I'm Rabbi Ammi Hirsch of the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue in New York and you're listening to In these Times. Andrew Cuomo has dedicated decades of his life to public service. The son of New York's 52nd Governor, Mario Cuomo. Andrew served as US Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, New York Attorney General, and governor of the State of New York from 2011 to 2021.
When Governor Cuomo's staff contacted me to say that he was eager to be a guest on in these times, of course, I immediately accepted. We are in the midst of an important mayoral campaign in New York City with local, national, and even international ramifications. Moreover, as this podcast focuses on issues important to the American Jewish community, the opportunity to spend close to an hour.
In intimate conversation with the former governor of New York, and according to recent polling, the leading candidate for mayor of our city constitutes a rare opportunity to probe deeply into the issues that are important to Americans and American Jews, not in a partisan manner. Synagogues do not engage in partisan politics. We do not endorse candidates and we do not tell people how to vote.
But rather as a service to anyone interested in becoming more informed about the issues that define the campaign, I hope other candidates will contact me as well, A mayoral forum focusing on the issues that American Jews are most concerned about would be good for both our community as well as the candidates seeking our support. In the course of our conversation, I asked Governor Cuomo, what is at stake in the coming years.
I am worried about the state of American democracy. I'm worried about this President. You have a broken government in New York and the city feels out of control and chaotic. You have this far left, which is basically anti-business, I think, not to be frightened. Is unintelligent.
Governor Andrew Cuomo, welcome to In These Times. Thank you for having me, rabbi. It's a great honor to have you. Before we get to some of the key issues in particular, uh, Israel and the Middle East. I just wanted to ask you, you, you spent most of your life in, uh, public service. You spent eight years at HUD and four years as the secretary. You, you were attorney general in New York. You were the, of course, the governor of New York, and now you're running for, uh, mayor of New York.
What is it about public life that is so compelling to you that constantly draws you into public service?
Well, let's say it also rabbi that starting. In my twenties, helping my father run for governor, which was probably the most difficult public service I, I did. I helped him run his first campaign and he became governor in 1982, and then I worked with him as a special assistant for the first few years, and then I help them informally, public service. You pay a tremendous price, a higher price than I realized when I look back because you just take a lot of time away from your family.
There are other opportunities you don't get a chance to pursue. You deal with all sorts of garbage, especially nowadays. It's a toxic environment, you know, it's like swimming in, uh, sewage some days, but the but is. You get to do a tremendous amount of good for people if you do it right, the political part of it, the back and forth, the politics, the pandering, the posturing. Forget all that stuff, which many politicians focus on.
I focus on the instrumentality of government, of getting things done. And when you get something done that changes people's lives, that's brings so much satisfaction. We were the first big state to pass marriage equality, for example, which didn't change the whole conversation across the country. You know, not to sound like an arrogant New Yorker, but when New York does something, people notice free college tuition, raise the minimum wage. Uh, you change your lives.
And that's the upside, that's the benefit. And I was not planning on running for mayor. Uh, I had moved into the private practice and I was enjoying life and I got myself reacquainted with my kids. But I was watching New York City, I'm watching the country and I'm afraid for New York City. Urban areas all across the country are in decline. And, uh, I wanted to get in to see if I could help because I think help is needed.
I must tell you that, uh, I think of you every time I go through LaGuardia Airport. That is a great accomplishment.
LaGuardia is beautiful, isn't it? Yeah. And what I like about a rabbi is that it shows what you can do, right? That was the worst airport in the country. I. People mocked it. Joe Biden mocked it. He said If you were blindfolded and you landed in LaGuardia Airport to go up the blindfold, you'd think you're in a third world country. Right? And they said it was impossible to do because you had to build a new airport while you operated the old one.
And it's the smallest footprint of any airport in the United States. But so you build a new airport, you know, we built a new Moynihan train station. A new subway line, new Long Island railroad line, some beautiful bridges. One we named after my father. You know, so where do you get a chance to do something like that in life, you know? And it gives me tremendous satisfaction.
Counting what you said about the time you spent helping your father campaign. It's been about four decades, I suppose, that you've been in politics and, uh, public life. Can you elaborate a little further on how you think it's changed?
