Calls continue for Jim Wise, right, with State Senator Pete Harckham, to resign
Harckham Has Not Condemned “From the River to the Sea” Comment or Withdraw Honor
Carmel Teachers Union Rescinds Endorsement of Wise
By Dan Murphy
Last week, our story titled Harckham Honors School Board Members Who Loves to Say “From the River to the Sea” received many responses. Most of those responses were to condemn Carmel School Board member Jim Wise for his repeated use of the phrase “From the River to the Sea,” and his refusal to acknowledge the overwhelming belief that the phrase is antiemetic. “Usage of this phrase has the effect of making members of the Jewish and pro-Israel community feel unsafe and ostracized,” stated ADL.
The Carmel School Board voted to condemn Wise’s statements. School Board President Melissa Orser read most of the resolution to the public. “The Carmel School District must be at the forefront of teaching tolerance, understanding and the accurate history that dispels misinformation” ….Mr. Wise’s use of ‘from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,’ has resulted in a rallying cry for the destruction of Israel and the Jewish people. This is not acceptable. It is crucial to distinguish between political discourse and anti-Semitism. As leaders we have the profound responsibility to understand between free speech and speech that targets groups of people.
3,000 local residents have signed a petition calling for Wise’s removal, and that petition has been submitted to NYS Education Commissioner Betty Rosa.
Our story also focused on the fact that State Senator Pete Harckham honored Wise and Abi Lyons for their work in the LGBTQ community.
Many residents in Harckham’s 40th District have questioned his decision to honor Wise and wondered if the Senator should withdraw the recognition for Wise, or at the least, condemn his antisemitic comments.
Harckham has done neither, only issuing a statement that reads. “Pete Harckham, the three-term New York State Senator running for re-election in the 40th Senate District, issued the following statement today in response to a news article in the Yonkers Times in which his opponent, Gina Arena, criticized him for having presented awards to two individuals for their contributions to LGBTQ+ youth, who were later involved in a pro-Palestine demonstration:
“I have always condemned any form or expression of anti-Semitism—and I always will. If someone I have recognized publicly for a positive contribution to the community later makes wrongful comments, it is both unacceptable and unforeseen.
“My supporters in the Jewish community know that I stood with them after the October 7 terrorist attacks—and still stand with them today. My opponent’s baseless insinuation that I am anti-Israel is just hollow rhetoric, especially considering her noteworthy absence at all the events with the Jewish community that I attended following the Oct. 7 attacks.
“Meanwhile, I am proud to have led four community forums on hate speech during my time in office, knowing that our communities are stronger when we face this issue together.” Stated Harckham.
One sentence in Harckham’s statement vaguely addresses the Wise controversy. “If someone I have recognized publicly for a positive contribution to the community later makes wrongful comments, it is both unacceptable and unforeseen.”
We do not know from this sentence if Harkcham believes that Wise has made wrongful comments and does not address the one phrase that has Jewish residents in the district, and supporters of Israel, outraged- From the River to the Sea.
Nor does Harckham rescind his award to Wise or call for him to resign from the school board.
Assemblyman Anil Beephan (Dutchess County) was the first elected official to call for Wise to resign.
“Your remarks at school board meetings and rallies have been widely perceived as anti-Semitic, conflicting with the views and values of many residents you represent. Bringing up the actions taken in Israel and ongoing conflicts at school board meetings is both intentionally divisive and irrelevant to the duties of your elected office…
Moreover, the slogan ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine shall be free,’ which you have repeatedly used, is inflammatory and discriminatory. Such rhetoric is incompatible with the principles our community upholds and falls short of the standards we expect from our elected officials…Given these circumstances, I urge you to resign from your position on the Carmel Central School District Board,” wrote Beephan to Wise.
Next came a statement from the Carmel Teachers Association, “We wholeheartedly stand with the Superintendent and the Board. The CTA condemns the acts of antisemitism by Jim Wise at the July Board of Education meeting. These acts of hate go against everything we stand for as a community, so at this time we rescind our endorsement of Jim Wise. We will continue to offer a welcoming environment for all students.
Next came a statement from Congressman Mike Lawler, Assemblyman Matt Slater and State Senator Rob Rolison, urging NYS Dept. of Education Commissioner Rosa to remove Wise.
“There must be zero tolerance for antisemitism,” said Congressman Lawler. “Carmel Trustee Jim Wise has broken the public trust by repeating the disgusting antisemitic lies of Hamas apologists. Conduct such as his is unbecoming of an elected official anywhere, especially here in the Hudson Valley, home to one of the largest Jewish populations in our country. Jim Wise should resign in disgrace and be removed from office if he refuses to do so. That is why I have joined Senator Rolison and Assemblymen Slater and Beephan in asking Commissioner Rosa to remove him from office at once.”
The Letter to Commissioner Rosa from the three states, “For any elected official, let alone a sitting School Board member who is tasked with helping create a welcoming educational environment for students, to use and defend this blatant antisemitic slogan is appalling,” continue the lawmakers. “It must be condemned in the strongest possible terms, and those who engage in this antisemitic behavior must be held accountable.”
“In Congress, the House passed a resolution condemning ‘From the River to the Sea,’ but now it is your turn, Commissioner Rosa, to show that this antisemitic phrase has no place in New York,” the lawmakers wrote.
Slater said, “It is unacceptable for someone in a leadership position to create a hurtful and divisive environment. I stand as a representative of this community and join my fellow colleagues and the rest of the residents in Carme, in requesting that not only antisemitism be addressed but to remove Trustee Wise from office.”
