Mayor Invites Gaza War into New Rochelle City Hall on Tuesday
Yadira Ramos-Herbert caught on tape misleading Jewish Voters over Israeli Flag.
NEW ROCHELLE, NY (February 9, 2024) — There will be a heavy police presence at New Rochelle City Hall on Tuesday (along with TV cameras) to deal with an anticipated overflow crowd of angry Pro-Israel and Pro-Palestinian protestors divided over whether an Israeli flag should continue fly in front of the building.
What could have been solved in a transparent democratic process a month ago has instead been turned into an open cattle call for every person with a strong opinion on the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The inflamed situation was entirely avoidable but for inept backroom dealing by a newbie Mayor who thought it wise to spend most of her first month in office trying to secretly remove the Israeli flag while publicly telling Jewish residents to “raise these Israeli flags”.
One can only ask, was this really how she wanted to spend her first month in office?
The Mayor’s waffling has had one bright spot: she has managed to achieve the impossible, uniting Pro-Israel and Pro-Palestinian residents — in anger towards her for repeated equivocation.
Yadira Ramos-Herbert supported raising the Israeli flag on October 10, then again on November 1, then supported removing the flag (without public discussion) on January 16, January 17, January 22, and January 23, then supported leaving the flag up on January 31, and leaving it up until February 29.
Put another way, while campaigning for Mayor she was for raising the Israeli flag but once in office she was secretly for lowering the Israeli flag, even after she gave a pro-Israeli flag speech. It is truly head-spinning.
While she was working behind the scenes to lower the flag, she gave an impassioned “raise these Israeli flags” speech to Jewish voters at a rally at the Golden Horseshoe shopping center after a major antisemitic incident on January 25.
In the “raise these Israeli flags” speech, she repeatedly referenced the importance of raising the Israeli flag while continuing to secretly demand the City Manager take down the Israeli flag at City Hall.
She began her speech with “let's raise these Israeli flags. Let’s show who we are”, then continued with “let's proudly, proudly show the flag. Let's show who we are. This is who we are,” before ending with “raise the flags high, be proud to raise the flags high, raise ‘em all up. Let’s show our kids. Let’s show our kids who we are.”
Despite the speech, she secretly continued to push for removing the Israeli flag at City Hall for another six days.
I published a detailed account yesterday of the Mayor’s backroom dealing based on over 100 emails and attachments I obtained through a Freedom of Information request. It is not a pretty picture:
How New Rochelle Mayor Tried (and Failed) to Quietly Remove Israeli Flag at City Hall
As for the speech, Yadira could have chosen any number of themes or none to show support for frightened Jewish residents but like a kamikaze pilot drunk on sake she zeroed in on the one topic where she was most vulnerable and nosedived into it with gleeful abandon.
It is lying but a particularly heinous form of lying. It is gaslighting, a sort of psychological abuse designed to cause someone to question their sanity, memories, or perception of reality.
It goes without saying that the Middle East proxy war Yadira has inexplicably put on the agenda Tuesday over the 10/7 terror attack and the Israeli military response is by far the stupidest thing I have seen in more than 15 years of covering New Rochelle politics.
My best advice to readers is to stay far away from what is certain to be a shitshow at City Hall on Tuesday night. There may well be protestors from all over the Tri-State area. There may be violence in the building and outside of it.
Think about it.
How long will it take before Pro-Israel speakers at Citizens to be Heard are drown out by chants of “From the River to the see, Palestine will be free” or “Free, Free, Palestine”? How long before Pro-Palestinian speakers are met with calls of “shame” and “release the hostages”? What signs will be raised? How about flags? How long until personal attacks are made against the two Jewish members of Council? Certainly Yadira, who has a history of crying when things do not go her way, is going to get a well-deserved earful from both sides. Police may need to escort Council Members out of chambers and guard the flagpole from an attempts to cut down the Israeli flag. I have seen things like this before and for the safety of my readers please pop some popcorn, sit back and watch the fiasco on TV.
TRANSCRIPT (Golden Horseshoe)
YADIRA: I think what I would like to see, let's raise these Israeli flags. Let’s show who we are. I had the chance to go to Israel and really appreciate the connection, as Assemblywoman Paulin said, of New York to Israel. Let's proudly, proudly show the flag. Let's show who we are. This is who we are. I'm not Jewish, raised in Queens, (to Paulin) “you know, no disrespect”, raised Catholic, but really love living in New Rochelle because I get to live in this diversity. And I have to raise my kids in a space where we learn from each other and grow together. October 7 really showed that connection for me as someone who's not Jewish to Israel, and I understand the pain that you must feel going to Kibbutz Kfar Aza and really seeing the the terrorism that occurred so raise the flags high, be proud to raise the flags high, raise ‘em all up. Let’s show our kids. Let’s show our kids who we are. How we support each other. And how we come together. OK? We will not be scared. And you should know you have a friend, you have an ally in New Rochelle leadership from the Mayor down to the council, my colleagues extend their love and affection to this community. I see my colleague David Peters in the back representing district three again here supporting you, so thank you, I I mourn with you. I'm sad with you, but I stand shoulder to shoulder with you to protect, advocate and speak for this community. I know today's a holiday bear with me, Chag Sameach, maybe, and I I practiced this in Israel “Am Yisrael Chai”, OK?
I’m actually a moderate Democrat who supports Israel, and is absolutely appalled by the lack of fairness shown towards a country that fell prey to such a horrific act of terrorism and barbarism at the hands of Hamas. I also believe that the killing of the Palestinian population in Gaza is simply tragic, and I read the stories and cannot imagine the human suffering. I say this because there is a nuanced position that allows one to support both sides. Having said all of that, what this is has nothing to do with “nuance”. It’s a disingenuous and horrifying display of lying,gaslighting, and political pandering. I hope her voters remember that she did this. New Rochelle deserves a lot better.