It is much. Nastier. This use of the justice system to play politics is frightening. Both sides will say, the other side does it, but is pervasive. Now, early on. There was politics in the campaign and you did your back and forth, but then you went into government and there was almost a demarcation between politics and government, and now government. You got serious and you focused on policy and what was right and what was intelligent, and what was logical and responsible. That line is blurred.
This is just now all politics all the time.
Why do you, why is that? Do you think the country has changed? Do you think just the art or the culture of politics has been coarsened?
I think, well, the, the coring I think is partially social media and it's partially the culture. It's a harsher culture. Right? Maybe the venting through social media, the anonymity of social media allowed us to air thoughts that we normally wouldn't have dared to utter if we had to be identified with them. Certainly affected the political discourse back and forth, the team mentality, the uh, I'm a Democrat, you're a Republican, you are bad. I'm good. That has gotten more pervasive.
I'm not sure why, but the big difference for me is you didn't try to put people in jail because they were your political opponent. You know that the justice system had integrity. And no one dared politicize the justice system. I started as an assistant district attorney to Bob Mogen or Manhattan District Attorney, legendary Boy, that's the justice system that's out of bounds.
But then I think it started with President Trump, uh, when he was in in office, and I think he started to use the Department of Justice as a political weapon. And that just takes you to a, to a frightening level. Hmm.
Governor, I wanted to, on behalf of the Jewish community, I wanna acknowledge that throughout your entire career, you've been a fierce defender of the Jewish community and of Israel. You a good Catholic boy. Tell us why, what, what's your motivation?
Oh, well, first I, a New Yorker, largest Jewish population outside of Israel. Second. I am personally just very close to the Jewish community, friends, family. Literally two of my brothers-in-law are Jewish, so I grew up with the Jewish community and the tradition and the faith, and my father was very close to the Jewish community and the Jewish community in the past. Much more now, but they were often a community that needed assistance and needed understanding and needed protection.
Again, my father was very aggressive on behalf of Israel as governor, and I continued that traveling to Israel every time they were attacked. Right? Rockets from Hamas would fly. I would go to Israel. Why would you do that? They're under attack. That's why I went, right. That's when a friend shows up when you're under attack, always working on the relationship because you are always aware of this delicate, fragile balance we have in this country. Pluribus unum, out of many one.
You're now an American and we respect our differences. Yeah, but we're still aware of the differences. And your Jewish and antisemitism was always right under the surface. Never like this. I would've never imagined if you told me five years ago this situation was gonna develop with antisemitism, where New York City had more antisemitic incidents than any city in the country. I would say you were a paranoid delusional and you needed assistance. I did.
Everything I did, we had really one antisemitic attack where a person attacked a rabbi in Muncie, New York. The person turned out to be mentally ill, but I still passed the strongest hate crime bill in the United States funding for security around Jewish facilities. So we were always aware of the sensitivity with the Jewish community, right? Which was more so than with the Italian community and other communities. That was always in the back of my head, and it was important to remember that.
Do you think there's something unique. That goes beyond just, you know, hate of minorities or straight up hatred that we experience in society. Do you think there's something unique about antisemitism? About hatred of Jews?
I think there is rabbi and it pains me to say that, and I don't understand why, but you'd be in denial if you didn't say when you look through history, I. You see, whenever there's a tension, there's an issue. It seems like fingers get pointed to the Jews first, but I tell you, I am still shocked because I thought we were more sophisticated, we were more educated, we were more assimilated. It's impossible that there'd be this level of antisemitism now. October 7th introduces a whole new dynamic.
I get that. I really do. I understand how you can have very strong feelings on the matter. You should have strong feelings on the matter. I understand how some people don't really understand history anymore, you know? And you have a lot of young people who only know TikTok and they've been watching TikTok and they see the same image of children in Gaza combing through rock piles for something to eat. I understand all of that, but you can be pro-Palestinian and that's fine.
That's your right, but not anti-Semitic. That's a different. Stage and that's where we are.
