Central was very proud to send its own delegation to the AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington DC this past week. Under the leadership of Mrs. Audi Hecht, two seniors and four juniors – Marsha Joseph, Olivia Peller, Rachel Rumstein, Meira Saffra, Eytana Schick, and Rina Shamilov – joined 4,000 other students in making up nearly a quarter of the total conference attendees. At AIPAC, our students learned extensively about the US-Israel relationship and how vital it is to both the United States and Israel’s strategic interests and about the unique kinship the nations share. The students had an opportunity to hear from a wide array of presenters, including United States political leaders, such as Vice President Mike Pence, US Representative Nancy Pelosi, Senator Mitch McConnell, Senator Chuck Schumer, former Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, and many others who affirmed their staunch commitment to the US-Israel alliance.

“We will prove that there is no problem too large for government to solve, and no concern too small for it to care about.” — Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani during his victory speech.

For those who spend too much of their time on social media, there is a nefarious and disturbing trend gathering on every side of the political spectrum: the mainstreaming of Jew-hatred. This stems from the ridiculous notion that the State of Israel “owns” the United States in some way, a notion that is never explained or elaborated upon aside from conspiracy theorizing. Those who promote this concept accuse their detractors of being “Israel first,” yet they are the ones who constantly have Israel on the brain.

Outgoing New York City Mayor Eric Adams was welcomed in Israel this week with the praise expected of a national leader, meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, and other leading officials. It was his second visit to the Jewish state as Mayor, underscoring the vast policy contrast to Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, who routinely calls Israel an apartheid state engaging in genocide.

The return of the remains of Staff Sergeant Itay Chen, Lior Rudaeff, and Lieutenant Hadar Goldin for burial in Israel brings us one step closer to closing the loop set in motion on October 7, 2023. Our leaders remain determined to bring all the fallen back to their loved ones. Due to the valiant efforts of IDF soldiers, the leadership of our government, and the continued support and pressure from President Donald Trump and his diplomats, a successful outcome is now in sight.