In an emergency meeting, Gov. Greg Abbott asked the Texas Holocaust, Genocide, and Antisemitism Advisory Commission to prepare a report about how Texas can best assist its Jewish citizens during a time of rising concern about violence.
The Texas Holocaust, Genocide, and Antisemitism Advisory Commission (THGAAC) exists “to combat and confront hatred, prejudice, and indifference by educating all Texans about the Holocaust and other genocides in an effort to dismantle antisemitism and prevent such future atrocities.”
In a statement received by The Dallas Express, Gov. Abbott informed the group, “There is a new urgency to what your duties are as members of the Texas Holocaust, Genocide, and Antisemitism Advisory Commission.”
“We face the devastating consequences of the Israel-Hamas conflict, and we are confronting massive and rapidly expanding antisemitism across the globe. These acts of hate and genocide must end,” he added. “A core mission of the Commission is to combat antisemitism and share expertise and effective strategies to address accelerating antisemitism in the state of Texas.”
“Let me be clear: Texas stands with Israel, Israel’s right to defend itself, and with our Jewish neighbors here in Texas,” he concluded.
Members who attended the emergency meeting included Chairman Kenny Goldberg and Consul General of Israel to the Southwest Livia Link-Raviv.
In the immediate aftermath of Hamas’ terrorist attacks against Israel, which targeted civilians, the THGAAC explained that it “was created to fight the type of antisemitism and hate that we saw on brutal display in Israel this week.”
“We join Gov. Greg Abbott and the entire state of Texas in strongly condemning Hamas’s savage attacks on Israeli civilians, which tragically evoked memories of the Holocaust for many Jewish communities,” the group added. “We stand ready to support our fellow Texans if the attacks on Jewish people and communities continue to spread.”
As reported by The Dallas Express, Gov. Abbott has strongly condemned the terrorist attacks and made additional resources available to ensure that Jewish communities in Texas are protected against any domestic threats.
Anti-Israel protesters in Dallas and across the state have called for the destruction of the Jewish state, urging for Palestinian rule from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean. In one such gathering, people waving Palestinian flags gathered around the corner from the Dallas Holocaust Museum and urged that the “one solution” was an “intifada revolution.”
Similarly, another rally alleged that the Dallas media, city council, and mayor were responsible for “genocide” and told the public officials, “You can’t hide,” as reported by The Dallas Express.
Local college campuses have also seen displays of pro-Palestine messaging that could be construed as antisemitic, such as on the University of Texas at Dallas campus, where rocks were painted with the phrase, “Zionism = Nazism.”