hannukah celebration in Monsey, this trip will reinforce the State's support for the Jewish community and raise cultural awareness about the horrors that the Jewish community have endured. Last week Governor Cuomo introduced a first-in-the-nation domestic terrorism law and legislation mandating that every student visit a museum that covers topics related to the Holocaust as part of an education curriculum on diversity and tolerance in the FY2020 budget. Governor Cuomo has also proposed expanding New York's Holocaust Museum at Battery Park City.

"The people of New York will never forget the unspeakable Nazi atrocities perpetrated against the Jews, and by participating in this ceremony on behalf of New York State, I will stand tall in honor of the six million Jewish victims of the Shoah. The cancer of hate and intolerance against the Jewish community and anyone perceived to be 'different' is repugnant -- and while we pray, march and gather for solidarity, government has an obligation to actually act to put an end to this madness," Governor Cuomo said. "This trip will not only show our Jewish brothers and sisters that the family of New York stands with them, I hope it will also raise cultural awareness about the horrors that the Jewish community went through and how America responded. This trip is just the beginning -- we are going to implement an agenda I laid out in the State of the State to make sure every child in New York is educated on diversity, tolerance and religious freedom including a trip to the Holocaust Museum, and we are going to pass a first-in-the-nation domestic terrorism law that says if you attack one of us you attack all of us and we will hold you accountable to the fullest extent of the law."

On August 15, 2019, Governor Cuomo advanced a first-in-the-nation domestic terrorism law to include mass violence motivated by hate. Under this proposal, mass shootings against a group of people based on their actual or perceived race, color, national origin, ancestry, gender, gender identity or expression, religion, religious practice, age, disability or sexual orientation would be punishable by up to life in prison without parole. This change would effectively treat these acts as they should: as terrorist crimes, carrying the same penalty as other terrorist crimes. The Governor included this proposal as a key component of his 2020 State of the State address and the FY 2021 Executive Budget.

As part of the Governor's 2020 State of the State address and advanced in the Budget, the Governor proposed that New York schools add a curriculum that teaches civic values and the state's rich history of diversity and religious freedom. As part of the proposal, Battery Park City Authority will develop a plan to expand the Museum of Jewish Heritage on the Holocaust to be a learning destination for school children across the state. The Governor also advanced legislation mandating that every student visit a museum that covers topics related to the Holocaust as part of the curriculum.

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