Those who try to put daylight between Jewish communities in New York City and the Jewish state “will fail,” Ofir Akunis, the Israeli consul general in New York, said at a Chanukah event on Sunday.
“Recently, we have been witnessing an attempt aimed at separating Jewish communities from the State of Israel,” he said at the gathering, held at the Altneu Synagogue, a Modern Orthodox congregation on the Upper East Side, which drew nearly 250 people.
“I say here in the clearest terms: Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people. As in the past, any attempt to separate the communities from the Jewish state will fail,” Akunis told attendees.
He also directed remarks to other states.
“To world leaders who remain silent in the face of antisemitic attacks, I say: silence is tantamount to support,” he said. “Your role as leaders is to speak out and act against it, not to remain silent.”
Attendees includes elected officials, diplomats, communal leaders and journalists, according to the consulate general.
