The event producer noted that since October 7th, demand for properties in the Jewish State has increased, but so have the protests.
The last leg of an Israeli real estate expo tour was canceled in Brooklyn, NY following threats from anti-Israel protesters.
The tour, which highlighted Israeli properties including those located in Judea and Samaria, was faced with protesters but still had events in Teaneck, New Jersey, Montreal, Toronto, and Lawrence, New York.
However, the My Home in Israel expo had to cancel its event in the Flatbush-Midwood section of Brooklyn after “serious threats.”
The producer of My Home in Israel, Gideon Katz, said he disagreed with the decision to nix the event but told The New York Jewish Week, “There was nothing I could do. It was not in my hands.”
The synagogue which was supposed to be the venue of the event, Khal Bnei Avrohom Yaakov, could not be reached for comment on the cancellation.
Katz, who has been producing Israeli real estate events for 20 years noted that since October 7th demand for properties in the Jewish State has increased, but so have the protests.
He noted that many Jews around the world are seeking to buy property in Israel as a haven from global antisemitism while protesters outside the event accuse the company of selling “stolen Palestinian land.”
At the event, 35 vendors were promoting 100 real estate projects in Haifa, Tel Aviv, Beit Shemesh and Givat Shmuel as well as the Judea and Samaria communities of Efrat, Neve Daniel, Maale Adumim.
The controversy began when a Jewish man named Rich Siegel who lives in Teaneck New Jersey complained that the event was “illegal” and that the city council should not allow it to go forward.
He alleged falsely that only Jews were allowed to attend, said that it “violates both domestic law and international law,” and encouraged hundreds of people to carry sign outside of the event in the name of “resistance until liberation.”
At the Toronto event, one protester was armed with a nail gun.
The Anti-Defamation League warned of “inaccurate, divisive and inflammatory rhetoric” surrounding the events.
Pro-Palestinian protestors celebrated when the event was canceled and one Instagram post in a group called Al-Awda said, “We will continue to SHUT IT DOWN for PALESTINE and fight for our land until full liberation and return from the river to the sea.”
Image - Reuters