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WAR-TIME TOUR: Thirteen New York City politicians are in Israel this week for an all-expenses paid solidarity tour hosted by the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York.
The attendees are Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine; Queens Borough President Donovan Richards; state Sens. Brad Hoylman-Sigal and John Liu; Assemblymembers Ed Braunstein, Grace Lee, Stacey Pheffer-Amato, Linda Rosenthal, Amanda Septimo and Tony Simone; and City Councilmembers Erik Bottcher, Gale Brewer and Marjorie Velázquez.
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The trip drew criticism. JCRC trips are meant to give legislators positive feelings about the “explicitly racist government” of Israel, said Sophie Ellman-Golan, a spokesperson for the progressive group Jews For Racial & Economic Justice. “We appreciate that elected officials want to be in solidarity with Jews, but if they’re not going to extend that solidarity to Muslims and Palestinians, then that solidarity is actually extremely divisive, and not what New Yorkers need right now.”
JCRC is also hosting a concurrent trip for 14 New York faith leaders including Bishop Mitchell Taylor and Rev. Al Cockfield, both Adams’ allies. – Jeff Coltin