NJ delegation to visit Israel
Three Assemblymembers and a Monmouth Mayor are among the group visiting devastated communities as the conflict crosses 100 days.
Trenton - Three newly-elected Republican Assembly members, Assemblymen Michael Inganamort (R-24th), Paul Kanitra (R-10th) and Greg Myhre (R-9th), and Middletown Mayor Tony Perry, are among the delegation of state legislators, elected officials and educators visiting war-torn communities and families in Israel next week with the Jewish Federation of Greater Metrowest NJ.
“This is a unique opportunity to connect with families devastated by the brutal Hamas attacks on Israel, meet with local officials to discuss the war as it stretches beyond 100 days, and experience the Israeli relief efforts and the resilience of the kibbutzniks,” the Republicans said in a joint statement. “To be able to gain this type of perspective is an honor and privilege.”
One of the stops on their three-day trip will be to a kibbutz, a pastoral cooperative along the border with Gaza that was among the hardest hit communities in the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7. The terrorists murdered more than 60 members of the kibbutz, from children to grandparents, and kidnapped 17 others, four of whom are still being held hostage in Gaza.
Speaking with CJN, Assemblyman Kanitra expressed gratitude “for the opportunity to see and hear the realities of the war firsthand….[a]s the conflict crosses its 100th day, that perspective is more important than ever to relay back to my nearly quarter of a million 10th district constituents.”
Middletown Mayor Tony Perry also expressed gratitude for the ability to see the conflict up close..
“This opportunity to meet with Israeli government officials, Israeli Defense Forces soldiers, and family members devastated by the brutal Hamas attacks will offer a profound insight into the resilience and strength of the Israeli people,” said Mayor Perry. “It is a chance to understand the complexities of the situation firsthand, to hear the stories of those most affected, and to see the efforts towards recovery and healing.”
The bipartisan delegation will also visit a community whose heroic residents defended the small city from Hamas. They will speak to families who lost loved ones in the attack and meet with local officials.
The Republican elected officials will be delivering letters from New Jersey school students to Muslim and Jewish students studying at a school in Jerusalem. They will also be engaging with local volunteer centers spearheading relief efforts near the Gaza border and meeting patients at a hospital who have been wounded in the war.
The itinerary also includes intergovernmental meetings with members of the Knesset, Israel’s legislature, community representatives, nonprofit leaders and other local officials.
We at CJN wish the delegation a safe and insightful experience, and continue to pray for peace in the region.
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