Commitment to Israel and the Jewish People Requires Action, Not Just Words
By Anthony D’Esposito
In politics, support is a currency—one that must be earned, not granted freely. This is especially true in the relationship between elected officials and the Jewish community. For too long, some politicians have expected automatic backing from Jewish voters and donors simply because of party affiliation, empty platitudes about “standing with Israel,” and the fact that they hold office. But support should not be based on titles or rhetoric: it must be grounded in tangible action.
The Jewish people have long been politically engaged. They invest in candidates who genuinely share their values, prioritize their security, and advocate for the State of Israel. But politics is a two-way street. If politicians expect the backing of Jewish voters, donors, and institutions, they must demonstrate consistent, unwavering commitment to fighting antisemitism, protecting Jewish communities, and supporting Israel, not just when it’s politically convenient, but always. That is mutual respect.
Throughout my tenure in office, I have been a staunch defender of Israel and a vocal advocate for my Jewish neighbors. That means standing up for what’s right, even when it’s unpopular. It means being a leader in the anti-BDS movement, as County Executive Bruce Blakeman and I were when we passed some of the first legislation in the Nation. It means unmasking those who prey on Jewish students. It means funding the Iron Dome and providing resources to keep Israel safe. It means having a seat on the National Holocaust Museum Board, a position I held with much honor. It means proudly serving on the first ever Parliamentary Working Group between the House of Representatives and the Knesset. It means fighting for Jewish safety and security because you believe in it, not because it’s politically expedient. And it means being willing to challenge anyone who falls short on these values, whether an individual or an entire party. It is also about respect, tradition, and customs, the willingness to learn, participate, and engage with the community. My friendships with my Jewish neighbors, and the genuine respect and love I feel for them is something I hold sacred.
Laura Gillen has failed to meet this standard. At a time when antisemitism is surging across the country and Israel is under constant attack, elected officials cannot afford to remain silent. Support isn’t about tweets, Facebook posts, or wearing a pin—it’s about concrete action.
When radical members of Congress like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib spew anti-Israel rhetoric and embolden Hamas terrorists, where is Gillen? Silent.
When Senator Chuck Schumer undermined Israel’s democratically elected government by calling for the removal of Prime Minister Netanyahu to appease the Squad, where was Gillen? Silent.
Their silence is a choice. And it speaks volumes.
Real support is measured in action, not lip service. True support for Israel and the Jewish people is not measured by campaign season photo-ops or scripted statements. It is measured in votes, policies, and a willingness to take a stand, especially when facing pressure from within one’s own party.
Many elected officials—Republicans and Democrats alike—have taken real steps to protect Jewish communities and strengthen the U.S.-Israel alliance. They have voted for increased funding to secure synagogues and Jewish institutions, championed stronger hate crimes laws to combat rising antisemitic violence, advocated for military aid to Israel, condemned efforts to delegitimize the Jewish state, and spoken out forcefully against antisemitism, even when it comes from within their own political circles.
Laura Gillen has done none of this. No bold stances. No votes. No meaningful advocacy. No willingness to challenge the antisemitism within her party. When Jewish students are harassed on college campuses, when Israel faces attacks from terrorists, when radical activists push the anti-Israel BDS movement, leaders must act. Gillen has not.
Beyond her inaction, Gillen has taken money from those who fund and fuel the very forces working against Israel and Jewish interests. She received $40,000 from Our American Future Foundation, an organization backed by George Soros, a man who has financed anti-Israel protests and efforts to undermine Jewish security worldwide.
Even more troubling, Gillen has close ties to Malik Nadeem Abid, an anti-Israel activist who uses his position to spread antisemitic rhetoric. In March 2024, Abid baselessly said an Israeli pier was “built on the dead bodies of innocent Palestinians.” He also claimed defenders of the Jewish state hold “satanic beliefs,” and has called Israel’s self-defense “genocide.” Not only has Gillen failed to denounce this rhetoric, she has also accepted financial support from Abid and even had him read from the Quran at her 2018 inauguration.