Well, so help us understand that, because you said you were shocked by the explosion of, uh, antisemitism in the last few years. I can tell you on behalf of the Jewish community that we were stunned and in some way shaken to our core because we believed that we had come so far in American society and that. American society with all of its exceptionalism was exceptional in this respect too, that to a certain degree, it wasn't that we were not aware that there was antisemitism in the country.
Of course, we remember the. Pittsburgh massacre and and Poway. But fundamentally, we thought that these kind of explosions of antisemitism that we're seeing now were un-American. They were behind us, and they could arise in Europe and other places in the world, but not here. How do you account for this kind of eruption of antisemitism immediately after October 7th, which was the worst? Massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. So you had 1200 Jews who were massacred.
You had 250 Israelis who were taken hostage and protests erupted here in the west against Israel and eventually against the Jews. How do
you
account for that?
I can't. I can't, except to the extent that first of all, this American experiment in democracy where we say we can accept people from all over the world and forge one community, this is still a work in progress and there is still a tension, right? C happens, we have all sorts of, uh, incidents against Chinese people because it was the China virus as the president said. So it's always a fragile balance, right? We're all assimilated. We're all one. Yeah. Until we're not.
But it is different with the Jewish community, and I agree with you. October 7th, the attack is on Israel, in a sense are killed. And by the way, the. We're all experienced with terrorism and terrorist attacks and the appropriate response to terrorism. In the face of a terrorist attack. You defend yourself against this savage brutality. We've seen that in this country and around the world.
It happens to Israel, and that's the situation for, it felt like 48 hours, and then all of a sudden it flips too. Israel doesn't have a right to defend itself. I don't have an explanation. I was as shocked, and I continue to be shocked at how it has become more and more egregious. You wear the masks of Hamas during protests. What are you trying to say? You're not saying, I want peace. You're not saying, uh, Israel should stop bombing. You are wearing the mask of Hamas.
You are saying, I'm dressed like the terrorist of October 7th, who killed and raped and brutalized. That's what you're saying. You are saying, I am wearing the outfit of pure hatred. That is what I am wearing. I am pure hatred. That massacred people, and I'm emulating that. I mean, how do you explain that? How do you defend that?
Do you remember where you were when you first heard the news on October 7th, and what was your reaction?
I think mentally I tried to minimize it. At first, I remember talking to my daughter on the phone about it and because, you know, the news came out in dribs and drabs, you know, and to me it reminded me of like nine 11 and how the news came out, you know, piecemeal and, and you really didn't see the full picture for a while. But then obviously the more facts you get, the uglier it was. As I mentioned, I went to. A number of times during different attacks.
I went when they first discovered the tunnels from Gaza and Shimon Perez took us on a tour of the tunnels because he wanted to get some international press on. How adamant the Palestinians were to reach a place where they could kill Jewish people. That they built this elaborate tunnel and must have spent millions of dollars building this tunnel about a mile long.
And the resilience of the people of Israel where you could have an attack in the morning and like by the afternoon, you know, it was gone and they moved on. Was this that. Was this just another, but then obviously as the facts came in, it was more and more horrific.
Have you given thought to the nexus between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism? Do you think that anti-Zionism Israel is apartheid oppression from the river to the sea? Boycott, divestment, sanction? Do you think that is by definition antisemitism or is there some gray line between anti-Zionism and antisemitism?
I think Rabbi, in theory, you could draw a line. In theory, you could draw a line. In theory, you could say, I oppose the government's policies, but I understand that is not a reflection on the people of the country. Right. You can say, and people do say, I. Oppose, uh, Trump on immigration. I oppose Trump on tariffs, but I'm not anti-American. Uh, I'm not anti-American people, so theoretically you could do it, but I don't think that's what's happening here. I don't think there is a line.
My opponents in my mayor's race, they're all members of the Democratic Socialists of America, which are the left wing of the Democratic Party or the supporters of the DSA, which is BDS, and. You agree not to visit Israel? Well, now you're condemning the people of Israel, right? So the line, if you could have drawn a line, they haven't drawn a line. And anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism. That's where I believe we are.
