President Isaac Herzog met on Monday with outgoing New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who is visiting Israel, accompanied by Israel’s Consul General to New York, Ofir Akunis.
President Herzog thanked the Mayor for his longstanding and steadfast friendship with Israel and the Jewish community: “You are a dear, dear friend of Israel and the Jewish people. We will never forget your moving words and solidarity on October 7 and thereafter. I’ll never forget, personally, your historic visit during the early days of the war, just to be with us, to show strength and confidence. You have contributed enormously to the relations between the State of Israel and the city of New York.”
He added, “You’ve done wonders in the city of New York, and I always respected that you led New York in such a dignified manner. I’ll never forget my own visit with you and the police department of New York. It was very, very moving. And the fact that you’re here now means a lot to us. As you know, we are worried about how things will look post the mayoral elections in New York. So I thank you for your friendship and solidarity, and I wish you great success in all your endeavors. This is your home, and your friends are here. Thank you very much.”
Mayor Adams responded: “Thank you. As many of my colleagues here, we want to clearly send the right message that 49% of New Yorkers made it clear that they don’t embrace the philosophy of anti-Israel. We still consider Israel as an ally and as a friend, and I’m here today as I leave office to state I would not be leaving my advocacy for Israel and for the Jewish people all over the globe. Your contribution, through innovation, through technology, has impacted the quality of life across the globe. We’re not going to deny the fact that there’s an increase in antisemitism across the globe, and some of the words that are coming from New York are something that we’re not going to deny. And I think right now, we need clarity, clarity and message, and I’m going to provide that clarity to fight against hate wherever it shows its face.“
The President added: “It’s a big message, after the hate, the falsehood, the lies, the diatribe that emanates from all quarters of society around the world and in America and in New York, which disturbs me terribly, because it’s a repetition of the same old hate, the oldest hatred in humanity, against Jews. Fifty years ago to the week, my father stood up in the UN General Assembly and tore up a resolution that equated Zionism with racism, which was later abolished. And you say to yourself, I thought the world changes. No, it’s getting worse. That is why we are very appreciative of your strong moral clarity. Thank you.”
