LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

DSA's Israel question 'absurd'

Posted

To the editor:

(re: “DSA questions Israel,” Political Arena, Aug. 20)

Candidates for New York city council are being asked by Democratic Socialists of America to pledge not to visit Israel. The council’s 13-member Jewish Caucus has strongly denounced the move as anti-Semitic.

With 35 of the 51 council seats up for re-election this year, the DSA clearly seeks to steer the direction of its own agenda. We find this requirement for DSA endorsement dangerous, undemocratic, and patently absurd.

First, foreign policy is not a responsibility of the New York city council, but serving the best interest of the country’s most-diverse city is. Every year, the Jewish Community Relations Council organizes missions to Israel for city council members.

These trips serve to provide perspective for each individual traveler, offering opportunities to meet and interact with Israelis, Palestinians, Arabs, Jews and Christians.

In short, to ask their own question and return with first-hand information not filtered through a media lens.

These trips are valuable and necessary. The perspective gained is intrinsic to the protection of the diversity we so love in our city, and the democracy we all strive to uphold on a daily basis. Effective policymaking requires information, context and wisdom.

Disagreements are not settled and conflict is not resolved in a vacuum of stalemate. Demanding that elected officials pledge not to travel to Israel is a threat to this democracy and the more perfect world we strive daily to create and protect.

We must also question why the DSA has not asked candidates to pledge not to visit the countries the U.S. Department of State has designated as terroristic — Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria, or even Russia — widely known for its interference in the 2016 presidential election, and current attempts to influence 2020 election outcomes.

A letter from the New York Board of Rabbis to city council Speaker Corey Johnson denouncing the pledge was signed by a group of interfaith leaders from across the city representing tens of thousands of constituents.

The DSA is divisive, rather than engaging in constructive dialogue to craft viable and pragmatic solutions.

We call on all candidates to denounce this pledge.

Fernando Cabrera
Joseph Potasnik
Bill Devlin

Cabrera is a city council member representing parts of the Bronx that includes Kingsbridge Heights. Potasnik is the executive vice president of the New York Board of Rabbis, and is a rabbi emeritus with Congregation Mt. Sinai in Brooklyn Heights. Devlin is co-pastor of the Infinity Bible Church in the South Bronx.

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Fernando Cabrera, Joseph Potasnik, Bill Devlin

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