Nassau County executive gets an eye-opening view of Israel

Pointing to the uptick in anti-Semitic crimes in the New York area and wanting to form better relationships with all ethnic groups and religions, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran visited Israel from Feb. 1 to 6. 

Curran said that though overall crime is down in Nassau County, hate crimes, especially ones against Jews, have risen in the metropolitan area. Her trip to Israel, was designed to meet with religious, cultural and government officials to strengthen connections with the Jewish state as the Five Towns, Great Neck, Merrick and West Hempstead, communities she governs, all have substantial Jewish populations.

“The anti-Semitism march in January, where there were 2,500 people showed us in Nassau County that we are one together,” Curran said, as people of all faiths and races came together to support Jewish people and each other against hate.

Her tour began on Sunday in the Machine Yehuda Market, known as The Shuk, a popular marketplace in Jerusalem. On Monday, Curran and her party, which included Young Israel of Woodmere Rabbi Hershel Billet, visited United Hatzalah, a volunteer ambulance unit. “This was one of the most important trips,” Curran said. “To see Jews, Haredis, Christians Druze, men and women all together sharing the work and helping people who need help.” Among the 6,000 volunteers, there are religious and secular Jews, Arabs, Druze, Bedouins and Christians. The lone criteria to serve is the willingness to save anyone’s life — anytime, anywhere, organization officials said.

Speaking with the mayors of Efrat, Gaza and Gush Etzion — Oded Revivi, Alon Davidi and Shlomo Ne’emann, respectively — and police and security officials, Curran said she learned what people in Israel are doing to maintain safety. Efrat and Gush Etzion are in the Judean Mountains, and Gaza is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip along the Mediterranean coast.

“We share the responsibility of safety, whether it’s Nassau County or Israel, so at the end of the day much of what we do is similar,” Curran said, “keeping communities safe.” She toured a bomb proof indoor playground built by the Jewish National Fund in Sederot in the western Negev that is under recurring rocket attacks from the bordering Gaza Strip.

Billet, who leads the largest Orthodox congregation on the South Shore and is an appointee to the U.S. Commission for Preservation to American’s Heritage Abroad, was Curran’s tour guide. “I was the driver,” he said humbly.

“She has a large pro-Israel constituency of all faiths,” Billet said in response to what the benefits of the trip are. “She saw the Gaza, Syrian and Lebanese borders and got a handle on security issues. She was in the West Bank and saw peaceful coexistence between Jews and Palestinians.”

Curran noted that Billet knows many people so she meet people from New York and Israel. A former journalist, Curran said she did research before heading to Israel on her own dime, she pointed out, and had a fistful of questions prepared. She also visited the Knesset, Israel’s governing legislative body, and Yad Vashem, Israel’s official memorial to Holocaust victims. “I would love to go back, I would interested to speak with more Palestinians and get that point of view,” Curran said. “Seeing all sides is eye-opening.”