New York Governor Kathy Hochul has signed a legislative package to honor and support Holocaust survivors in educational, cultural, and financial institutions.
The legislative package, signed Wednesday, will help ensure schools are providing high-quality Holocaust education, require museums to acknowledge art stolen by the Nazi regime.
It also requires the New York State Department of Financial Services to publish a list of financial institutions that voluntarily waive fees for Holocaust reparation payments.
“As New Yorkers, we are united in our solemn commitment to Holocaust survivors: We will never forget,” Hochul said.
“These are individuals who have endured unspeakable tragedy but nonetheless have persevered to build lives of meaning and purpose right here in New York. We owe it to them, their families, and the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust to honor their memories and ensure future generations understand the horrors of this era.”
The bill (A.472C /S.121B) will help ensure that New York schools are properly educating students on the Holocaust, and directs the New York State Education Department to determine whether school districts across the state have met education requirements on instruction of the Holocaust, which have been required by law since 1994.
“As Governor of a state with 40,000 Holocaust survivors and the largest Jewish population outside of Israel, I take this hatred personally because I feel wounded as a human being to know that someone else is harmed in our state. And I’ll continue to fight back with the full force of our government, not just to combat it and talk about it, but to criminalize it, prosecute the perpetrators and stop it in its tracks,” Hochul said.
“As long as I’m your Governor, as long as I have a breath in my body, I will stand to protect this community and honor the story and the people that had to endure the Holocaust.”
The legislation will also require NYSED to identify how non-compliant schools will close gaps in knowledge of the Holocaust in schools.