You mentioned, uh, the Democratic party. Uh, I know you know this. Most American Jews, since the days of FDR at least have strongly supported the Democratic Party in every way. I must tell you, uh, even those who are still supportive of the Democratic Party, almost all of us were shocked at the progressive wing, which spilled into universities, uh, and the intellectual scene as well in its animosity towards Israel.
What's going on in the Democratic Party and can you assure, uh, American Jews that the Democratic Party that they supported since World War II is the same Democratic party?
No, I can't. I, I come from the same school. To me, being a Democrat was synonymous with supporting Israel. There wasn't even a conversation. You now have a significant movement in the Democratic Party. It is still the minority, but it is a very powerful minority that they say on paper, rabbi. I'm a democratic socialist, which by the way, I don't know how you can be a Democratic socialist 'cause that's an oxymoron, right? Just, you can't be a Democrat and a socialist.
I think it's just they're playing, uh, word games. You're a socialist. Alright, God bless you, you're a socialist and call yourself a socialist. And in their charter it says, I agree that I support BDS. I agree not to travel to Israel. And that is a significant portion of the Democratic Party and the moderates are afraid of that faction. It is the activist faction.
It is the faction that comes out in primaries and in a place like New York, Los Angeles, me, urban Centers, they are very much the governing influence. Defund the police was their position. Homeless. Mentally Ill have a civil right to be on the street. Right? Why is Los Angeles, San Francisco? Or you see the blue tarps and people living everywhere is there civil right? And BDS don't visit Israel pro-Palestinian. I think they used it as a recruiting tool.
I think they attracted a lot of young people to their movement with their anti-Israel position. I think you have a lot of young people who have no idea of history, right? There's no 19 47, 19 67 Yam kipp. None of that is just TikTok for the past year and a half, and the same image over and over, and Israel is the superpower. Poor. Gaza is the underdog and they're with the underdog. That's all they know. I think this far left has used the pro-Palestinian issue to recruit those young people.
I think it's more organized than we think. I think there's more funders in there than we think. I think there's foreign money in there, and I understand why a lot of Jewish people don't have the trust in the Democratic Party that they did, and they watched the squad in Washington. And what they said about Israel, which was vile in many ways, and the Democrats stood by silent and they felt isolated and abandoned. And I get it.
Do you think there's a risk of losing the traditional bipartisan support for Israel?
I don't think we are there yet. I think the majority of Democrats support Israel. And I think the bipartisan support will remain. But have we lost a generation of young people who I believe will carry an antipathy towards Israel for many years? Hopefully they learn something and they get past it. But yes, I think there's a whole generation out there. You try to talk to some of these kids on these college campuses. And they don't want to hear it.
They just don't want to hear history and Camp David Accords and all the attempts at peace and the fact that really Israel has never wanted anything but peace, right? They don't wanna hear it.
What should we be doing? I mean, I, I know that you've established an initiative to try and fight back. It, it, it's not an option just simply to, uh, sit back and let these developments unfold or simply talk to ourselves. What do you think we can do? And specifically, how would you be able to make a contribution within the Democratic party
first? I think we should be more aggressive. I don't think we're aggressive enough. I think after October 7th, there was a whole mobilization. There was a lot of generosity, a lot of donations. Most of that went to help people in Israel, but there wasn't enough focus on. The response in this country, there wasn't enough outrage and opposition to what was going on. And silence is acceptance in this political system. And if you are not opposing vehemently, then you are losing.
And I think we need a more aggressive, louder impact in the election that I'm in. Make these candidates who are running in a Democratic primary, how do you justify supporting BDS? Right? This is a city. You have 600,000 registered Jewish Democrats. The whole turnout in a primary is 800,000. They could decide the election. Use your voice, use your vote. Get aggressive. Passivity does not work. And I say that to synagogues and temples whenever I get a chance.
Number two, I think I can be helpful as the Shabbos goy. You know, sometimes a non-Jew can be helpful.
Listen, I know that you, just by use of that term, I know that you're a friend of the Jews.
I am, you know, I'm, I'm way out there. I'm very aggressive. I don't think there've been enough arrests of these protesters who have violated the law. I think we've been complacent and compliant, and so I would be much more aggressive.
