Trump States Support for Israel

By COLlive reporter

Real estate tycoon Donald Trump was honored at the second annual ‘Jewish 100’ Gala in New York City on Tuesday and made it through the night without hinting about a possible presidential run in 2016.

Trump, the outspoken investor and television personality, recently told a conservative crowd in Iowa he is “seriously thinking about running for president because I can do the job.”

But at the event in Manhattan this week, unveiling a list of “the top 100 people positively influencing Jewish life,” Trump expressed strong comments in support of Israel.

“We love Israel, we will fight for Israel 100 percent, 1000 percent, it will be there forever,” he told the star-studded event which drew a crowd of 500 to the Capitale on Bowery.

Trump was presented his award by his entrepreneurial daughter Ivanka Trump, who converted to Judaism in 2009. He exclaimed, “I have a Jewish daughter! This wasn’t in the plan, but I’m very glad it happened.”

Other honorees included philanthropists Joseph and Deborah Aronow and Melissa Rivers who accepted the posthumous award on her mother, entertainer Joan Rivers.

Speaker of the Knesset Yuli Edelstein, visiting New York before the Israeli elections near, was honored as well and delivered the keynote address.

The former Prisoner of Zion bemoaned the widespread acceptance of the legitimacy of relative truths. Applying the concept to the international community’s equivocation over Iranian nuclear ambitions, Edelstein said, We better act now, because the truth is, that Iran is getting dangerously close to nuclear weapons.”

The evening was hosted by Fox News’ Heather Nauert and attendees included artist Ron Agam, actor Ron Rifkin and Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations Ron Prosor.

The event’s Honorary Chairman was Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel and it was chaired by philanthropists Bob and Amy Book, and Neil and Sharon Book.

Welcoming the gathered crowd, Algemeiner Publisher Simon Jacobson recounted how the Yiddish-English paper has evolved over the years, and paid tribute to its 43-year history.

Editor-in-Chief Dovid Efune highlighted the paper’s mission to serve as the voice for the Jewish people. “We will speak up on behalf of those that cannot do so, and we will raise our voices on behalf of those that are not heard,” he said.

In a moving address, Or Carmeli, the sister of IDF Sergeant Sean Carmeli, an American who was killed fighting in Gaza during Operation Protective Edge, thanked The Algemeiner for profiling her brother shortly after his death.