On Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023, Assemblyman Ari Brown (R-Cedarhurst) joined fellow Assemblymen Ed Ra (R-Franklin Square) and Jake Blumencranz (R,C-Oyster Bay), Sen. Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, Sen. Jack Martins, and County Legislator Mazi Melesa Pilip outside the CUNY’s chancellor’s office in Manhattan for the End Jew Hatred Rally, which is aimed at holding CUNY accountable for the antisemitic attacks, attitudes, threats and hatred from CUNY students, faculty and uncaring administrators. A recent survey conducted by Ipsos, which polled more than 3,000 Jewish undergrads nationally about Jewish hate on college campuses, found that nearly 60% of Jewish students reported facing antisemitism directed towards them; CUNY is no exception, in fact, it leads to a path of Jew hatred.

“The City University of New York has become a pervasively hostile environment for Jewish students and faculty. It would be an understatement to say that I am outraged by all of this. Allowing this vile level of Jew hatred to transpire and escalate on your campuses, to this degree, is appalling enough, but the refusal of the CUNY chancellor to do anything about it is simply beyond the pale. I just want to remind CUNY, its chancellor and faculty, WE JEWS ARE SURVIVORS, we survived Pharoh, the Romans and Hitler, they are but a footnote in history, yet here we are. WE BEAT THEM, WE WILL CERTAINLY BEAT YOU.” Brown continued.

“The only way they will understand is if we hit them where it hurts, which is why I am calling on my colleagues on the Education Committee and Ways and Means Committee to defund CUNY. We are going to go back to Albany and will fight for meaningful change. Fighting antisemitism requires more than meaningless gestures and platitudes, there will be consequences,” said Brown.