Borough of Manhattan Community College joins CUNY and the international community in marking Yom HaShoah, Israel’s annual Holocaust Remembrance Day which began yesterday at sundown in Israel. Yom HaShoah is the day Israel observes as a memorial for the approximately six million Jews killed by Nazi Germany and its allies during the Holocaust. It is one of the most solemn dates on Israel’s calendar.
Please take a moment and join me as we remember all those lost during this dreadful chapter in our world’s history. Although the horrors of the Holocaust are painful to remember and contemplate, they serve as a critical reminder that hate is a potent and dangerous force that we need to make a conscious choice to not include as part of our lives and communities.
Last month, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) issued a report that counted more than 3,600 anti-Semitic incidents in the U.S. in 2022. That’s a 36% increase over the year before and the largest number since the ADL began tracking incidents 44 years ago. Of all 50 states, New York had the highest number of anti-Semitic incidents.
Antisemitism has no home at Borough of Manhattan Community College, a richly diverse institution where we celebrate and respect all of our students, faculty, and staff. We will confront antisemitism and all forms of religious, ethnic, cultural, and racial bigotry on our campus. We will continue to do all we can to provide educational enlightenment that provides our community members with the means to confront hate and antisemitism wherever they might encounter it.
On this solemn day, let us remember the millions of lives that were tragically and systemically taken from the world during the Holocaust. I encourage all of you to take the time to learn more about the Holocaust and do all you can to make certain nothing like it ever happens again.
Sincerely,
Anthony E. Munroe
President, Borough of Manhattan Community College
