In a joint statement issued on Tuesday, twelve members of the New York City Council’s 14-member Jewish Caucus announced their endorsement of Hillary Clinton ahead of the April 19 New York presidential primary.
The members endorsing Clinton’s presidential campaign include David Greenfield, Stephen Levin, Alan Maisel and Mark Treyger from Brooklyn; Barry Grodenchick, Daniel Garodnick, Karen Koslowitz and Rory Lancman from Queens; Ben Kallos, Helen Rosenthal, and Mark Levine from Manhattan, and Andrew Cohen from The Bronx.
Excluding Brooklyn Councilmembers Brad Lander and Chaim Deutsch, the Jewish members of the City Council pointed to Clinton’s tenure as Secretary of State, in which she helped build the sanctions regime on Iran and stood up for Israel’s right to defend itself.
“Hillary Clinton has delivered time and time again for New York, for the Jewish Community, and for Israel,” Councilman Mark Levine, Chairman of the Jewish Caucus, said in a statement. “Whether winning funds to rebuild New York after 9/11 or exposing anti-Semitism in the Middle East and around the world, Hillary Clinton has been there for us.”
Without mentioning Bernie Sanders, who is Jewish, Levine said, “This is not a time for learning on the job–especially when it comes to the challenges facing Israel.”
Councilman David Greenfield, representing one of the largest Orthodox Jewish districts in the United States, said that Clinton is the “strongest pro-Israel Democratic candidate for President, and has a proven record of working with New York’s Jewish community since her days as our U.S. Senator.”
Greenfield blasted Sanders over his recent comments on Israel, saying he has “made it clear that he doesn’t value the pro-Israel community.”
Councilman Rory Lancman also pointed to Sanders skipping the annual AIPAC policy conference, his delegitimizing of Israel’s right to defend its citizens from terrorism, and embracing Palestinian-American activist Linda Sarsour, whom Lancman called “America’s most virulently anti-Israel and anti-Semitic advocates.”
“Hillary is the clear choice for so many reasons, and her longstanding and informed support for Israel and the Jewish people is one of them,” he added.
