NEW PALTZ – Deputy New Paltz Mayor Alexandria Wojcik stands accused of social media posts that encourage “violent uprisings against Jews and Jewish institutions in Israel and elsewhere,” according to a statement from an Ulster County Jewish group. The posts, according to Rabbi Adam Cerino-Jones, have been taken down or replaced but his concerns about the anti-Semitism displayed by Wojcik remain.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Jewish Congregation of New Paltz, saying in part, that Wojcik shared posts on social media that use the phrase “geopolitical interests of Zionism,” which, according to the congregation, “alludes to baseless conspiracy theories rooted in centuries-old anti-Semitic tropes.” The rabbi said, “These kinds of ideas have no foundation in reality and are used to scapegoat and discriminate against Jewish people.”
The congregation also stated that Wojcik repeatedly use the word “intifada” which is a cause for concern. Intifada, according to the Jewish group, is a call to arms seeking an uprising against Jews. “Her language unnecessarily raises the temperature in our community, endangering Jews in the New Paltz area and putting our synagogue at risk,” the statement said. “In other words: her language makes our families less safe.”
Wojcik has also taken aim at the various police agencies that were called in to restore order on the SUNY New Paltz campus before graduation. Of the 132 people arrested on various charges,74 were enrolled students, two were employees, 10 were alumni, one was a former employee, and 45 people had no association with the college. On her Facebook page, a post about the arrests said in part, “Students, faculty, and community members, all of whom were peacefully demonstrating, were brutally assaulted by law enforcement armed to the teeth in riot gear,” and called the arrival of police an “unconscionable raid.” The protesters were claiming that Israel was senselessly killing Palestinians in Gaza while failing to recognize that terrorists from Palestine had initiated the attacks on their Israeli neighbors.
**UPDATE
Deputy Mayor Wojcik responded to Mid Hudson News on Thursday, and addressed the statement by the Jewish Congregation of New Paltz was the beginning of a conversation between her and the congregation, and she is hopeful that it will be.
Addressing the tone of her posts that offended Rabbi Cerino-Jones and the congregation, Wojcik said “It is unacceptable for any New Paltzian, for anyone, to feel unsafe. My entire life I’ve strived daily to be always anti-antisemitic, anti-racist, anti-hate, anti-bigotry, in all that I do. I am sorry to learn that, unfortunately, some of my work has not landed the way I had intended. I sincerely appreciate JCNP for letting me know that is the case.”
