Rabbi Ayelet Cohen Attends NY Governor Kathy Hochul’s Annual Hanukkah Party

NY Governor Kathy Hochul welcomed Jewish community leaders and elected officials from across New York State to the Executive Mansion in Albany on Monday, December 1, for her annual Hanukkah party.

Rabbi Ayelet Cohen, JTS’s Pearl Resnick Dean of The Rabbinical School and Dean of the Division of Religious Leadership, was among the honored guests.

Rabbi Cohen spoke at the celebration. Read her remarks:

The Jewish community is grateful to have a Governor who is deeply committed to the Jewish community, who is outspoken in word and in deed against anti-semitism and faith and identity-based hate and discrimination of all kinds. These protections are especially important in academic institutions. When students are affirmed in their identity they can engage in healthy and productive intellectual inquiry and debate. When they feel safe in their schools their minds are free to learn. Governor Hochul is committed to the safety of every child and every student in New York. 

Governor Hochul is a fierce advocate for reproductive health and freedom, another hallmark of her leadership which allows us to honor the Jewish value of k’vot habriot, caring for our bodies and our families so that we may celebrate the holiness and dignity of each person. 

New York State has a proud history of being a beacon for Jews born here and immigrating to our shores, creating art and culture, contributing to the thriving intellectual life of our institutions of higher learning, fighting for justice and dignity for workers, and living side by side with people of other religions and ethnicities. 

Hanukkah means re-dedication. We place our chanukiyot, our Hanukkah menorahs, in the window, so that the light shines inside our homes and outside. Let us be strengthened by the hope and the light of this season to rededicate our American democracy, and our commitment to the safety, the freedom, and the thriving of all who live in New York State and in our country. 

A special part of the day was spending time with Rabbi Beverly Magidson, one of the first women admitted into the Rabbinical Assembly.