IT’S THE old story of two Jews – three opinions. Way before his election as mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdani made no effort to hide his antipathy toward Israel.
It’s doubtful that anyone expected him to march with Jewish community leaders and American Jews from all over in the annual Israel Day on Fifth (the Salute to Israel Parade) that will be held this coming Sunday, May 31.
After all, his opposition to Israel and to Zionism is well known, even though he claims to have nothing against Jews per se. Mamdani has attended other Jewish events that were not specifically Israel-oriented.
Notably, all his predecessors over the past 60 years have marched in the parade, so some members of the Jewish community believed that out of respect for differences, Mamdani would follow suit.
It seems that they were naively misguided.
Others, meanwhile, believe that the criticism to which Mamdani has been subjected may prompt him to change his mind between now and Sunday, especially following the demonstration outside Gracie Mansion on Tuesday, when protesters demanded that New York Gov. Kathy Hochul remove Mamdani from office.
It should be remembered that three of the mayors who marched in the parade – Abraham Beame, Ed Koch, and Michael Bloomberg were Jewish and pro-Israel.
One of Mamdani’s most severe critics is Rabbi Marc Schneier, who initially had a good relationship with the mayor but has turned sour on him.
In a scathing op-ed in the New York Daily News, Schneier wrote: “Stay in Gracie Mansion. We don’t want you. We are doing just fine without Mayor Mamdani.”
“We always have. We always will. The mayor was elected to lead all of us. He has decided that some of us are not worth his time. That is his right. It is also our right to remember it,” he continued.
Marchers in this year’s parade will include a Knesset delegation, families of former hostages, and Holocaust survivors. The parade will be held on the day prior to the Jerusalem Post Annual New York Conference.
Nearly all the speakers and those planning to attend will be in the Big Apple on Sunday, and some, if not all, will undoubtedly join the parade, which, inasmuch as it will be a symbol of solidarity with Israel, will also be a strong display of across-the-board Jewish unity.
Antisemitism sharply rising in Canada
THE SHARP rise in antisemitism in Canada continues to make headlines in Jewish media around the world, as well as in some major non-Jewish publications.
Someone who can shed some light on the subject is Prof. Adam Dodek of the Law Faculty at the University of Ottawa.
Dodek, who is also a distinguished fellow of the Law Faculty at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and chair of the Canadian Legal Information Institute, will deliver a lecture on “The Limits and Possibilities of Combating Hate Under Canadian Law.
The discussion will take place at the Maiersdorf Faculty Club on the Hebrew University Mount Scopus Campus on Tuesday, June 2, at 6 p.m.
Under the auspices of the Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism and the Halbert Center for Canadian Studies, the event should be of particular interest to Canadian immigrants concerned about the safety of relatives and friends in the old country.
ONE OF the worst nightmares that any foreign ambassador can have is to be misquoted. A wrongly reported word or statement can lead to a rupture in diplomatic relations.
That’s why many ambassadors who give background briefings to the media prefer off-the-record conversations.
Chinese ambassador visits The Jerusalem Post’s office
The same goes for affable Chinese ambassador Xiao Junzheng, who this week visited The Jerusalem Post’s editorial offices.
China maintains close contact with Iran, Israel, the US, and other relevant parties that have been working toward a permanent ceasefire with expectations of peace in the long run.
The ambassador arrived with two senior members of his staff, and, as the meeting was off the record, he could afford to be remarkably candid.
He did not evade answering any question, but when he felt that he was not sufficiently familiar with the subject, he referred to Mu Zhouqing, the director of the bilateral division at the embassy, who is an amazing mine of information.
One particular characteristic worth noting is that Xiao seemed to truly listen to whoever was speaking. He looked directly at that person both when listening and replying.
In an era in which people are too preoccupied with their cellphones, it’s a trait that used to be the hallmark of polite society, and one that the Chinese ambassador is obviously preserving.
Suffice to say that following the briefing, some of those present had a somewhat different perception of China than before.
