Staten Island Rallies for Victims of Hamas Terror and Violence in Israel
Edited by: TJVNews.com
Borough President Vito Fossella, President of COJO Mendy Mirocznik, CEO and Executive Vice President of COJO Scott Maurer, City Councilman David Carr, President of the College of Staten Island Timothy Lynch, City Councilwoman Kamillah Hanks and other Staten Island elected officials held a solidarity event Tuesday with the Council of Jewish Organizations (COJO) for victims of violence in Israel.
“The people of Staten Island sadly understand what terrorism feels like, and today so do the people of Israel,” said Fossella at the event, held in the lobby of the Joan & Alan Bernikow Jewish Community Center in Sea View. “When we were attacked, Israel stood with us. Now, when Israel is attacked, we must stand with them.”
Fossella and his fellow elected officials stood in solidarity with the Jewish community after the Israeli government officially announced a state of war in response to Hamas’ unexpected recent assault.
Fossella introduced a number of speakers, including Acting Consul General Tsach Saar.
“Palestinian terrorists from Hamas unleashed a horrifying attack on Israeli civilians and soldiers,” said Saar. “This cruelty was unprecedented.” Saar went on to discuss the rising death toll of Israeli civilians, including women, children and the elderly.
“These actions were not just against Israel, but against America, the free world, and all of humanity,” said Saar. He expressed his appreciation for the unwavering support that the United States has extended to Israel.
“The local community of Staten Island will never bend in our unity and our unified support for you and your people,” District Attorney Michael McMahon said. “We want to work together to make sure the people of Israel have what we want here as well; the ability to live free, to enjoy life without the fear of evil terrorism.”
“If you allow the light of freedom to be dimmed in one part of the world, darkness will fall on all of the world,” state Sen. Andrew Lanza said emphatically. “Every good American who knows their constitution; we are born of the same concept; we are born in freedom.”
The group stood together to denounce anti-Semitism, emphasizing that those who engage in such acts will face prosecution and be subject to the full weight of hate crime laws in New York City.
“You know the old ‘two sides to every story’ — there are no two sides to this story,” Lanza said. “But there is a choice; a choice between good and evil, love and hate, a choice between Israel and Hamas. And we choose good, we choose love, and we choose Israel.”
“My heart is broken for all Israelis and everyone in our community who has family in Israel,” said Orit Lender, CEO of the JCC. “There are no words to truly express the pain we are all feeling right now.”
President of COJO Mendy Mirocznik said: “the importance of today’s rally in support of Victims of Hamas Terror and Violence in Israel is that it unified the Staten Island Jewish Community and gave us the opportunity to publicly state our support for Israel and our complete condemnation of the evil of Hamas and for their treacherous barbaric ways. It also gave us the opportunity to obtain the bipartisan support of the Staten Island elected officials for the State of Israel during this painful and harrowing time. We thank Borough President Fossella and our elected officials for coming together in support of Israel. Our job now is to make certain that the narrative does not change and that history properly records the truth accurately. We pray that Israel shall succeed in destroying the evil of Hamas and that Israel shall be able to live in peace, tranquility and safety.”
The post Staten Island Rallies for Victims of Hamas Terror and Violence in Israel appeared first on The Jewish Voice.