Letters To The Editor - June 19, 2026

Israel Still Recognized by Most UN States

In Mark Trencher’s article, “We Need Not Walk Alone” (June 12), he says, “the events of October 7, the ongoing war, and growing antisemitism often make it feel like we are increasingly alone in a challenging, dangerous world.” This is a common impression one gets when one looks at the mainstream media – that Israel is a pariah state shunned by most of the world’s nations.

It may come as a big surprise, as it did to me, to find that as of February 2026, the State of Israel is recognized as a sovereign state by 163 of the other 192 member states of the United Nations, or approximately 85% of all UN members. It maintains bilateral ties with all of the UNSC Permanent Five, although the status of China is uncertain after the 1966-76 Revolution, and it is not friendly to Israel today.

Below is a list of the countries recognizing Israel, by region:

In Europe, all 44 UN members, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, Ukraine, and Russia.

In the Americas, 32 UN members, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, and Chile.

In Asia-Pacific & Oceania, 42 UN members, including Australia, India, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, The Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

In Africa, 45 UN members, including, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia, Ghana, Rwanda, and Morocco.

In the Middle East, Arab League normalizations with Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain.

The point is that as maligned as it is, and as shifting as the geopolitical climate is, Israel is still friendly with, and trades with, the great majority of countries, including the most powerful nations in the world today.

Max Wisotsky

Highland Park, N.J.

Mamdani’s Antisemitism on Parade

The June 5 edition of The Jewish Press gave extensive coverage to the success of this year’s Israel Day Parade, with the front-page article describing it as providing “a powerful display of unity, pride, and support for the Jewish State.”

Mayor Mamdani’s decision to boycott the parade rests on the false assumption that you can draw a distinction between the Jewish religion and political/religious Zionism. As a point of fact, Mayor Mamdani’s choice clearly displays his antisemitic prejudice, as defined by the IHRA’s working definition of antisemitism, specifically, “denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination.”

But the issue is more than self-determination. The editorial describes the parade as “a celebration of the ancestral, cultural, and spiritual connection of the Jewish people to their homeland.” This spiritual connection refers to the religious component of our attachment to Eretz Yisrael.

Though sadly the majority of Jews do not yet observe Shabbat, nevertheless the obligation remains. So too, though half of world Jewry has not yet made aliyah, nevertheless the obligation remains. A central idea in Jewish religious practice includes praying for the ingathering of the exiles, a return to Eretz Yisrael, where we are to model for the world a society built upon Biblical morality. Biblical prophesy is being fulfilled before our very eyes. To deny the Jewish people their obligation to return home and perform the mitzvot in the land given to them by the G-d of Creation, as recorded in the Bible, is a blatant example of religious intolerance, a brazen display of prejudice against Jewish dogma. Even worse, Mayor Mamdani actively engaged in discrimination against the Jewish community when he publicly disrespected their annual celebration by boycotting the parade.

David Ferster

Great Neck, N.Y.

Iran has been firing missiles at civilian populations. This is against international law. Where does Mayor Mamdani stand on this issue? I haven’t heard him say he will arrest the Ayatollah if he comes to New York City. It doesn’t seem like Mandani really cares much about international law.

Mandani’s threat to arrest Netanyahu if he steps foot into New York City and refusal to march in the Israeli Day Parade makes his racist views very obvious: He hates Jews. What if next week he decides to hate Christians, Blacks, or Asians? Would that be tolerated? If there’s any legal way to remove Mandani from office, it must be done – he’s a threat to our culture.

Josh Greenberger

Brooklyn, N.Y.

Parades

Letter writer Josh Rosenthal laments that secular and left-wing liberal Jews and yeshivish/chassidish Jews were absent from the Israeli Day Parade (Letters, June 12). That may be so, but probably for different reasons.

Secular Jews were not there because Yiddishkeit obviously has little meaning to them and identifying with such a large contingent of Orthodox Jews is simply of no interest to them. On the other hand, the yeshivish/chassidish Jews were not there, I believe, because Yiddishkeit means a lot to them. When you sit and learn Torah for long periods, it’s difficult to attend a parade that celebrates a country that supports a serious sin of the Torah – the gay lifestyle. The gay parade in Israel is grossly offensive and an embarrassment to the Jewish Nation. I don’t blame the yeshivish/chassidish Jews for one moment for wanting no part of this grave sin.

Then you’ll often hear people say something like, “But we need unity.” Yes, we certainly need unity. But this is not the place for it. When the Jews worshiped the Golden Calf, G-d did not speak of unity. He ordered the participants to be executed. Now, I’m not suggesting that Israel execute gays and their supporters. But the least Israel can do is put a stop to this horrible desecration of the Torah.

David Balsam

Brooklyn, N.Y.