Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D – Midwood, Brooklyn) recently sat down for a half-hour interview on The Jewish View, a television program taped in Albany and hosted by Jewish Press Albany correspondent Marc Gronich.
Hikind, a 34-year incumbent, minces no words about subjects ranging from what he perceives as a diminishing enthusiasm over Jewish issues in Albany over the past two years; pro-Palestinian activist Linda Sarsour, who was chosen to speak at a CUNY graduation ceremony; President Trump; and Sen. Charles Schumer.
Following are some of the highlights of the interview:
Q: You mentioned that the past two years you carried the resolution commemorating the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s birthday. Have you also noticed or seen the enthusiasm dwindle regarding Jewish functions [in Albany] over the past couple of years?
A: Things have changed. I talk about it all the time. I don’t know how much I want to talk about it because I think there has been … it’s a different world. You have many more minorities, so-called liberal progressives. I thought I was liberal and I was progressive but there’s been a huge change, if you look at the makeup of the body from 10 years ago, 50 years ago. Shelly Silver had a lot to do with it as well. Shelly never played the religious card but he respected it 100 percent.
What would one of those issues be?
All over the country, state legislatures are passing anti-BDS legislation – Democrats and Republicans together. In New York nothing has happened in the Assembly and nothing is going to happen. And nothing is going to happen because things have changed. A few years ago we had a resolution condemning BDS practices but we don’t have BDS legislation. We can’t pass legislation in New York. Imagine what the commentary is on that.
I always tell people, as an elected official I serve everybody equally. Jew, non-Jew, Muslim, it doesn’t matter. When it comes to helping somebody, we will go to bat for every single person. I am a proud Jew and the blacks in the legislature are proud of who they are. Jews are more hesitant to say we’re proud Jews. Everybody else doesn’t have that problem. If you’re Latino, you’re proud of who you are. I am a proud Jew.
Why are you upset that Linda Sarsour was invited to speak at a CUNY commencement on June 1?
Freedom of speech, 100 percent. You invite Linda Sarsour to speak at your college, let her speak. I may criticize, I may demonstrate, but she has a right to speak. She is infamous for a picture of a child with rocks in his hand directing it toward Israeli soldiers.
We have made a big deal about the fact that babies have been murdered in cars in Israel because of rocks that have been thrown. Linda Sarsour, on her website, shows this picture, and talks about this picture as an example of courage. You hear this? This is courage. Throwing rocks! How about stabbing people? Is that courage too from her perspective?
April 2 of this year Linda Sarsour is on stage with Rasmea Odeh in Chicago. Rasmea Odeh planted a bomb in Jerusalem that killed two young students, 20 and 21 years old. She was sentenced to life in prison, got out on a prisoner exchange, got into this country by lying on her documents, and now she’s being deported to Jordan.
Linda Sarsour is on stage with Rasmea Odeh saying this is her heroine. How proud she is to be on stage with this person. Linda Sarsour says if you are a supporter of Israel you can’t be a feminist. Chutzpah! Audacity! She preaches hatred toward Israel, she hates Israel. She’s a leading supporter of BDS.
What do you think about President Trump going to Israel?
I’ve said all along, I’m happy that Trump won. [But] his team came out and said he will go to the Kotel, he will go to the Western Wall, but he will not go with the prime minister of Israel. Whoa. What? Why? No explanation.
Now remember, this is Trump…. Trump does whatever he wants, says whatever he wants. I mean, it’s a little bit scary, some of the things with Trump, let’s be honest. He [goes] to the Kotel but he will not let the prime minister accompany him? In Jerusalem? I don’t get it…..
I’m happy Hillary Clinton is not president. I didn’t want Hillary and I didn’t vote for Hillary. By the way, I didn’t vote for Trump either. I wrote in Paul Ryan.
But didn’t you defend Trump or took on the Trump role at a forum in Brooklyn last year?
I always wanted Trump if it was a choice between Trump and Hillary Clinton. Hold my nose, let him win. I don’t want the Democrats and the progressives and Sanders and Ellison.
You want to talk about the Jewish community, there’s so much to talk about. Do you want to know how much you’re in trouble? When you have a United States Senator from New York, the [self-proclaimed] shomer Yisrael Charles Schumer supporting Ellison to be the head of the National Democratic Party, you know you’re in trouble.
How do you excuse that? It’s called selling out. I’m saying it openly. It’s called selling out. Schumer, shomer Yisrael, supports Ellison with his record? How do you explain that? How many people spoke out about that? No one, because no one wants to rock the boat.
I asked Schumer about that and he won’t discuss it. He said he issued a press release and his staff would get it for me. The news release never materialized.
Why wouldn’t he talk to you? Because he’s uncomfortable.