Roy Cho, Democratic candidate for the House of Representatives for the 5th Con­gressional district, recently returned from a visit to Israel. Cho was joined by Bergenfield resident and Simon Wiesenthal Center Re­gional Director Rabbi Steve Burg, Ora C. Korn­bluth, a councilwoman from Bergenfield, and Bergenfield political activist Shimmy Stein.

Mr. Cho said he faced some criticism for tak­ing the trip at this point in the campaign. After all, he could have come out and supported Is­rael strongly without actually visiting the coun­try, which very well may have placated the large Jewish population in the expanded 5th Con­gressional district. Mr. Cho, however, felt that visiting the country was important. He says, “I wanted to show my solidarity.” And the people whom Mr. Cho met were clearly appreciative. He said, “The first word out of people’s mouths was thanks for coming and showing solidarity.”

The trip lasted just 60 hours and was packed full of meetings and stops. There was a tour of the Old City of Jerusalem, a meeting with soldiers who were operating Iron Dome, a lunch meeting at the Knes­set with speaker Pnina Tamano-Shata, a vis­it with teens from New Jersey District Five who are studying in Israel and a visit to Yad Eliezer, an Israeli food bank.

The stop that had the most impact upon Mr. Cho’s appreciation of the situation in Isra­el was Sderot. Mr. Cho noted that the proxim­ity of Sderot to Gaza reminded him of what it is like to be in Edgewater and see Manhattan.

Mr. Cho, who counted himself as a sup­porter of Israel prior to the trip, has a new perspective of the country. He said, “See­ing and meeting people in Israel put a face on the aid that Israel gets from America.” He added that, “Israel is the only strong De­mocracy in the area and they benefit from federal dollars.”

Mr. Cho happily recalls growing up in Monmouth County, New Jersey. He and his friends would play freely without a care in the world. Mr. Cho contrasted this to the children in Sderot. He said, “Seeing the chil­dren playing on makeshift playgrounds that are right next to their homes so that they can be ready to run to the nearest shelter hit home.” He added, “These people couldn’t travel far and face constant safety concerns.”

Mr. Cho and his entourage also visited a secured indoor playground whose play areas double as bomb shelters. It was here that Rab­bi Burg saw something about Mr. Cho that par­ticularly impressed but did not surprise him. He said, “Roy got down on hands and knees to play with the kids at Sderot.” Rabbi Burg said this shows the candidate’s sincerity and decen­cy. Councilwoman Kornbluth also noted that, “Roy sat with children in a bomb shelter as they were working with an occupational therapist.”

Both Rabbi Burg and the Councilwom­an believe that Mr. Cho would be a strong advocate for Israel should he be elect­ed to the House of Representatives. They say going to Israel solidified Mr. Cho’s be­liefs about Israel. Says Councilwoman Ko­rnbluth, “Talking to people in Israel can be eye-opening. One can hear for themselves that the people simply want to live in peace, go to work, and have normal lives.”

“Being born in South Korea and living next door to a dictator helps Roy to appre­ciate what Israel is going through with Ha­mas,” said Rabbi Burg. The Rabbi adds about Mr. Cho, “He has a world view that can be an effective advocate for the 5th district.”

Another stop on Mr. Cho’s tour was the fu­ture site of the Museum of Tolerance in Jerusa­lem. This is especially appropriate as Mr. Cho noted that there have been some anti-Zion­ist/anti-Semitic attacks in District 5. “There is no room for this type of intolerance in a modern society,” he says. “We have to have an immedi­ate response, remain vigilant, and each indi­vidual has to speak up.” Mr. Cho believes that both education and an understanding of histo­ry need to play roles in overcoming anti-Semi­tism.

Mr. Cho clearly appreciated his lunch meeting with Knesset Speaker Pnina Tama­no-Shata, especially hearing her early mem­ories of walking from Ethiopia to Sudan with her family and many others. The IDF took Tamano-Shata and the other refugees to Israel. Mr. Cho was struck by how a small country went undercover to undertake this rescue. This resonated with Mr. Cho, who came to America when he was just a year old and because of the immigration debate that is going on right now in America. He also noted that this was an example of Isra­el’s open nature.

Mr. Cho says he gained a lot from his trip to Israel, repeatedly talking about the citizens of Israel in particular. He noted they are resilient and maintain optimism despite the constant threat of danger. He added, “The people of Israel share the same cultural values as Americans do.”

By Larry D. Bernstein