Cohen heads to Israel

Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin visited the Bronx last month, the country’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to address Congress on Tuesday, March 3 — and the northwest Bronx’s Councilman Andrew Cohen is flying with a delegation to Israel in between.

Mr. Cohen said he, Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and 13 other council members are leaving for a weeklong visit on Sunday, Feb. 15.

While aimed at showing the City Council’s support for Israel, the trip could also add momentum to a new effort to foster ties between the Middle Eastern country and the Bronx in particular. Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. visited Israel with a delegation of Latino movers and shakers last month, and following that trip, he and Mr. Rivlin held a joint forum at the Bronx Museum of the Arts touting Bronx-Israel ties.

“Things are not symbolic,” Mr. Cohen said in a Monday interview. “Israel has a real tech boom going on. I think the Bronx would like to partner with Israel on some of those things.”

The councilman added that his scheduled trip got positive reviews from Rabbi Avi Weiss, one of many Jewish leaders in Riverdale who have spent years building ties between the neighborhood and Israel.

“There’s a lot of people in the 11th council district who have a strong interest in the well being, and affirming a connection with, the state of Israel,” Mr. Cohen said.

His trip comes as conversation inside the beltway focuses on Mr. Netanyahu’s decision to speak before the Republican-controlled Congress and decline an invitation from Democratic President Barack Obama — a move that some commentators view as potentially dividing U.S. support for Israel.

Asked how his delegation should navigate the situation, Mr. Cohen said, “Right now, the support of Israel is bipartisan. It would be unfortunate if somehow someone to advance their political agenda in the state of Israel would use United States partisan politics to further that goal.”