Ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo urged his successor Gov. Kathy Hochul to deploy the National Guard to protect Jews amid a rise in antisemitism following the Hamas-Israel war raging in the Middle East.
“I stand with the Jewish community during these difficult times: an attack on any New Yorker is an attack on every New Yorker,” said Cuomo.
The former three-term Democratic governor has begun to lob criticism at the current administration in Albany.
Cuomo resigned in August 2021 following a slew of sexual misconduct accusations.
Cuomo said in prior years, New York leaders assigned more police and other law enforcement personnel to synagogues and Jewish neighborhoods following attacks or threats.
“However the scope of Anti-Semitism post Hamas’ attack on Israel is widespread, dangerous and the worst that I have seen in my lifetime,” he continued.
“New Yorkers of all faiths need to stand together with the Jewish community not just with words but actions.”
Cuomo then said that attacks on people of the Jewish faith amounted to an attack on all New Yorkers.
“It’s time to deploy the National Guard to Jewish centers and places of worship and send a clear message: Hate has no place in New York and anyone who trafficks in it will be held responsible to the fullest extent of the law. We need to speak with one voice and say ‘We are with you. You target a Jew, you target me too,'” he said.
Hochul spokesman Avi Small said the governor has done her part to ensure Jewish houses of worship are safe.
“On October 7, Governor Hochul immediately deployed the New York State Police to protect Jewish New Yorkers at synagogues and other community sites, and those efforts are ongoing. The Governor has no tolerance for hate, violence or antisemitism,” Small said.
Hochul also announced $50 million for law enforcement and $25 million for at-risk community groups to combat a surge in bias crimes and announced a plan to combat antisemitism, including an independent state probe of anti-semitism at the City University of New York.
Hochul stopped short of activating the National Guard.
New Yorkers were divided on Cuomo’s call for military action — with some accusing him of grandstanding and others agreeing with military deployment.
“Cuomo is grandstanding. He’s trying to be relevant,” said former Brooklyn state Assemblyman Dov Hikind, founder of Americans Against Antisemitism. “Give me a break. Our city is not burning.”
“The last thing the Jewish community needs is someone creating more fear and trepidation,” he said.
But O’Brien Murray, a political consultant who has run campaigns for moderate Democrats and Republicans — applauded Cuomo’s call for military intervention, especially after people were arrested during the raucous anti-Israel protest at Grand Central Terminal in which hundreds called for the elimination of the Jewish state.
“I applaud the former governor for saying the National Guard is needed. New Yorkers must be protected,” Murray said.
“What Andrew Cuomo says is relevant, whether you like him or hate him. I can count on one hand the people who have the knowledge of government that he has.”
Cuomo was forced to resign from office in 2021 over wide-ranging allegations of sexual harassment, which he denied.
He has steadily ramped up his public appearances in recent months, taking shots at President Biden and Hochul over the migrant crisis.
The ex-governor also has ripped the political dysfunction crippling the nation’s capital on his podcast, “As a Matter of Fact.”