NJ Assemblywoman Beth Sawyer spoke at an Israel Heritage Foundation event in New York and related a story of how her own son has personally faced antisemitic attacks. "My son lives in Beverly Hills, and he was walking down the street with a Star of David necklace when a man approached him, seized the Star of David, and spit in his face. Being across the country and having to fear for my son's safety is something no parent would want to endure," she said.
Sawyer went on to tell what she would be doing against antisemitism. "I've been appointed to the New Jersey-Israel commission by the governor. It's one of the few appointments he's approved," she explained. "I'm excited to be working hand in hand with some great business developments from Israel."
"Another thing - have any of you heard the name Esther Robb?" she asked the room. Esther, she explains, was a Holocaust survivor, who had penned a play about her experiences that her husband had been working to ensure reached schools throughout New Jersey. Sawyer tells of her own viewing of the play when it was performed in a Catholic school: "You could have heard a pin drop. There was not a dry eye in the audience. It was incredibly moving to see that these kids were responsive, and to meet Esther's son."
"The play is called Esther's Revenge and shows Esther and all of her children. We all try to teach our children that there are three things to do when you see bad things happening: participate, ignore, or resist. I intend to be the voice of resisting bad things for this state, with legislation and anything else I can do to help.