Republican gubernatorial candidate Elise Stefanik was honored Sunday night in New York City with the Zionist Organization of America’s (ZOA) Maccabee Warrior Award, recognizing her “leadership in combatting antisemitism.”
The award comes just a week after Stefanik officially launched her campaign for New York governor, setting up a high-stakes race against Democrat Kathy Hochul, whom she called “the weakest and worst governor in America.”
In her fiery acceptance speech, Stefanik invoked the Hanukkah story of the Maccabees, calling it a lesson in faith and resistance.
“The Maccabees proved that courage, faith, and conviction can defeat tyranny and darkness,” she said.
“The ZOA is an organization of modern-day Maccabees — proud, unapologetic defenders of the Jewish people and the Jewish state.”
She paid tribute to Omer Neutra and Itay Chen, New Yorkers murdered by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023, whose remains were only recently returned home.
“Because of the tireless efforts of President Trump, these hostages were returned,” she said, vowing continued prayers for those still missing.
Stefanik, who led the historic congressional hearing on antisemitism in higher education, revisited the viral moment that turned her into a national conservative star.
“I asked a simple question to the presidents of Harvard, MIT, and Penn — does calling for the genocide of Jews violate your university’s code of conduct?” she said.
“One after another said, ‘it depends on the context.’ Let me be clear — it does NOT depend on the context.”
The exchange, she said, “set off a global reckoning” and “delivered accountability in higher education that we are still just beginning.”
Introducing Stefanik, Dr. Miriam Adelson praised her as “a brave lady” with “the guts to say the truth.”
“When I heard you talking to the heads of the universities, I said to myself, ‘she has the guts to say the truth,’ ” Adelson told the crowd.
“You stood up for what you believe in, and it was fantastic. I hope to visit you in the office of New York Governor next year after the election.”
In her remarks, Stefanik connected her fight against antisemitism to what she called New York’s “crisis of values.”
“Today, New York is the epicenter of the battle for Western civilization,” she declared.
“We have a mayor[-elect, Zohran Mamdani] who sympathizes with terrorists and a governor who endorses him. Kathy Hochul has allowed antisemitism to fester, endorsed those who justify terror, and thrown New Yorkers under the bus.”
Stefanik said her campaign would focus on making New York “affordable, livable, and safe again.”
“I will end disastrous bail reform, unleash affordable housing, and restore fiscal sanity to Albany,” she promised.
“But this fight is also a moral one — and in the state with more Jews than anywhere outside Israel, I will stand up and say: Not on my watch.“
Closing her speech, Stefanik called on New Yorkers to join her cause:
“The story of the Maccabees is not ancient history. It is a call to every generation — to stand up when others shrink back, to speak truth when others stay silent, and to keep faith when the odds seem impossible.”
She ended with a rallying cry that brought the ZOA audience to its feet: “Let’s fire Kathy Hochul and save New York!”
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