Grossman: Suffolk Comptroller Race Begins. Schiffman: Israel s Defense Doctrine. Page 25. Page 4. Vol. 47 #20 June 1-7, Sivan, 5778

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1 Schiffman: Israel s Defense Doctrine Grossman: Suffolk Comptroller Race Begins Page 4 Page 25 Vol. 47 #20 June 1-7, Sivan, 5778 One Dollar Two Dollars Outside of Metropolitan N.Y.C.

2 JCRC Annual Gala Honors Leaders Governor Andrew Cuomo and Taylor Force s father Stuart receive awards This is the first installment of our two-part coverage of the JCRC gala. The JCRC is the sponsor of the Israel Day Parade on June 3. Below are edited versions of the speeches honoring award recipients Andrew Cuomo and Stuart Force. The Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (JCRC-NY) recently honored those who have demonstrated commitment, dedication, INTRODUCTION and leadership to protect and enhance the quality of life of New Yorkers, both Jewish and non- Jewish. At the annual JCRC gala, which took place May 9 at The Pierre in Manhattan, the organization s president and award recipients, including Governor Andrew Cuomo who received the Defender of Israel award spoke about their work. Introductory remarks were given by Ambassador Dani Dayan, Counsul General of Israel in New York, and Eric Goldstein, CEO of the UJA-Federation. Dayan spoke of seeing Cuomo s love for Israel on a visit there years earlier, as well as the impact a recent trip to Israel had on New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson. Goldstein congratulated the evening s honorees and saluted the extraordinary work of the JCRC in bringing together Jews and non- Jews. The JCRC gave a special award for continuing strength to Stuart Force, father of the late Taylor Force. Taylor, a West Point graduate, was stabbed to death by a Palestinian terrorist when he visited Israel in 2016 as an MBA student. Since then, Taylor s family with the help of several legislators nationwide has successfully lobbied for a new law, the Taylor Force Act, to help stamp out the repugnant Palestinian pay for slay policy, which financially rewards the very people who carry out terrorist acts. Charles S. Temel, President, JCRC We have a very special guest this evening, a true national leader who has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to the safety, security and prosperity to the people of New York and of the State of Israel: Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. Four words come to mind when speaking about Andrew Cuomo; empathy, courage, effective, leader. Learning from his late father, Governor Mario Cuomo, and his mother, Matilda, Andrew learned empathy for those who are less fortunate, for those who are excluded, and for those at risk in our community. I have always been touched by the story of Mario Cuomo's kindness, and how he would go to New York and Israel are political bodies that share the same DNA. And for that reason we've always shared a special relationship. Governor Andrew Cuomo (center) receives the Defender of Israel award from JCRC executive vice president and CEO Michael S. Miller and JCRC president Charles S. Temel. his neighbors home, observant Jews, to turn on the lights on Shabbat. Courage! During the Gaza war when the missiles were still flying into Tel Aviv, Andrew Cuomo made a visit to the front lines to show his support for Israel. He is the first U.S. governor to sign an executive order directing New York State entities to divest all public funds supporting the BDS movement against Israel; we all remember his eloquent statement in Jerusalem in March 2014 when he said, Hineni, I am here. I have been here before. I will be here again. Our relationship is enduring. The relationship between the Jewish community and the people of the State of New York is built on mutual support and respect. It is built on love, and that will not change. You have my word on that as a representative of the people of the State of New York. Effective. You cannot but marvel at all that is being accomplished in the state of New York. It is thriving. And what had been only talked about for years is actually being done today. Just look at the new Kosciuszko Bridge, the Mario Cuomo Bridge replacing the old Tappan Zee, and the new LaGuardia Airport, to name a few. Leader, empathy, courage, and effectiveness are the traits of a great leader. We are fortunate to have one in the name of Andrew Cuomo. As the representative organization of the Jewish people in the New York metropolitan area, it is our honor to present you, Governor Cuomo, with the Defender of Israel Award. Ladies and gentleman, please welcome our friend, the 56th governor of the state of New York: Andrew M. Cuomo. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Defender of Israel Award recipient Well thank you very much. Good evening to all of you. It is a good evening, isn't it? First to Charlie Temel, who just does a Photos: Michael Priest Photography great, great job representing JCRC. Let's give him a big round of applause. Michael Miller, who's my hero, who always shows up, always working, always advocating. We have Counsul General Dani Dayan, who is in many ways the personality of Israel. Good to be with you. We have the Comptroller of the State of New York. He's very important because he has to certify that our books are in order: Tom DiNapoli. We have our great new young Speaker Corey Johnson and we're very hopeful for his leadership. We have Bill Weir, who told you he's from CNN. It's a special pleasure to be with Mr. Stuart Force, whom you are continued on page 10 Saluting Israel on its 70th Anniversary THOMAS P. DINAPOLI NEW YORK STATE COMPTROLLER JEWISH TRIBUNE JUNE 1-7,

