Albany, NY – Speaker Carl Heastie joined with Assemblymembers Helene E. Weinstein, Joseph R. Lentol, Nily Rozic and Sean Ryan to reaffirm the Assembly Majority’s commitment to provide funding for Holocaust survivors with critical supports and services as the Assembly observes Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

“The Assembly Majority has no tolerance for the wave of hate-based and anti-Semitic attacks that have become all too common throughout this country,” said Speaker Heastie. “I am proud of the investments we have made to provide critical resources for Holocaust survivors living in New York to ensure that they can age with dignity in their communities as we honor Holocaust Remembrance Day.”

Holocaust survivors are a vulnerable, aging population often living in poverty and in need of critical assistance and resources. The State Fiscal Year 2019-20 Budget provided $400,000 in grant funding to promote access to these services for nearly 45,000 Holocaust survivors living in New York. This funding included $50,000 each to the Council of Jewish Organizations of Flatbush, Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, Selfhelp Community Services, United Jewish Organizations of Williamsburg and Jewish Community Center of Greater Buffalo to support case management, mental health, socialization programs, transportation services and end of life care.

“In our current political and social climate, it is important now more than ever, to remember the horrors that occurred during the Holocaust and the experiences of its survivors,” said Assemblymember Weinstein. “This funding will ensure Holocaust survivors have the resources they need as they continue to remind us about the past as we look to the future.”

“As we continue to see hate grow and take root in our country it is vital that we do everything in our power to help those that have been oppressed,” said Assemblymember Lentol. “The funding provided in the budget to assist Holocaust survivors is just one way we commemorate all that they have been through as we look back in observance of Holocaust Remembrance Day.”

“This year, we commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day alongside the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz by remembering the atrocities of the past and recommitting ourselves to the promise of ‘Never Again’,” said Assemblymember Rozic. “The state funding to bolster services for Holocaust survivors is a small recognition of this promise, recognizing the horrors they lived through and the trauma carried with them to this day.”

“Holocaust survivors are vital members of our communities that teach us what can happen when we fail to confront hatred,” said Assemblymember Ryan. “I want to thank Speaker Heastie for recognizing the important programs this funding will support and am proud that Buffalo can continue to provide resources to the survivors living in our city.”