NEW YORK CITY NEW YORK: Victoria Ruiz, a public defender in New York City, was recorded removing a poster displaying a kidnapped victim of Hamas' violent assault on October 7.
Despite the incident being captured on camera, the New York County Defender Services opted to retain her in her position following an internal review.
Was internal reviewers soft on Victoria Ruiz?
Many are scrutinizing the actions of individuals like Ruiz and questioning why they don't create their own posters.
The spokesperson for New York County Defender Services, Lupe Todd-Medina said, “It has come to our attention that one of our attorneys, Victoria Ruiz, recently attended a public vigil solely in her capacity as a private citizen.”
“Some of her actions at the event have drawn sharp criticism and we strongly condemn them as highly insensitive,” Medina added.
But following an internal investigation into the incident, NYCDS accepted Ruiz’s apology and her promise to “do better.”
“Ms. Ruiz has apologized to those who were hurt or confused by her actions. After an internal review, and a pledge by all involved to do better, we accept this apology and now refocus on the vigorous pursuit of our mission: achieving justice and dignity for every individual we represent,” Todd-Medina said.
Meanwhile, a member of the New York Board of Rabbis expressed his displeasure at the decision.
“I don’t understand why we allow people to get away with it so easily without holding them accountable. The punishment should be a lot greater than, ‘I’m sorry,'” Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, executive VP of the board, told The New York Post.
“In the Jewish tradition, you have to show you’re sorry, not just say you’re sorry.”
New York Rabbi reacted to Ruiz's apology
Rabbi Potasnik then suggested: “We have the list of the families of all the hostages. She should start apologizing to the families.”
Bronx Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz commented on Ruiz's internal review and said she only apologized because there’s evidence against her.
“It’s disgusting,” said Dinowitz, a Democrat representative of the dense Jewish neighborhood of Riverdale.
“She should be required to go to diversity training for anti-semitism. These are people we are entrusting with our tax dollars to represent indigent defendants. Clearly, there’s something wrong.”
Moreover, the president of New York University’s Student Bar Association who said Israel ‘bears full responsibility’ for the invasion was recently seen defacing posters of Hamas hostages in a video.