John Isaac, the republican candidate for Assembly in the 90th district, Yonkers, said, “I don’t know what Senator Harckham was thinking when he chose to award the leaders of an anti-Israel organization. The fact that one honoree is a school board trustee who chants antisemitic slogans makes this even more egregious and offensive to the thousands of our Jewish sisters and brothers in Yonkers and beyond. Assemblyman Nader Sayegh must immediately call upon his colleague Senator Harckham to apologize for his awful lapse in judgment,” said Isaac.
At this point no democratic elected official has condemned Wise’s comments, but there are certainly members of the Carmel School Board and the Carmel Teachers Association who are democrats.
Wise and Lyons were front and center for a stop “genocide in the Middle East” rally organized by Putnam for Palestine, which resulted in the Carmel Police intervening.
Putnam Pride, the organization that Wise’s and Lyons’ work were honored by Harckham for, sent a letter to our publication, which we print below.
Dear Editor:
Your recent article about Senator Pete Harckham’s honoring of Jim Wise was factually inaccurate and very unprofessionally written, and seemingly picked up from social media without so much as a call for opposing perspectives. The underlying social media posts on which the article is based are a purely political strategy meant to silence marginalized communities in Putnam County.
Senator Harckham awarded Jim Wise and Abi Jasmin with commendations for their LGBTQ+ advocacy at Putnam Pride 2024, which was held on June 1. Jim introduced and worked to pass the CCSD’s first Gender Identity Policy, among other pro-LGBTQ+ actions over the years, and Abi has fiercely defended LGBTQ students and denounced homophobic and transphobic rhetoric in the district and broader community as founder of CAFE and has been a partner and supporter of Putnam Pride. Thanks to their efforts, DEI policies and discussions have been implemented and the concerns of parents who previously felt deeply unheard have been vocalized. Putnam Pride was thrilled to provide a platform for these two advocates to be awarded for their work in the community, and fiercely defends their right to participate in the peaceful protest at the root of the present complaints nearly one month later, on June 22.
I attended the protest in question and saw firsthand that the only people exhibiting bigoted or discriminatory behavior that day were the “pro-Israel” counter-protesters who repeatedly attempted to incite a physical fight and obnoxiously invaded the protesters’ space. Those pushing this fake news story – with the support of Carmel BOE president Melissa Orser – are the same bigots who have called Abi, Jim, myself and others “groomers” and pedophiles for years. They have decided now that pretending they care about the Jewish community is useful for their political narrative despite the fact these same individuals have for years parroted numerous antisemitic, homophobic and transphobic talking points.
Abi and Jim have worked exhaustively over the last few years to represent communities in the Carmel Central School District and beyond who previously have not had support at the community or BOE level. Your article is badly written and teeming with lies pulled from social media and accepted as truth, such as that the Carmel police stopped the confrontation at the protest; neither the Carmel police nor the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department did anything to stop counter protesters from bullying the protesters. They in fact sanctioned aggression by standing on the sidelines watching as pro-Israel protesters infiltrated the space and became belligerent without separating the two groups or taking any kind of action to avoid conflict until the final minutes.
We in Putnam will not allow the biggest bigots in this county – the same people who have terrorized pro-DEI teachers and staff with false and defamatory accusations over the last several years – to spread these kinds of lies about two of the *very few* people actively and vocally advocating for change in our community. Jim is the only Board member who keeps the concerns of Black and Brown and LGBTQ+ groups front and center. He is also Jewish, which makes the accusations against him even more ridiculous.
Again, this is merely a blatant attempt to silence some of the only advocates marginalized people here have, and politicians, school administrators, the Carmel Teachers Association and the BOE have fallen for it hook, line and sinker,” Eileen McDermott (she/her) Putnam Pride.
Other residents in Harckham’s 40th District agree with the School Board and the Teachers Association in condemning Wise and calling for his removal.
“I am writing to express my concerns regarding your recent press release about honoring Jim Wise and Abi Lyons. I must ask: why do you continue to stand by their reward when their behavior has been questionable and disruptive? It is disheartening to witness leaders, whom we expect to unite our community, endorsing individuals who have consistently exhibited vile hatred.
Were you aware, as all of us in Carmel were, of the actions and comments of Wise and Lyons? Their past actions and behaviors are not hidden; they have been a source of division and conflict within our community.
Your inaction regarding Jim Wise’s position as a trustee on the Carmel School Board raises further questions. It appears that you are sanctioning behavior that contradicts the very principles of respect and unity we strive for in our community. This situation is not only disappointing, but it is also a stark reminder that words without actions mean little,” writes Kim Zamparelli, a Carmel resident.
“Jewish voters in the 40th Senate District are outraged that Senator Harckham would even be standing with these anti-Israel radicals, much less giving them awards,” said Westchester County resident Stacy Halper. “Israel is under existential threat, and our own state senator is promoting individuals who want the State of Israel extinguished. It’s a real wakeup call for us.”
Harckham’s opponent in November, Gina Arena, has called for Wise to be removed. “Senator Harckham can’t have it both ways: He can either condone or condemn Mr. Wise’s anti-Israel activism. By giving Mr. Wise a state award, he has effectively condoned it, but there’s still time for Mr. Harckham to make things right. He must condemn Mr. Wise and distance himself from the Putnam for Palestine organization,” said Arena.
Wise continued to double down on his comments and beliefs. “I think it shows a degree of cowardice by the board to pass a resolution without stating the words which are alleged to be anti-Semitic,” Wise said, after being admonished by his colleagues.
