Elections in New York: Jews formed a group to fight criticism of Israel

Last year, left-wing efforts to boycott Israel over conflict with the Palestinians caught the attention of Harvard Crimson and Irish writer Sally Rooney. This even applies to ice cream. Ben & Jerry's refused to sell its confectionery products in the occupied territories, reports The New York Times.

This boycott also invaded New York, home to the second largest Jewish community in the world. Here the boycott, expropriation and sanctions movement received the support of the local branch of the Democratic Socialists of America.

But now a new group, backed by a billionaire hedge fund manager, is trying to counter the movement. They are building a political action network to support candidates for state legislatures and local governments that support Israel.

The New York Solidarity Network will act like the local American Israel Public Affairs Committee, commonly known as Aipac.

Like Aipac, the New York network is set up as an affiliate organization whose leaders will encourage donors to donate to candidates they consider pro-Israel. The organization is called upon to oppose candidates associated with initiatives such as the boycott, alienation and sanctions movement to end the Israeli apartheid regime.

Corey Johnson, former city council speaker, has been hired as a consultant. The board also has the backing of Daniel S. Loeb, a billionaire hedge fund manager, according to three people familiar with the organization. However, Loeb himself declined to comment.
The creation of the network highlights a growing rift between the Democratic Party's left wing and the party's more traditional, centrist wing, which has long considered Israel's support to be an unshakable element of foreign policy. It also points to the growing role that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is playing in state and local elections in the United States.

On the subject: Anti-Semitism Incidents Reach All-Time High in New York and New Jersey

The group charges $1000 for individual membership and asks members to contribute at least $5000 towards a list of candidates, goals, and projects that match the mission.

Its structure allows members to remain anonymous. The group joins a growing number of well-funded organizations seeking to sway the New York State Legislature towards more centrist policies.

The New York Solidarity Network held a kick-off cocktail party in March at its chairman Gary Ginsberg's mansion in Greenwich Village. There, according to eyewitnesses, Richie Torres, Congressman from the Bronx, as well as Mr. Johnson, the former speaker of the city council, spoke. Both declined to comment on the story.

The group positions itself as a clear opponent not only to the BDS movement, but also to the Democratic Socialists of America

Jeremy Cohen, co-chair of the New York DSA, took the group's creation as a sign of the strength of his own movement. The issue of Israel, its right to exist, and its relationship to the Palestinians has been seeping through public policy for years.

In 2016, Andrew M. Cuomo, then Governor of New York, signed an executive order barring the state from doing business with companies associated with the BDS movement. The executive order was renewed by his successor, Kathy Hokul, and remains in effect.

In 2020, the DSA caused a local uproar when it asked city council candidates seeking its approval to promise not to travel to Israel if elected to the city council in solidarity with Palestinians living under occupation.

“We know there is a long tradition of boycotts and sanctions against persecution regimes,” Mr. Cohen said last week. “The US is imposing sanctions on Russia right now for the crimes it is committing. Therefore, we believe that this is a perfectly legitimate and important tool to put pressure on the Israeli state in order to change its political behavior.”

The Jewish community, of course, is not monolithic. Jeremy Ben-Ami, president of J Street, described it as a perpetually arguing people.

“You put three Jews in a room and you get four or five organizations because none of them can get along,” said Liz Kruger, the Jewish state senator from Manhattan.

But Jessica Haller, a former Bronx city council candidate, joined the New York Solidarity Network because she felt ostracized from progressive circles. She argued that it was critical for activists like her to provide space for progressive supporters of Israel.