MANY BUSINESS executives steer clear of doing business with relatives and friends, knowing that a misstep or misunderstanding can lead to a break in the relationship. With public relations guru Rani Rahav, it works the other way around.
Most of his 120-plus clients – nearly all leaders in their respective fields – have become close friends and are invited to events hosted by Rahav and his wife, Hila, at their gracious home in Savyon, or to one of the glittering events they organize on behalf of their diverse clients.
Rahav is known for speaking his mind, especially when one of his clients has been attacked by a public figure.
For instance, this week, he spoke up after police closed the file on singer Eyal Golan after years of Golan being questioned by investigations regarding allegations of sexual encounters with minors.
Rahav did not let the matter rest with news items alone. In his usual fashion, he took to social media and wrote a long justification of the decision.
He began by quoting Golan’s attorney, Tal Gabai, who said: “After 13 years of blood libel and lies, law enforcement officials reached the inevitable conclusion that the allegations against Eyal Golan were groundless, and closed all the files against him.”
Rahav has long been defending Golan – and not just because he’s a client – but because he said he believed him. Rahav’s close relationships are long-lasting.
He treats his large staff like extended family, and often brings them mouth-watering treats to eat in the spacious, well-stocked kitchen of his impressive suite of offices.
Some of his staff have been with him for upwards of 20 years, which is quite remarkable in an industry known for nomadic career moves. Rahav began his own PR career as spokesman for one of the hotels in the Dan chain.
He then became spokesman for the whole chain and, some 35 years ago, launched Ran Rahav Communications, with the Dan chain as his first client, which he continues to represent.
HaGal Sheli expands programs to people affected by war trauma
INITIALLY AIMED as an educational and empowerment tool for youth at risk, HaGal Sheli (My Wave) has expanded to include special programs to help people affected by war overcome trauma.
Surfing is a means of empowerment in that anyone who learns to surf and stay on a surfboard while navigating the waves usually instantly becomes more self-confident and unafraid.
A multicultural entity, HaGal Sheli has helped thousands of people of all faiths and various economic and cultural backgrounds discover previously untapped strengths within themselves.
During the Shavuot weekend, prominent figures from Israel’s hi-tech and business sectors came together at the Tower of David Museum in Jerusalem for a benefit event supporting HaGal Sheli’s trauma rehabilitation programs.
Among those attending were the event’s initiators, Idan Nurick and Ehud Schneorson of Paragon Solutions, Nir Greenberg of Natural Intelligence, Avital Dekel-Chen, the wife of the returned hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen, and other well-known personalities from the hi-tech industry, venture capital sector, and the broader Israeli economy.
In New York this coming Monday, Yaron Waksman, the co-founder of HaGal Sheli, will explain to participants at the annual Jerusalem Post conference exactly what HaGal Sheli does.
He will discuss the people it has helped, including Nova music festival survivors, returned hostages and their families, and battle-scarred soldiers, and how many thousands of people enjoy better mental health as a result.
SINCE THE departure of James Snyder, who served as executive director of the Israel Museum from 1997 to 2016, the museum has had a series of directors.
Current director Prof. Jacob “Yasha” Grobman, who has been at the helm for roughly half a year, succeeded Suzanne Landau, who was appointed in 2023.
Snyder succeeded Martin Weyl, who served as the museum’s director from 1981 to 1996. None of those who succeeded them served a double-digit term.
Grobman will, on Thursday, June 4, welcome art lovers to the inauguration of the renewed Billy Rose Art Garden and will also invite them to view the Israel Museum’s new exhibitions.
Visitors to Jerusalem will find it convenient that the Israel Museum, the Shrine of the Book, the Knesset, the National Library of Israel, the Bible Lands Museum, the Bloomfield Science Museum, the Givat Ram Campus of the Hebrew University, and the Wohl Rose Garden are all located very close to each other.
This makes for easy planning for tourists who don’t want to travel too far from one site to the next.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Jerusalem Post or its affiliates.
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