NYC speaker laments swastika graffiti in meet with Holocaust survivors

New York City Speaker Julie Menin meets with Holocaust survivors for an event marking Holocaust Survivor Day.

Menin’s mother and grandmother survived the Nazi genocide, and Menin is leading the fight against antisemitism in the city council.

“My grandfather was killed in the Holocaust just because he happened to be born Jewish, and now here we are in New York City dealing with the scourge of antisemitism on not a monthly or a weekly basis, but a daily basis,” Menin says.

She tells the room of 36 survivors about recent trips she made to the sites of swastika graffiti around the city, such as a playground used by Jewish children and on synagogues and Jewish homes.

She highlights measures the city is taking to combat antisemitism, such as buffer zone legislation meant to protect houses of worship from protests and school visits to the Museum of Jewish Heritage.

“Thirty-four percent of young people believe the Holocaust is a myth or is exaggerated,” Menin says. “It’s shameful, it’s shocking, it’s unacceptable and we can’t allow that to continue.”

The event, at the Manhattan office of the UJA-Federation of New York, honors SelfHelp Community Services, a social welfare group that assists survivors.

“Our world is shifting, including here in New York. We’re increasingly targeted and isolated for being Jews, for being supportive of Israel, as a Jewish and democratic homeland,” says the head of the federation, Eric Goldstein.

After the speeches, the survivors gather in the center of the room to dance to tunes including “Hava Nagila” and “Dancing Queens.”

Holocaust Survivor Day was established in 2021 to celebrate survivors, in contrast to more mournful remembrance ceremonies.