NY’s political hearts beat for Israel

New York’s top elected officials visited Israel last week to stand in solidarity with the Jewish state in its conflict with Hamas.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo was accompanied by Senate Majority Co-Leaders Dean Skelos and Jeffery Klein and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver on the 26-hour trip that was paid for with campaign funds, not taxpayer money. The leaders flew commercially, on El Al.

“I was absolutely overwhelmed when we got on the plane by the amount of support, and the people that were traveling to Israel that were aware of our mission,” Skelos, who represents the South Shore, told the Herald Newspapers on his return. “A number of my constituents were on the plane.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu briefed the group on the attacks by Hamas and Israel’s response. “It was going great, then he said, ‘I have to leave now because I have a phone call coming in with President Obama in 14 minutes,’” Skelos recounted.

New York has a population of 1.7 million Jews — the largest population outside Israel. On the trip, Skelos said, he met many people from New York who were supportive of the legislative leaders, and even ran into a few people from his district.

The group had lunch in Jerusalem at a New York-style pizzeria called Big Apple Pizza, where they dined with some fellow New Yorkers.

“One of the boys that was at the table with us, he was from West Hempstead, and he was studying Hebrew there for two months,” Skelos said. “A lot of New Yorkers and Long Islanders were there on vacation or visiting family while we were there.”

The visitors were taken out into the countryside to see one of the installations of Israel’s Iron Dome, the missile defense system with which the Israeli Defense Forces have shot down incoming Hamas rockets, that can reach most of the country from launching points in Gaza.