(CARLE PLACE, N.Y.) State Sen. Anna M. Kaplan on Tuesday received hate mail containing "well-known white supremacist, anti-Semitic hate speech," her office announced.
Kaplan is Jewish and a refugee from Iran who was forced to leave the country during the Islamic Revolution for fears of religious persecution, according to her online biography.
"This incident is a sad reminder that Nassau County is not immune to hatred and white supremacy, and it's our responsibility as a community to forcefully reject this evil whenever it reveals itself among us," Kaplan said in a press release. "As a former religious refugee who fled anti-Semitism in my birth country, I have seen first-hand how anti-Semitism begins to permeate a society and ultimately lead to violence against Jewish people. That experience has taught me the importance of sounding the alarm against hate at every opportunity, and I hope this incident can be a teaching moment for all of us to remember that we can never stay silent in the face of hate."
The message, written on a mailer containing COVID-19 vaccine information that Kaplan had sent out, called the senator "dumb" and "evil" and referred to her with a misogynistic slur. It also stated "109 soon 110," a phrase the Anti-Defamation League recognizes as white supremacist shorthand for supporting the idea that Jewish people should and will be expelled from the places they inhabit, such as the U.S.
Kaplan encouraged anyone with information about the incident to contact the Nassau County Police Department bias crimes coordinator, Chief James Bartscherer, at 516-573-7710.
"We all deserve to live in a community free from hatred and bias, " Kaplan said.