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💰 Jewish legislator’s ‘Not on Our Dollar’ act responds to ‘Not on Our Dime’
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Michael Novakhov, a Republican Jewish member of the New York Assembly who calls himself a “proud Zionist,” announced on Sunday that he was relaunching his “Not on Our Dollar” bill in response to his colleagues relaunching “Not on Our Dime,” which aims to block New York charities from funding Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
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“Not on Our Dime” was originally proposed in 2023 by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, then an Assembly member, and failed to pass. Assembly member Diana Moreno led a coalition of Democratic legislators in reintroducing the bill on Friday.
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Novakhov’s response proposes “Ending New York funding of Hamas violence.” “While Zohran Mamdani and his fellow Democrats attack Jewish charities and demonize Israel, our bill cracks down on support for Hamas and foreign terrorist activity,” Novakhov said on X.
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Meanwhile, Mamdani faces roiling discontent from pro-Israel New Yorkers over his continued alignment with the Palestinian cause from Gracie Mansion. The pro-Israel group #EndJewHatred will protest outside his residence at 7 p.m. today, demanding that Gov. Kathy Hochul “remove Mayor Mamdani over his failure to address rising radicalization and anti-American extremism in New York City.”
🕌 Lander, in mosque visit, says Israel will ‘potentially’ commit genocide in Lebanon
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Brad Lander, the candidate challenging Rep. Dan Goldman in a heated Democratic primary for his NY-10 seat in Manhattan and Brooklyn, said that Israel was heading toward a “genocide” in Lebanon during a speech at the Al-Khoei Islamic Center this month.
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Lander has differentiated himself from Goldman partly through stronger criticism of Israel. He was favored to win the race by 34 points, with 57% of the vote to Goldman’s 23%, in a new poll from Emerson College and PIX 11.
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During his remarks at the Queens mosque, Lander identified himself as a “proud Jewish New Yorker” who believed that “Israel’s genocide in Gaza is a desecration, is a violation of the understanding that everyone is created in God’s image.” He reiterated that he would vote against any further U.S. military aid for Israel in Congress.
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Lander also deepened his criticism of Israel’s actions in Lebanon, where Israeli forces are escalating strikes amid their campaign against Hezbollah. Lander said he would not support “the occupation in Lebanon, which is now, I believe, unfortunately on its way potentially to being a genocide as well.”
🗣️ Schlossberg says he is the ‘only Democrat’ in NY-12 because he would condition Israel aid
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Jack Schlossberg, the Kennedy scion running to succeed Rep. Jerry Nadler in Manhattan, called himself the “only Democrat” in the NY-12 Democratic primary on Saturday. Schlossberg suggested on X that his major opponents, Micah Lasher and Alex Bores, were not authentic Democrats because they supported “NO CONDITIONS on arms to Israel.”
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Schlossberg is increasingly positioning himself as the least pro-Israel major candidate. In a candidate forum at Stephen Wise Free Synagogue earlier this month, he said that he would vote in favor of Bernie Sanders’ recent resolutions to block certain weapons shipments to Israel.
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Lasher and Bores have both said they oppose these resolutions. Instead, they have voiced support for universally applying the existing Leahy Law, which bars the U.S. from providing military assistance to foreign military units that violate human rights with impunity. Israel has never been denied aid under this law.
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Cameron Kasky, the staunchest Israel critic in the race before he dropped out in January, plans to endorse Bores, according to City and State editor Peter Sterne.
🥕 Park Slope Food Coop to vote on Israel boycott
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The Park Slope Food Coop will hold a vote on a proposed boycott of Israeli products this evening.
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The coop informed members in an email on Saturday that it was boosting safety measures ahead of the vote, including hiring security personnel and adding a check-in station. A recent coop meeting drew significant media attention after one attendee lamented “Jewish supremacy.”
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“While the overwhelming majority of members have continued to engage respectfully and cooperatively, we have also seen incidents that have gone beyond normal disagreement and escalated into verbal confrontations and, in some cases, physical altercations between Coop members,” said the email.
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