For more than two decades, Rob Rolison, a Republican state senator who represents New York’s 39th District in the Hudson Valley, has focused on fighting crime across the state. Now, the retired police officer and ranking member of the state Senate’s crime victims, crime and correction committee says that he intends to devote greater attention to fighting Jew-hatred.

On Feb. 5, Rob Ortt, the minority leader of the state Senate, announced that Rolison had joined the Senate Republican Conference’s Antisemitism Working Group. Rolison told JNS that it was his idea to join the panel. [...]

“When people are targeted and threatened because of their faith, that’s unacceptable,” he told JNS. “This type of threat needs to be looked at closely by people who want to make it better, hold people accountable, and speak out so other levels of government understand this is real and people need to be heard.” [...]

“It settles from the public eye, but that doesn’t mean it’s gone away,” Rolison told JNS. “Our responsibility isn’t just to be reactive. We should have things in place legally, and also as citizens, so we’re not waiting for something bad to happen and then trying to make it not happen again.” [...]

“I personally deeply care about all of you, many people I’ve never met, and I take the responsibility of being an elected official very seriously,” he said, of the Jewish community. “I’m honored and fortunate that the leader put me on this group to be another representative for you.”