Inside Mayor Eric Adams' atypical trip to Israel

NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Eric Adams' trip to Israel is not like typical mayoral delegations to the Jewish state.

He will meet Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose move to weaken judicial power has sparked months of widespread protests.

The sit-down is the highest-profile event of Adams’ four-day visit.

He also plans to speak with Israeli officials critical of Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul, and before he meets with Netanyahu, Adams has a closed-door discussion with leaders of the protest movement.

People traveling with the mayor argued that a face-to-face with the prime minister is not a tacit endorsement of his nationalist policies. Netanyahu’s efforts to curtail Supreme Court influence have been slammed as attacks on democracy.

He’ll talk later this week with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai, according to a person familiar with Adams’ plans.

The other meetings are key, said the progressive New York Jewish Agenda, adding that a visiting mayor talking with Israeli leaders is typical.

“However, these are not typical times, and we’re encouraged to hear that the mayor will also meet with pro-democracy movement and protest leaders,” the group’s executive director Phylisa Wisdom said.

Left-wing advocacy group J Street’s response was much more barbed.

“We hope the mayor takes the opportunity to make clear to the prime minister that Israel’s friends in New York and around the world are aghast at his government’s assault on Israel’s democracy,” a spokesperson said.

David Greenfield, a former City Council member who now leads the anti-poverty Met Council, is also in Jerusalem for the trip.

“The mayor is skillfully navigating Israel by meeting with right, centrist and left leaders so he has the full spectrum of political views,” Greenfield told POLITICO.

In a guest column from Jerusalem, Adams wrote that his goals for the trip include learning how Israel is able to “absorb and integrate thousands of immigrants,” a nod to the influx of migrants he faces at home.

Adams is joined in Israel by Deputy Mayor for Communications Fabien Levy, senior adviser Joel Eisdorfer and NYPD First Deputy Commissioner Tania Kinsella.

The UJA-Federation of New York and the Jewish Community Relations Council are footing the bill.

Government meetings aside, photos shared by the mayor’s office show a warm reception for Adams who enjoyed himself while dining and playing music.

This reporting first appeared in New York Playbook. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every weekday.