3 JCRC continued from page 9 honoring. Mr. Force is here tonight to honor his son, Taylor. Taylor Force was born in Texas and he attended West Point, and he led troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. He then went back on a school trip while he was working on his MBA to study [Israel's] startup industry. And he was stabbed to death tragically by a Palestinian terrorist. Now the death of that idealistic young man is a tragedy for everyone who values freedom and democracy. While we're sorry for [Mr. Force s] loss and remember his son in our prayers, he took the negative and he turned it into a positive, which to me is always the greatest sense of character. And he worked to pass the Taylor Force Act, which prevents U.S. aid from going to [supporters] of terrorists, Dani Dayan, Counsul General of Israel in New York, greets the attendees. which puts the whole world on notice, that if you support terrorists you will pay a price. Thank you for this great honor tonight. It comes at a very important time. Yesterday we marked the 73rd anniversary of the ending of the Second World War in Europe. The evil 12-year reign of the Nazi empire was crushed, the genocidal regime that took the lives of six million Jewish people and 50 million people in total were finally destroyed. This [year] marks the 70th year since the State of Israel was founded. Eleven minutes after Israel was founded, President Truman said this country recognizes the State of 10 JEWISH TRIBUNE JUNE 1-7, 2018 Israel. It shouldn't have taken 11 minutes, but we thank him for his prompt action, and it was the beginning of a great relationship. And our countries have enjoyed a special relationship ever since, focused on shared heritage, on shared values, shared security concerns, and shared commercial interests. I 'm proud to say that the relationship has its deepest roots right here in the State of New York. Our stories are intertwined. A young Zionist named Emma Lazarus from Manhattan wrote the immortal words that are on our Statue of Liberty. A student named David Ben-Gurion spent two years reading about democratic theory in our public libraries and went on to establish the State of Israel. A Jewish boy from the Lower East Side, named Mickey Marcus, went to West Point and went on to lead as the first general of the Israeli CEO of the UJA-Federation Eric Goldstein salutes the work of the JCRC. Defense Forces. The first flag of the State of Israel was sewn by a tailor in Harlem. New York and Israel are political bodies that share the same DNA. And for that reason we've always shared a special relationship. As a born and bred New Yorker, the Jewish people and the culture are embedded in me...my father's favorite philosophy [was] speaking about tikkun olam and the universality of tikkun olam, and how it really encompassed almost every religion's teaching and the best I ask you tonight to join me in the only response that has ever succeeded: Hineini. We are here. We are here for the State of Israel, and we always will be. path forward for community. Unfortunately, as history shows us over and over, political tides turn, and our interconnections are tested. The economic anger in New York, and across this nation, have been politically manipulated to turn American against American. The war on immigrants has turned into a war against diversity. Differences, racial differences, religious differences, lifestyle differences have become a flashpoint. It's happening even here in the great state of New York. Hate crimes are up 17 percent between 2016 and 2017, crimes primarily against people who are gay and African Americans. The number of neo-nazi groups nationwide rose 22 percent over the past year. The number of anti-semitic incidents in the State of New York essentially doubled from 2016 to And the complexity of the situation continues to grow, regardless of your position on the Iranian nuclear agreement, the threat from Tehran against Israel continues and grows. It is these moments that call our character into question...that dissolve the gray into black and white, and ask each of us, individually, Where do you stand and whom do you stand with? My answer is simple: as long as I am Governor of New York, this state stands 100 percent with Israel. I believe true friendship is shown not in the easy times, but in the hard times. In 2000, President Bill Clinton was trying to negotiate peace between Israel and Palestine, and things were tense. I was in President Clinton's cabinet as HUD Secretary, and he sent me to Israel to speak about what we were trying to do. In 2002, when suicide bombers were attacking Israeli buses, there was no tourism, there were no visitors. I led a New York delegation there as a sign of our solidarity. In 2014, as Charlie mentioned, when Hamas was bombing Israel, we wrote a letter of support, [and] the Prime Minister invited us to put together a [bipartisan] delegation Governor Andrew Cuomo speaks at the JCRC gala: While we're sorry for [Mr. Force s] loss and remember his son in our prayers, he took the negative and turned it into a positive, which to me is always the greatest sense of character. to visit. As Charlie mentioned, we visited the tunnels that the Hamas had built. Those tunnels are etched in my mind as a symbol of their desperation and hatred to the people of Israel. These tunnels were miles long, very sophisticated, and for a country that has so little infrastructure, so few resources, they put such tremendous effort and money into building these tunnels, it was indicative of how their priority is to inflict violence on Israel. That was the last time I saw Mr. Peres, a friend of my father. [Once when I went to Israel,] I met President Peres, and I talked to him about terrorism and how Israel deals with constant terrorist attacks...and the president said: "They come for us now because we are close. Because they can get to us. But one day they will figure out how to cross the ocean and then they will come for you. Because the enemy is not Israel. The enemy is freedom and democracy and the way they demonize Israel, they demonize America. And when they figure out the ocean, you will see." This was over 20 years before 9/11. This was before the internet became the transmission line of hate from across the ocean. And now we see how right he was and how profound he was. Israel's enemies are America's enemies. They are the same, and we have to realize that in this nation, the mutuality, the commonality, and the fight for Israel is the fight for America. And all of us have to realize that. I also believe partnership is shown by actions. I'm proud to have been the first governor of the state to stand up and support [the anti-bds movement]. I'm proud to have advocated it all across the nation and I'm proud that today 23 Governors have joined us. I'm proud that we've strengthened ties between Israel and New York. We're building a beautiful joint venture between [the] Technion and Cornell. It is going to be a world-class technological academic center, and it's right here in New York. I'm proud to have established the first New York and Israel Commission, which spurs economic development and deepens cultural ties. We've created a tourism agreement where the I Love NY campaign is combined with the Israel Ministry of Tourism to combine for mutual tours. Two years ago, New York signed an R&D [agreement] with Israel to develop clean energy together, and we are now importing technology from the Iron Dome to keep our power grids safe. I'm proud to say that our administration has done more work with Israel than any administration in the history of the state of New York. But it's not enough to say what we did: we must now redouble our efforts because the challenges facing Israel are only getting worse. New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli greets Governor Andrew Cuomo. Israel's border from the south, missiles being pointed at Tel Aviv from the north, and tonight we heard that sirens went off in [the] Golan Heights: more incoming missiles. The early news is that the Iron Dome stopped them, but it shows the level of danger. That is why tonight I plan to contact the leadership of Israel, [to] express our solidarity and support, and tell them [that,] as continued on page 24

4 JCRC continued from page 10 soon as [it is] convenient, I plan to lead another delegation to Israel. They're in danger and New York should be there. The last trip I took, I went past Yad Vashem, which is such a powerful symbol and reminder of how cruel people can be and how ugly humanity can be...i was signing the book of visitors and said to the Rabbi, What is the best thing that the Governor of New York can say at this moment? And the Rabbi just said, You should sign it and write Hineini. Hineini is the word used by Moses, Abraham, and Samuel when danger threatened, and God called upon them to lead. It means here I am. Here I am. Today, democracies are threatened by the same forces of fear and ignorance that have plagued humanity since ancient times. They're the same forces of fear and ignorance that have plagued humanity since ancient times. What we saw in the Holocaust we should never forget because we always must remember what governments and humanity are capable of. So I ask you tonight to join me in the only response that has ever succeeded: Hineini. We are here. We are here for the State of Israel, and we always will be. Thank you and God bless you. Charles S. Temel, President JCRC-NY We come from different traditions, countries, religions, and interests, but in New York we live, work, and play together. The better we do that the better a home we make for ourselves. Together all of you have made this evening a success, and on behalf of the JCRC, we thank you. I also want to thank tonight's honorees, starting with the Blumbergs, Tom and son Ben. Tom has been a friend and a mentor. It is said that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. That being true, then the Blumberg family tree stands tall and at the center in the orchard of the New York Jewish Community. Andrew Morse, thank you for what you have done: opening yourself on behalf of the JCRC. Stuart Force, we thank you