Michael Cohen
3:38:53
Thank you, chair Dinowitz and members of the committee.
3:38:56
My name is Michael Cohen, and I serve as the eastern director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center.
3:39:00
The center is a premier Jewish human rights organization that confronts antisemitism and promotes an understanding of the holocaust in both historic and contemporary context.
3:39:08
In that role, I was also appointed to serve as a founding board member of the CUNY chancellor's Jewish advisory board, and I've served in that body since its establishment in July of 2023.
3:39:17
In these dual roles, I've had the unique vantage point to observe both the experiences and emotions of Jewish students attending CUNY as well as the administration's efforts to meet those challenges.
3:39:26
Governor Hochul's actions in establishing the Lippmann Commission was welcomed as a positive step in demonstrating that our government officials need to take antisemitism seriously in our public college campuses, and we thank her for that leadership.
3:39:38
We also do wanna recognize that both both that antisemitism on CUNY's college campuses did not begin on October 7th as demonstrated by the repeated incidents at CUNY Law School graduations.
3:39:48
However, we must at the same time acknowledge chance Rodriguez's recognition of that stark reality as a subsequent development of the chancellor's Jewish advisory board to ensure that both he and his administration can garner a real time understanding of the issues at play and be advised by Jewish leadership on the substance of actions that are necessary to make CUNY's Jewish students feel safe again.
3:40:07
As in my testimony at the hearings held here approximately a year and a half ago, I wanna restate that I myself am a CUNY graduate as is my wife, my mother-in-law, my brother-in-law, my sister, my father.
3:40:19
We are a CUNY family.
3:40:20
My testimony here should not be viewed as wanting to attack CUNY, but rather to make certain that my children and their generation can have the same opportunities that I had.
3:40:29
And that at a time of unprecedented anti Semitism on our college campuses nationally, that CUNY once again can become a safe haven for all, including its Jewish students.
3:40:38
While CUNY's administration has made efforts in that area, it is it is equally of little doubt that Jewish students and faculty continue to both feel threatened and be threatened.
3:40:46
We understand that CUNY is a large bureaucracy and that institutional change takes time.
3:40:50
But when the first student is made to feel unsafe or unwelcome on a on a public college campuses, we are out of time.
3:40:56
Today, we will literally.
3:40:58
Today, we we will hear CUNY CUNY students bravely speaking about their experiences and how the recommendations of Littmann Report need to be implemented.
3:41:05
We must have the deepest regard for these students as by testifying here, they understand the increased challenges that they will be facing on campus and we applaud each and every one of them.
3:41:14
Littmann report is critical not merely because it officially documents what we already know all too well about Jewish students on campus, but that that it lists concrete recommendations to start to alter the realities on the ground.
3:41:24
The Simon Wiesenthal Center believes that the enactment of these recommendations needs a hard and fast timeline.
3:41:29
Our children cannot wait in fear any longer as we deliberate.
3:41:32
The Littmann the Littmann Commission was that deliberation.
3:41:34
It is time for implementation.
3:41:36
I do believe chancellor Rodriguez has demonstrated that he cares about the welfare of Jewish students and but we need but we need now more than ever to for the for the that for this report to directly result in clear and decisive and prompt action.
3:41:48
The Simon Wieslaw Center stands here ready and willing to help in any way possible.
