After a Spate of Antisemitic Incidents in New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo Has Pledged to Expand Manhattan’s Museum of Jewish Heritage

During his annual state address on Wednesday, Governor Andrew
Cuomo of New York promised to expand the Museum of Jewish
Heritage in Manhattan so that it will become “a learning
destination for school children across the state.”

“New York would not be New York without the Jewish community,”
he said during his speech, reacting to a series of violent
antisemitic attacks across the state, including the stabbing of five
worshipers during a Hanukkah celebration at the home of a rabbi in
Monsey, New York.

“In New York we stand up to those who try to sow division and
fear,” Cuomo told lawmakers. “We will not let the cancer of hate
and intolerance weaken us. We will continue to stand up and
denounce it every time it rears its ugly head.”

Yet the grant announcement appears to have caught the museum off
guard, and it remains unclear when grant discussions between
the state and the institution took place. Contacted by Artnet News,
a spokesperson said there are no additional information to
share.

The cultural center already has a robust education department
that teaches more than 60,000 schoolchildren annually. And it
remains to be determined what shape the proposed expansion will
take, considering the museum’s location on the Hudson
River. (Representatives from the governor’s office did not
respond to requests for comment.)

Earlier this week, the governor pledged $45 million in
additional funding to protect New York’s religious institutions,
nonprofits, and cultural centers. Since 2017, the state has
supported more than 500 anti-hate-crime projects with over $25
million in grants.

The Museum of Jewish Heritage’s anticipated expansion will
likely be financed by the same program, one report suggests.

Located in Battery Park City, the museum is committed to
educating visitors about Jewish life before, during, and after the
Holocaust. It also serves as a place of memory for Holocaust
survivors.

The announcement also comes as Cuomo continues to look for ways
to exert his influence over New York City politics over the
objections of his perennial competitor, Mayor Bill de
Blasio. In October, the governor pledged $750,000 for a statue
honoring Mother Cabrini, the Catholic saint who was reportedly
snubbed by the mayor’s administration when it decided not to raise
a monument in her honor.

But none of that has stopped the Museum of Jewish Heritage
from celebrating.

“Our thanks to Governor Cuomo for his tremendous leadership in
addressing the rise of antisemitism in New York and his call for
increased cultural understanding,” said Jack Kliger, the museum’s
president and CEO, in a statement issued to Artnet News. The
institution, he added, “stands ready to teach all of New
York—especially schoolchildren—the lessons of the Holocaust and
what hate can do.”

Other proposals on the governor’s agenda for 2020 include
legalizing recreational marijuana, supporting environmental
projects around the state, and bolstering education budgets.

The post After a Spate of Antisemitic Incidents in New York,
Governor Andrew Cuomo Has Pledged to Expand Manhattan’s Museum of
Jewish Heritage appeared first on artnet News.