Statement of Support

from the Jewish Committee of the Hamburg Coalition for Equity and Inclusion Youth Chapter

Regarding the antisemitism towards Dr. Gale Burstein, Erie County Commissioner of Health

We are sickened and saddened by the recent antisemitic hatred towards Dr. Gale Burstein, a devoted public servant and cherished member of the Western New York Jewish community. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she has stepped up without a precedent or guidebook, and done her absolute best to keep us all safe, healthy, and informed. Nevertheless, there are those in our region who feel the need to tear her down, whether online or in-person conversation; to attack her for her religion; and in doing so they perpetuate extremely harmful stereotypes of Judaism as a religion and ethnic background. We unequivocally stand against these remarks, and denounce them as well as any other attempt to discredit the amazing work done by Dr. Burstein.

We also stand behind the numerous public officials and journalists who have stood up to this antisemitism and made it clear that such remarks will not be tolerated by the community. We applaud Mark Poloncarz, Erie County Executive, for his statements of support and his commitment to fighting antisemitism. We applaud the following upstanders and beloved members of the Jewish community and/or Jewish allies who wrote about these incidents in the Buffalo News: Mara Koven-Gelman, Elizabeth Schram, Rene Petties-Jones, and Reverend Stanford Bratton. We are so grateful for the inspiring, uplifting response from people who understand our struggle against antisemitism and are willing to join that struggle and be an ally.

The HCEI Youth Chapter, and the Jewish committee as well as other committees, is a relatively new organization, based out of Hamburg High School and the Hamburg Central School District. Although we are a new presence in the world of local activism, we are determined to confront these issues that affect our community directly. We urge anyone reading this to make an effort to educate themselves on antisemitism locally, nationally, and globally, starting with reading local publications and letters from Buffalo Jewish allies. We urge everyone to stand up against hate wherever they see it, in whatever form it comes. We are here to remind the Western New York community that we have to do better. We wish a happy holiday season to Dr. Burstein and her family, and to all the upstanders who have been active in this ongoing conversation.

Sincerely,

Adam Beiter (committee chair)