for what you have accomplished in memory of your son, Taylor, and we share your loss. Rewarding terrorism is wrong, and your efforts have brought clarity to the issue. We d like to recognize a friend of JCRC, a past board member, and a tireless ally for Israel, Sander Gerber, who is Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Hudson Bay Capital, and who was awarded the 2017 JINSA Henry M. Jackson Distinguished Service Award for championing the Taylor Force Act. Sander has credited JCRC-NY for its role in his campaign to convince senators across the country to support the bill. At our February Congressional Breakfast, Chuck Schumer spoke passionately about the significance of the Taylor Force Act, and a clip of those remarks was shared with senators on the fence. The JCRC-NY recognizes Sander for his perseverance and determination to pass the Taylor Congress has taken the first steps, but we are waiting to see how the State Department will enact the law. The Knesset is also working on their version of the Taylor Force Act. 24 JEWISH TRIBUNE JUNE 1-7, 2018 JCRC Executive Vice President and CEO Michael S. Miller (far left) and JCRC president Charles S. Temel (far right) present awards to Stuart Force and Sander Gerber. Force Act, which will ensure justice for generations to come. Special Recognition recipient Sander Gerber The Taylor Force Act had a big team, and the JCRC provided the first venue for a Democrat to speak out in favor: Senator Schumer. The Taylor Force Act will stop a longstanding practice of the American taxpayer subsidizing Palestinian terror. I quote: Congress finds the Palestinian Authority s practice of paying salaries to terrorists serving in Israeli prisons, as well as to the families of deceased terrorists, is an incentive to commit acts of terror. Furthermore, the Act calls on all donor countries providing budgetary assistance to the Palestinian Authority to cease direct budgetary support until the P.A. stops all payments incentivizing terror. The law is a radical departure from the narrative that the P.A. must condemn terror and come to the negotiating table. In fact, just a few weeks ago, The New York Times had to issue a correction for a false statement saying that the P.A. paying terrorists is a rightwing conspiracy. That retraction simply said the P.A. admits to paying terrorists: it s reality, not a right-wing conspiracy. Recently, Taylor s West Point classmates met with nine senators, including Schumer, telling them they lost six classmates in Afghanistan during a six-month period. It was rough, but they understood it was war. However, they were shocked when they heard Taylor was killed, since he had hung up his uniform. Then they learned that Taylor s murderer was celebrated as a hero by P.A. state media. Then they learned that the 21- year-old murderer s parents were receiving regular payments from the P.A. that were more than 2.5 times the maximum of P..A. welfare system payments. And they learned that pay for slay is guaranteed by Palestinian law. Does this sound like state-sponsored terror took the life of their Army buddy? But there was something simply unbearable, which forced them to fly in from around the country to demand congressional action this institutionalized killing machine is subsidized by the American taxpayer. For 2018, the P.A. has allocated eight percent of its government budget as salaries to terrorists and their families. The law provides bonuses for terrorists who are Israeli Arabs, and further bonuses for Jerusalem residents. All payments are scaled by the amount of damage done. Stuart has become a moral voice in the fight against terrorism. His determination to transform his family s tragedy into saving the lives of others should be honored not just by the Jewish community, but frankly, by the civilized world. Congress has taken the first steps, but we are waiting to see how the State Department will enact the law. The Knesset is also working on their version of the Taylor Force Act. Now that the U.S. has taken moral leadership, other countries are faced with this choice regarding funding of the P.A.: you can be a terror enabler or a terror disabler. Which one is it going to be? Stuart Force, recipient, Continuing Strength Recognition Award The JCRC was a strong, early supporter and, obviously, with the passage of the act, was very effective. I also want to take this opportunity to thank Sander, who started this whole process by making everyone aware of the horrific practice of pay for slay. I also want to thank Sander s wife, Tracy, and their seven wonderful kids. Becoming their close friends has helped us through this journey. It is a bright spot through the last two years. I d also like to recognize Lindsay Graham, who sponsored the legislation in the Senate, and Doug Lamborn, who sponsored the legislation in the House. This act had bipartisan support, and I wanted to make sure their names were mentioned because the passage was their baby and they made it happen. I d also like to mention three local politicians: Representative Eliot Engel, Senator Charles Schumer, and Representative Lee Zeldin. They were strong supporters, and, in two cases, co-sponsors, of the legislation, and they made it happen. A wonderful byproduct of this whole process is that we ve