MOCA Director Wisdom: office growth and interagency task force
Wisdom explains that MOCA was a six-month-old office with a single employee when the Mamdani administration entered. She has revitalized the interagency task force on antisemitism, meeting individually with nearly every member agency, and maintains strong communication with NYPD, OPHC, CCHR, and other partners.
When this administration entered City Hall, the Mayor's Office to Combat Antisemitism was a six-month-old office consisting of a single employee.
The work was not yet designed to stand the test of time beyond any one administration.
The mayor and our team have set out to remedy that.
I'm joined in this work by Deputy Director Josh Benjamin, and we are in the midst of growing our staff to at least one or two others.
This office will be equipped to advance meaningful and proactive policy, programming, and messaging.
With a goal to stand the test of time.
We've revitalized this office's interagency work, meeting individually with nearly every single member of the interagency task force to combat anti-Semitism, while also convening an initial group meeting to discuss how anti-Semitism arises in the contexts of various agencies.
Previously, this task force had a single meeting,
and members are enthusiastic about working together in pursuit of our shared goals.
We maintain strong, consistent, open lines of communication with NYPD, OPHC, CCHR, and Office of Mass Engagement and other relevant agencies.
We've also served as a facilitator for conversations on these issues with a variety of agencies.
Our office has developed and retained close relationships with clergy, organizations, and other community leaders.
to understand how anti-Semitism impacts their day-to-day work and the New Yorkers they serve.
Moreover, our office, along with the Office of Mass Engagement, plays a critical role in constituent services, ensuring that Jewish communities around New York City are able to access functions of government, while also ensuring cultural competency across agencies.
Our office seeks to combat anti-Semitism with a robust, whole-of-government approach, with education on the front end and enforcement on the back end.