My Trip To Israel. An Eye-Opening Experience

In mid-July, I visited Israel as part of a group that included former Governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas and Nick Langworthy, the newly elected Chairman of the New York State Republican Party. The trip was hosted by the National Council of Young Israel and was intended to raise awareness of Israel and the challenges it faces as the Middle East’s only true Democracy.

Being my first visit to Israel, it truly was an eye-opener; it gave me a new perspective on the news stories that we read and see every day regarding Israel and the tensions in the Middle East. It allowed me to have a first-hand look at the faith of the Jewish people, the closeness and ruthlessness of their enemies and the problems faced by Israel’s government and military as they tirelessly work to protect its citizens.

During my three day stay, I visited numerous locations, including: the new US Embassy in Jerusalem, Hebron, Bethlehem and the West Bank, the Gaza border, the Western Wall and the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial.
Without a doubt, my visit to Yad Vashem and my opportunity to pray at the Western Wall were the most moving parts of my trip.

Yad Vashem gave me a new understanding of the unbelievable suffering of the Jewish people at the hands of the Nazi’s and underscores the faith and determination of those who escaped the “final solution” and went on to build the democracy we all know as Israel. It brought new meaning to the word’s “never again” and left a permanent mark on my conscience that we, as Americans, must be at the forefront of the fight against anti-Semitism and any other form of religious discrimination or hate. I also heard the concerns of average Israelis who worry that the US relationship with Israel is fracturing after hearing the anti-Jewish and anti-Israel rhetoric of a handful of Democrats in the US Congress.

Praying at the Western Wall made me contemplate the historic context of the Jewish religion, what Jerusalem means to all people of faith, the huge responsibility Israel has and the example it sets by preserving the rights of Jews, Christians and Muslims to peacefully practice their faiths within yards of one another.

Just as Israel protects the rights of others to freely practice their religion, the United States must continue supporting Israel’s G-d given right to exist and flourish while surrounded by forces that continually plot its downfall. The US must have the courage and fortitude to stand with the people and the government of Israel as they face-down the threats of Iran and its terrorist surrogates. We as a nation must never relinquish the responsibility of speaking out against anti-Semitism in all its forms; whether it’s on the streets of a European capital or in the halls of the US Capitol.

We’ve all heard how, in the first 5½ months of this year, anti-Semitic hate crimes rose by a shocking 82% in New York City. We’ve witnessed how the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS) is aimed at destabilizing Israel, or we’ve heard the words of anti-Israeli elected officials on the floor of Congress. One thing is clear; anti-Semitism is on the rise and as freedom loving Americans we must stand tall, shoulder-to-shoulder with our Jewish friends and neighbors here in the US and with the State of Israel on the international stage.

No sooner had the wheels of my plane touched down on the tarmac at JFK than I was once again reading news stories about a resolution in Congress, sponsored by Rep. Ilhan Omar that defends the BDS movement and likens it to boycotts of Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union. The cynical words of the resolution make it all too clear where Rep. Omar and her radical-left comrades in Congress stand on the future of Israel and the Jewish people.

When Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez naively and maliciously called centers for illegal immigrants detained by the US Government, “concentration camps” we all gasped. It became obvious that she has no understanding of history, the Holocaust or the truly evil actions of the Nazis. Most importantly, she doesn’t recognize one simple truth, Americans don’t build concentration camps; we liberate them.

The leadership of Yad Vashem has invited AOC to visit. I hope she takes them up on the offer, because after spending a few hours there, she might decide to choose her words more carefully.

As shocking as their words are, the silence from other elected officials, especially the Democrat leadership in Congress, is far more worrisome; don’t they have the courage and decency to condemn their colleagues’ hateful words and actions?

During my five terms in the New York State Assembly, I have always fought hard for the Jewish community and its needs. My first trip to Israel (and I hope there are many more) has hardened my resolve and reaffirmed my belief that the US must never waiver in its support of Israel and its people. If, G-d willing, I am elected to Congress, you have my assurances that I won’t back-down in my support of Israel and the fight to stop anti-Semitism wherever it might emerge.