met many wonderful people that worked for us up in Washington, and it s been an eye-opening experience. We led sort of private lives and, until we lost Taylor, we didn t know groups like this existed, and we re better people for it. I d like to address a couple of questions that have been asked over the course of the last two years. First: where did we find the strength to continue after we lost Taylor? We didn t find it, it was given to us: by you, by the Jewish community, by the Christian community, by the Israeli government, starting with Prime Minister Neytanyahu. The second question more personal is: What was Taylor like? I always like talking about Taylor. We, like any proud parents, welcome any chance to brag about their kids. I won t talk about his accomplishments. Taylor never talked about his accomplishments. The analogy I d like to share when people ask, What was Taylor like when he was an adult? I make the analogy of a glass on a table. You see a glass on the table that s half full pessimist says its half empty, optimist says it s half full. (Well, an engineer says it s twice as big as it needs to be but that s another story.) Taylor s glass was always full... full of life, and he shared it with everyone he met friends, strangers. If you d sum up Taylor s life, his approach to life, that was it. Why was he in Israel? It was a school trip with 30 classmates, and he heard how the nightlife in Tel Aviv was exciting, and it was just going to be a good trip. After we lost Taylor, we had a chance to talk with his close friend continued on page 30

5 JCRC next to a lady from Oregon. After we lost Taylor we got a letter from her. (Taylor had just mentioned briefly that he had sat next to a lady coming and going.) And she wrote that she thor- continued from page 24 actually all his friends were close friends Josh, whom he went to high school with, West Point with, served in the Army with. Taylor had attended Josh s wedding. Josh is Jewish, and over the years, Josh and his wife invited Taylor to Shabbat dinner several times. I talked with Josh the summer after we lost Taylor, and he said, I don t know if you knew this but Taylor had been our guest on Friday nights. He loved it, he loved the traditions, he was intrigued by the customs and he enjoyed being together. I said, I can understand Taylor feeling that way. Another reason he went to Israel was, between fulfilling his Army commitment and beginning his MBA program at Vanderbilt, he went to Europe, like everybody wants to as a kid. As one of his side trips, he took a day tour to Auschwitz. On the bus ride, he sat Making a toast at the 2018 gala to the good work of the JCRC and the evening s honorees. oughly enjoyed talking about families and talking about life with him. She could tell on the trip back that he was somewhat subdued; it obviously affected him greatly. I said, How do you know that we lost Taylor? and she said, Ever since we met I ve been following him on Facebook because he so impressed me that I wanted to keep up-to-date on his comings ple, and he wanted to go to the source Israel. Another question asked more recently is what our plans are after the Act s passage. The first thing we re going to do is watch out for each other. We ll hug a lot. We ll be attuned to each other s moods, we ll try to anticipate how things are going. We re going to be strong for each other. The second thing we ll do is look for opportunities to continue what we ve been doing with the Taylor Force Act. We have an opportunity to help with legislation or perhaps try to address the terror funding through the legal system. We are committed. I d like to sum up with something that happened when we visited Senator Graham. We went to his office and introduced ourselves and he took us into his office. After some chit-chat, he asked, How are you doing? And we said, We still feel like Taylor is on a deployment and that he ll be coming home any day. And he looked at us he s a very religious man and said, You ve got it wrong. Taylor is home it s you who are on deployment, and you ll be with him soon. And he was exactly right. That made more sense to us than, I m so sorry or, How re you doing? It put our lives, and his life, in perspective. We knew he was home, and we knew we would join him. So our third goal is, as the end We led sort of private lives and, until we lost Taylor, we didn t know groups like this existed, and we re better people for it. and goings, and when I heard the sad news I had to let you know what a good, caring person he was. S o that s why Taylor was in Israel. Because his good friend Josh and his wife Emily invited him over to Shabbat dinner, and because he had made the visit to Auschwitz. I think those had a deep effect on him. He wanted to know more about the Jewish peo- of our deployment nears, to look back and say that we were like Taylor we were a force for good in this world, and with the strength that we ve received from people we ve met, the organizations that have sponsored us and given us an opportunity to tell people about the Taylor Force Act and our son thank you for helping us along the path to achieving our goal. He was a force for good, and you are, too. JULY 4TH SALES June 22nd & 29th Contact your sales representative at JEWISH TRIBUNE JUNE 1-7, 2018