Do you include in that, uh, you know, politics runs on financial contributions as well, do you. Do you think, you know, the Jewish communities should condition financial support on support for various policies of candidates?
Yes. Yes. If I'm a Jewish contributor, I say Israel's important to me, assuming I support Israel, and if you want my financial contribution, I wanna know that we're in the same position on the issues. Which is how the American system works, right? My issue is the environment I support environmentally, uh, conscientious candidates. That's how it works. And I think unfortunately, finance is the grease of the gears here, right? In this political machine, in this country all too often.
So, yes, uh, I think the Jewish community should be more aggressive. I think it's a time to be more aggressive, politically more outspoken. There's a congressman from New York who's a great champion for the Jewish community, Congressman Richie Torres, and at great risk to himself because when you are pro-Israel, you pay a very high price. I. Because you have that whole left against you, right? All those democratic socialists are against you, but he's a courageous politician. He believes it.
He took that position and uh, Jewish community has rallied around Congressman Torres, and I think that's the right thing.
Did it shock you? What transpired Very, very soon after October 7th on university campuses?
Yes. I. The, the vehement. The vehement. I don't know. I, I keep coming back to it, rabbi, but it's just, it's the, the masks. The masks. You know, you would get, have a great intellectual debate about a supporter's right. To be pro-Palestinian and feelings about nothing. Yahoo, and it could be a great, when you put on that mask of Hamas. There was no intellectual debate that was the mask of hate, and that just floored me. It, it
of course, is very disturbing for the Jewish community and of course, the New York Jewish community here in our backyards to witness the unfolding of events in Columbia or NYU or cuny, and I've been trying to understand. Why the universities responded the way they did for that first year or so, because in the recent months, it seems like many of them are doing a better job than they did in the first year.
And I keep on coming back to, it's one of the following possibilities or all of them together in some way. Either they are just simply incompetent or they have a subtle attraction and agreement with this identity politics philosophy that inclines more times than not to an anti-Israel, anti-Zionist type worldview. Or they calculated that it wasn't in their interests to act any differently, even though their own policies prevented.
What unfolded that is, it wasn't that they needed to create new policies, they didn't enforce the policies that they already had on campus and that they would've enforced against any other minority group who was attacked and, you know, violated in this way. What do you think, why were administrators, presidents of universities so compromised? And couldn't see the issue clearly enough for that whole entire first year.
And it was only after this kind of counter pressure began to build on them from alumni, but also from certain government agencies that eventually brought them to the place where they should have been at the very beginning.
No, that's a very good question, rabbi. I think it's, I would take E, all of the above. It's incompetence meets fear. I don't think a lot of these administrators had dealt with a situation like this, right, probably for their entire 10 year. I mean, you have to go back a ways to find these kinds of demonstrations on college campuses. So I think they were just afraid. It was a significant feeling among the student body. This was not going to be about five or 10 or 20 kids.
This was a significant percentage of the student body, and I think the hyper intellectual. Discussion was pro-Palestinian or leaning pro-Palestinian. Right. Israel? Too much. Too far. It was a disproportionate response. I think that was the leading argument and until there was counter pressure, they didn't act. And that's why I go back to, there has to be counter pressure on the college presidents. There has to be counter pressure on the Democratic electeds.
He goes, otherwise, why should I stand up and take a position on this issue? Mm-hmm. And a Democratic primary, maybe 40% will say they're Democratic socialists. Prob BDS 40% is a big number. Why should I incur that if I don't have to?
Do you think there's, uh, foreign money flowing into universities and that's making a difference in terms of their approach as well?
I do. I don't have evidence, but I believe that, and I believe that's been happening for many years and I think we didn't catch it and we didn't notice it. And the Middle East studies centers were biased. You know, when you look back now, right. BDS. That was probably 15 years ago that started. Israel is the Apartheid government Amnesty International Human Rights violations, right?
If you were elected mayor, we have these great institutions of higher learning in our city, many of which have had these kind of problems and still do. Is there something you would do specifically to make sure that Jewish students are as protected as is their right?
