NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) -- Itay Milner has served as Israel's spokesperson at its Consulate General in New York since December 2020, but his posting will come to an end later this month, and he'll be returning to Israel with his wife and settling in Tel Aviv and commuting to a government "desk job" in Jerusalem for "a couple of years" before assuming another post overseas, he told 1010 WINS/WCBS 880.
Representing Israel has never been an easy task for any of its diplomats, but the stateside aftermath of Hamas' murderous Oct. 7 terror attack in Israel -- which led to an alarming spike in anti-Jewish assaults, vandalism and protests in New York City, where the most Jewish people live outside Israel -- was unprecedented. (Hamas killed about 1,200 people and kidnapped about 250 to Gaza; 115 hostages remain but it is unclear how many are alive, according to Israeli officials.)
"October 7th caught us all by surprise," Milner, who previously served as the Deputy Consul General of Israel in Chicago and the Deputy Ambassador of Israel in Serbia, said.
"I must tell you that one of the things that I do remember very well is that the Sunday after October 7th, we already had an anti-Israel protest outside the consulate (X post below), which was a sign of what's coming and a sign that many of those people who are protesting are not protesting anything that goes on in Gaza because on October 7th, there were no casualties in Gaza, they were celebrating. They were celebrating the achievement that brought them closer to what they really want -- which is to eliminate Israel."
While Milner, who earned a Bachelor of Law from Tel Aviv University, experienced the aforementioned response to the Oct. 7 attack, he said he also witnessed the kindness and generosity of New Yorkers.
"So ever since then, it's been a madhouse," he said. "At the beginning we were overwhelmed with the attention and support that we got here in New York, in this great city ... We were flooded with packages that people sent. We had to charter planes to take people who wanted to go to Israel. We wanted to assist or who wanted to enlist into the army. And we were overwhelmed with local politicians that came to the Consulate ... And so in the past few months, I almost did not have a single week without attending three, four pro-Israel events. And not just by the Jewish community, by a lot of different communities."
Miler acknowledged that initially, there was "unwavering support" for Israel's war against Hamas, a U.S.-designated terror group. But as time went on, "a very worrying trend" emerged: "we are living in two separate worlds: in one world, you have the people who know what's going on, they watch the news, they read the newspapers, they know Israel, they heard about Israel before. Then you have those young people, but all they know are things that they interpret in their world."
The bottom line, says Milner? "It's very surprising that young people who see themselves as progressive, as social justice activists, that they embrace the oldest hate in history."
Milner said when it comes to Jewish New Yorkers being harassed on the subway and elsewhere in public, "there's certainly a place for more (law enforcement)."
"But," he added, "I can tell you that we have great relations with the city leadership. And I'm not doubting even for a second, the commitment of Mayor Adams to fighting antisemitism. He says it in every opportunity. And I don't think it's just words."
And on lighter note, does Milner, who has lived on the Upper East Side and East Village, have any regrets or must-dos before he returns to Israel?
"Yes, the Roosevelt Island tram, I've never done that. I need to do that before I leave," he said. "And I never managed to get a reservation at Don Angie (restaurant in the West Village). Although I tried many times!"