This is not leadership. This is appeasement of those who oppose Israel and spread antisemitic lies. The question is: How far will her appeasement go?
Jewish voters and donors must stop giving automatic support to politicians who fail to take meaningful action. Every endorsement, every vote, every dollar you contribute should go to candidates who have demonstrated real commitment to the Jewish community and Israel and not just during election season.
Political Action Committees and pro-Israel lobbying organizations must move beyond supporting candidates simply because of party affiliation or past elections. They must demand tangible results.
If a politician remains silent when Jewish students are attacked, if they fail to speak out against antisemitism in their own party, and if they refrain from voting on issues crucial to Israel, then they do not deserve your vote.
Laura Gillen, Chuck Schumer, and any other Democrat or Republican who fails to show real, tangible results must be held accountable.
As Marlon Brando once said in The Godfather, “Respect is earned, not given.”
Your support is not a right: It’s a privilege that must be earned by the politicians who represent you. And they must earn it through their action.
Congressman Anthony D’Esposito served in Congress, representing New York’s 4th Congressional District. Anthony served as a Councilman in the Town of Hempstead after retiring from the NYPD as a highly decorated Detective. He also served as Chief of the Island Park Fire Department and helped lead the all-volunteer organization’s response to Super-Storm Sandy. The Congressman appears frequently on Fox News, NewsMax, ABC National News, and 77 WABC Sid And Friends in the Morning. To contact, email info@teamdesposito.com.
B”H MAGA extremists include our local sycophants; the publisher-editor of this weekly propaganda tool, and the discarded one-term congressman Anthony D’Espisito, already positioning himself to challenge his better successor Laura Gillen (D-4CD). The vehicle both use is to claim a mythological chasm between the representative of the intolerant monolith that is Nassau County’s Republican machine under chair Joe Cairo, and our our incumbent lawmaker in their respective support for our Jewish Homeland. Of course, such assertion is chimera, pitched to the uninformed and the foolish. More critical is to examine D’Esposito’s unwillingness and obvious inability to stand scrutiny of his thankfully brief tenure, for he was always a slavishly proponent of the increasingly unhinged 47th president, as he was the thoughtless critic of our superior 46th President Biden! The list of Anthony’s deficiencies are legendary, beginning with adopting the poor English associated with the right-wingers of my nominal Party referring to the Democrats instead of the Democratic opposition. Then, there’s the delay in providing military enhancement to our beleaguered friend Ukraine. In fact, he hasn’t called out the betrayal of the 47th in switching to embrace the talking points for ending the war in Eastern Europe, of the murderer and kidnapper of children ensconced in the Kremlin. Where’s D’Esposito in the discredited imperialism of his idol, making a bid to use force to acquire Canada, Greenland, Panama Canal, and even Gaza! Is he ready to condemn the bad-mouthing of Denmark, and NATO intentionally making us a rogue ally and a pariah to the global community? Is he ready to call out an administration that failed to keep us safe in the emerging scandal of the Signal Chat a distinguished editor of the Atlantic exposed, that put our troops in harm’s way in Yemen? And the latest power grab, further defanging our Constitutional guardrails in checking executive power: is Anthony ok with having our convicted 34x felon make an early bid for a lawless third term in office? Clearly, we’re being governed by the lessors among our citizenry, an administration of mediocracies, never meritocrats, intent on destroying our effective departments and agencies; the stupid elimination of the vital Voice of America, the latest example of malfeasance. There’s plenty here to morally and politically indict D’Esposito and the ship of fools on which he wishes to return. Our 5T community will stand for sanity and decency, rejecting the editor of this screed, a rejected former politician’s return, and while at it, this November, defeat the reelection bid of NC Executive Bruce Blakeman! Inshallah. With fraternal affection, Asher 🙏😩🇺🇸😢