Trump-backed NY gubernatorial candidate attends picketed Israeli real estate event

New York Jewish Week via JTA — The Republican candidate for governor of New York told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that he attended Thursday’s Israeli real estate expo in midtown Manhattan to show that he was an Israel supporter and investor.

Bruce Blakeman, who has been endorsed by US President Donald Trump, was among the hundreds of people at the day-long event. In the evening, as has become routine at similar events in the five boroughs, scores of protesters gathered.

Previous Israel real estate events have included a small number of properties in West Bank settlements, which the protesters say they are targeting.

Asked if he was worried that the New Yorkers who accompanied him at the Jerusalem Real Estate Expo were fixing to leave for Israel, Blakeman answered cheekily: “Not when I’m governor.”

He added, “They’ll have two places. They’ll want to live in both.”

Throughout the day, representatives from dozens of Israeli real estate companies handed out pamphlets and shared information about properties for sale. Some of the properties being shown were in Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, which many countries consider illegal.

Blakeman, the executive of Long Island’s Nassau County, trailed Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul by 16 percentage points in the latest polling, conducted by the Siena Research Institute in late April.

Hochul is also generally supportive of Israel and the mainstream Jewish community, while Blakeman is running to her right.

Hochul pushed statewide “buffer zone” legislation in response to protests outside synagogues that were hosting similar events and said during her State of the State address in January that “targeting a Jewish community in this way is antisemitism.” The statewide buffer zone bill passed this week.

Blakeman wasn’t the only politician at the event. Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion attended and was slated to speak during the evening program. Israeli NBA star Deni Avdija was also present and set to receive an award.

Across the street, more than 100 demonstrators gathered to protest the event. They were organized by Pal-Awda, a hardline anti-Zionist activist group that has led protests outside events facilitating immigration to Israel at various New York City synagogues. The synagogues rent out space to vendors, but do not organize the events themselves.

The protesters regularly display support for terrorist groups and hurl discriminatory epithets at event attendees.

Thursday’s event was larger than similar events at synagogues, filling up a convention space in midtown Manhattan’s Hilton hotel and drawing several public figures.

The anti-Zionist Jewish Voice for Peace denounced the event, which was organized by the Israeli Building Center and the municipality of Jerusalem. It said the municipality “is directly involved in imposing and administering discriminatory apartheid policies, and should not be hosted anywhere in the city.”

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.