I would be much more aggressive in enforcing the law and then prosecuting afterwards. If the district attorneys are afraid of the politics, I would use the human rights law violations. Which aren't criminal, but they're still legal violations. I would say to the university administrators, let me take the heat. It's on private property, so you need the administrator to allow the NYPD to take action unless it's exigent circumstances. But I would say to them, I'll take the heat. I get it.
You don't want to deal with it or you don't want the conflict, uh, let me do it. I would take much more aggressive action. Mm-hmm.
Before we run out of time, and I know you've been very generous with your time, I'd, I'd like to ask you just a little bit about the state of the country. Uh, how are we doing in this country? Are you, are you worried about the state of American democracy?
I am worried about the state of American democracy. I'm worried about this. President, I know him very well. He's from New York, he's from Queens. I've known him all my life. He is, to me, wreaking havoc on democracy and he is effective at it. And the Democrats haven't really figured out how to deal with him. You know, he's moved so quickly. What did Wayne Gretzky say? Skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it's been.
It seems like the Democrats are skating to the point he was at yesterday, but today he's at a totally different place. You know, they haven't figured out how to deal with that. And it's frightening how you see major institutions cower, uh, major law firms, major schools, major companies. I think not to be frightened is unintelligent, putting people in jail, wild times out there. Rabbi,
what do you think of that? Columbia student who was, uh, arrested, it was a green card holder. In, in general, the practice of arresting, uh, people without due process.
Due process is everything. It is everything. I don't care what your position is. I don't care what your politics are. Right. That is the one rule we all have to agree to. Right. Unless, uh, we're going to really destroy each other and see the whole system melt down. That's what I was referring to earlier when I was talking about the politicalization of the justice system. Once that happens, it's over and the justice system has that one. Rule, which is due process. That's it. That's all we have.
That's the foundation.
So you think there's a real danger in enforcing the forced expulsion of migrants here? Trump himself said something like, what are we gonna give, uh, court hearings to all these many millions of illegal, uh, migrants? You, you think there's a real danger to the fabric of American democracy in this?
Look, we know they have deported people wrongfully, right? The government makes mistakes, especially when it has a political agenda that it is pursuing, right? It's not like we are pursuing, uh, anarchists, rabbi who are planting bombs in buildings here. Trump's point is, well, they're here illegally, all right? But. The response should be proportionate and basic due process doesn't mean everybody has the right to go to trial and then appellate court, but basic due process of course.
What do you think, uh, are the main issues, uh, the main challenges for New York City as you are running now for, uh, mayor of New York,
you have. A broken government in New York, it just doesn't function and the city feels out of control and chaotic public safety, mentally ill, homeless random assaults. The city is dirty. E-bikes zipping all over the place. It just feels like the place is out of control. And it's frightening for people. Number of people leaving the city is frightening for me. You have that set of operational problems, if you will.
You have this far left, which is basically anti-business because they're socialists, so they're, they do their best. They basically chase businesses out of New York. And, uh, you need business, you need jobs, you need growth, you need income. You have that set of issues overlaid with the political issue of the far left and these really destructive policies. And then you have a federal government that is antagonistic and you are going to feel it first in budget cuts.
Which will go primarily to blue states and blue cities, uh, that will happen. They'll cut Medicaid, they'll cut housing assistance. They'll cut title one funds, uh, because they'll need to fund a tax cut. He has to fund the 2017 tax cut and a new tax cut. And, uh, they're gonna find the money by attacking the blue cities and blue states and primarily funding that would go to poorer people. So that's the convergence of those two dynamics are problematic
and you feel you're, you have a plan to address these, uh, main challenges and you feel you're the best in the field that will be able to do that.
I have a plan and I think experience teaches. Rabbi. I've been a federal cabinet secretary. I was the attorney general. I've been through storms and floods and riots, and COVID. I've gone 14 rounds with Donald Trump, so I don't know that anyone can come in here in wave of a wand, but I think I'm battle tested and proven.
