NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – An Israeli real estate event planned for Wednesday at a Brooklyn synagogue was canceled following backlash as civil rights organizations called on the Attorney General to investigate due to potential violations of international and U.S. laws.
The event, The Great Israeli Real Estate Event, organized by a real estate company called My Home in Israel, which lists properties for sale in areas of Israel, was held in several locations including Teaneck, New Jersey, and its last event was scheduled to take place at Khal Bnei Avrohom Yaakov Simcha Hall in Midwood before it was canceled.
The Flatbush Jewish Community Council, according to the Jewish Press, announced the event's cancellation was based on the NYPD's advice, without specifying the reasons behind this decision. "The Rabbonim [rabbis] are asking all those who were planning to counter-protest, to please not attend, as the event is not going forward,” the statement read.
The NYPD did not confirm this statement.
The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations called on Attorney General Letitia James last week to investigate the events, accusing the organizers of “advertising the planned sale of occupied Palestinian land.”
The real estate website states that “our expert speakers will address all your questions about purchasing real estate in Israel and focusing on,” and goes on to list Neve Daniel, Efrat, Ma’ale Adumim, which are Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Gidon Katz, CEO of My Home in Israel real estate events, told Times in Israel that he was only aware of vendors active in Efrat.
A petition, which had over 4,000 signatures, was launched on March 8 by a community group NY-09 Neighbors for Palestine calling on 9th Congressional District Congress Member Yvette Clark, local Council Member Farah Louis and Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso to cancel the event in Midwood. The petition also called on James to investigate the violations.
The office of the New York Attorney General did not respond to a request for comment.
“The planned event for March 13th is illegal, wrong, and harmful to our community,” the petition read. “No to land theft: not in our borough, not in our neighborhood, not in our city.”
Attention was drawn to the events by Rich Siegel, a Jewish resident of Teaneck, whose viral video from a township meeting last week included a speech condemning the event which was held on March 10 for “violating both domestic and international law.”
Demonstrators protested outside Congregation Keter Torah in Teaneck on Sunday, where 35 vendors from Israeli real estate companies marketed 100 real estate projects.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken last month declared that Israel's expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank goes against international law, which signaled a return to longstanding U.S. policy on the issue, which had been reversed by the previous administration of Donald Trump. "They're also inconsistent with international law. Our administration maintains a firm opposition to settlement expansion, and in our judgment, this only weakens, doesn't strengthen Israel's security," Blinken said at a press conference in Buenos Aires.
My Home in Israel and Khal Bnei Avrohom Yaakov Simcha Hall did not respond to a request for comment.
CAIR-NY called out U.S.-based Keller Williams in its press release in connection to the Home in Israel events which Darryl Frost, spokesperson for Keller Williams, denied.
“My Home in Israel is not affiliated with KW in any way and appears to sell real estate in disputed territories,” Williams said. “We advise leaders and agents to stay away from “My Home in Israel,” ongoing events happening in Canada, New York, and New Jersey, which are causing mass protests and social media posts and are being conflated with our brand,”
The Israeli-American Council who is also listed as an affiliate of the event said that it is “not involved in any way with this event,” and that it has “requested that our logo be removed.”
CAIR-NY shared a post on X claiming the cancellation a victory of its efforts.