Do you have a final message to, we have a lot of, um. non-Jewish, uh, listeners across the country who listen to you by the way, they, they remember with great fondness, your daily briefings, uh, during the Covid Pandemic. Do you have a final message to American citizens on the eve of the New York? Primary
antisemitism is not about just about Jewish people. It is about discrimination. It is about differentiation. It is anti-American. Once you start to say, well, you are Jewish and I'm gonna judge you because of that, well then are you gonna judge me because I'm Italian or we judge a black person, judge, a Native American judge, a Chinese person that pulls at the very fabric that is America. So, uh, it's not. Just antisemitism. This is anti-American.
Second on the more granular, parochial, urban areas are in desperate condition in this country. Post covid. You don't have to be in a city anymore. Remote work zooms people moved out during covid, and you know what it was, okay. Then you have the deterioration of urban areas at the same time. Uh, they're not fun to be in. They're threatening. You're not excited to go into San Francisco or LA or Chicago or New York. That's where we are now, and it only gets worse.
You have people leaving these urban areas. Then you're gonna see it compounded when the federal government basically abandons them. And that is something, uh, that will, will hurt the country overall. You know, the urban centers are essential to this national economy.
Governor Andrew Cuomo, on behalf of the Jewish community, thank you for and your family for decades of support of the Jewish community and the state of Israel. And, uh, good luck on the upcoming campaign.
Thank you, rabbi. Thank you for having me.
I'm so pleased that Governor Cuomo reached out to me and offered to engage our synagogue and international podcast community as we are in the midst of a mayoral campaign in New York City. I welcome hearing from other candidates as well. These are opportunities to dwell on issues that are especially important to the Jewish community. To be clear. Churches, synagogues, mosques and other religious institutions are not political bodies and rabbis are not politicians.
We do not endorse political candidates. We do, however, endorse policies. Our job is to remind politicians of our moral imperatives. We see the world from our religious obligations out, not from political calculations in. We are driven not by what is popular, but by what is right. We are driven, not by the words of posters, but by the words of God. Love the foreigner, defend the orphan and the widow. Pursue peace and justice, love mercy, and walk humbly.
We have a concept in Judaism called Ha Tov, the recognition of the good gratitude for some blessing or gift or special support we have received. It is a profound Jewish value because we do not think enough about gratitude. When things are good in our lives, we often take the good times for granted. When we are in good health, we rarely think of illness.
When we are satisfied in our work and careers, we tend not to dwell on our fortune and the misfortune of others, and even more, we assume that the good times like the Mississippi River will just keep rolling along. It's not true. Everything changes. Both our personal and communal lives are precariously balanced. Most people are one major setback.
One bad decision, one skipped heartbeat away from a wholly different life and even the best, most tolerant and most advanced societies have only a top thin veneer of stability, chaos, and disorder. All of the blemishes of the human creature. Play bubbling and churning just under the surface. For this reason, Jewish sages advised, pray for the welfare of the government. For without its authority, people would swallow their neighbors alive.
Governor Cuomo and his father, Mario Cuomo before him have been uniquely supportive of the Jewish community and the Jewish state for decades. We should not take this support for granted. Contrary to what many of us assumed prior to October 7th, 2023, the virus of Jew hatred still exists. Yes, even in America, viruses cannot be eliminated. They lay dormant, preparing to attack the body and the body politic when they are weak.
The explosion of antisemitism in this country is a clear sign that our civic culture has weakened and America itself. Is at risk of severe social and political disease. It takes courage nowadays to defend Israel and the Jewish people. We are a small minority, less than 2% of Americans and 0.01% of the human population. We need friends and allies. The prisoner cannot free himself from prison, say the rabbis. The struggle against antisemitism is not for Jews alone.
The fight against racism is not for minorities alone, and the fight against economic inequality is not for the dispossessed alone. And therefore, irrespective of our political views or affiliations. It is important to me, and it is right and proper for the Jewish community to recognize and honor those who have stood by us in this respect. I wanna reiterate what I said to the governor.
The Cuomo family will be recorded in the annals of Jewish civilization as our loyal friends, and for this, we are grateful and we do not take it for granted. Until next time, this is "In These Times."