A MOST WORTHY REPLACEMENT FOR THE DISGRACED GEORGE SANTOS

'Some won't like seeing a former Israeli soldier running for Congress, but I know the vast majority will be with me'

Mazi Melesa Pilip, who served in Israel's Paratroopers Brigade and now hopes to win the seat formerly held by George Santos, speaks with Israel Hayom.

 

By  Dor Malul  

 

Israel Hayom

Dec 21, 2023

 

Mazi Pilip was flanked by GOP officials, including LI congressmen past and present, as she formally announced her candidacy for the 3rd Congressional District special election. 

 

In a small district in the New York suburbs, a political storm has caught the national attention, with a former Israeli woman taking center stage: Mazi Melesa Pilip. 

Pilip will try to win New York's 3rd district seat vacated by the ouster of Rep. George Santos and thus help maintain the razor-thin majority the GOP has in the lower chamber.

In regular days, the elections for the vacant seat would have remained in local headlines, but when both major parties compete for control of the House of Representatives and with a pivotal election year in the background, the political struggle becomes passionate and dramatic.

The 44-year-old Pilip won the Republican nomination for the seat and although she is already known in local politics as a prominent lawmaker in the Nassau County legislature, her public career began far away – somewhere in Israel.

She spent her childhood in Ethiopia, her homeland. When she reached the age of 12, she immigrated to Israel as part of "Operation Solomon." After her military service in the Paratroopers Brigade, she earned a bachelor's degree in occupational therapy at the University of Haifa and continued with a master's degree in diplomacy and security at Tel Aviv University.

 

 

Mazi Melesa Pilip as a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces.

 

She entered politics during her student days when she was a prominent voice in the student union of Ethiopian immigrants in Israel and worked to promote equal rights. It was during that period that she also met Adalbert Pilip, a Jewish student of Ukrainian descent who came to study medicine in Israel, and later the two married. After moving to the United States, the couple settled in the "Great Neck" area of New York, where there is a large Jewish community

"My story is the story of America and Israel together. Israel is a diverse state, there is not just one color, and in the US any dream can become reality," Pilip says in a special interview with Israel Hayom. "This is my second immigration. I had to learn culture and a new language twice, it wasn't easy for me."

She explains that her entry into American politics can be traced to a personal event that she experienced, amid growing antisemitism in the country. "During one of the flare-ups between Hamas and Israel, we felt unsafe walking down the street. People were hurt when they went out to demonstrate for Israel. As my son's bar mitzvah was coming up and I asked him what he wanted as a gift from his grandparents in Israel, so he told me 'a Star of David necklace'. I loved hearing that because not many kids would ask for something like that, and it really surprised me," she said. "Nevertheless, I was worried. How would my child walk around with a Star of David when there is such tension in the air? The very fact that this concern crossed my mind really bothered me, it was a terrible feeling. My husband comes from a family of Holocaust survivors, and that feeling of fear of wearing a Star of David resonated with my Jewish heritage. I felt it wasn't right."

She added, "I believe that if something is wrong, we have two options – to close our eyes and accept this is what it is, or to understand that it is unacceptable and fight to change it. I realized that I needed to take on leadership roles to effect change."

She describes her foray into the Republican side of American politics as complex, in part because of the difficulties imposed by local politicians. "Every time Republicans ran someone here, he lost to the Democratic candidate. When I came to compete they told me 'It won't happen, you're pregnant, you have five children, we always vote for the Democrats.' I told them 'What is this approach, it's not the right approach.' I'm here to win not to cry, let's start working on it, and then I brought a victory that changed the political map here. The votes of the Jewish community also helped elect more Republicans, and in fact, we colored the district red ."

After two years in the role of county legislator, Pilip received the coveted GOP nomination to become the local congresswoman. Her campaign will likely be greatly affected by the Gaza war. "I know there will be a handful of Muslims who won't like seeing a former Israeli soldier running for Congress, it will deter them. The progressive Democrats will also not like it, and they have great influence and know how to make noise but I know the vast majority will be with me, because the US is a friend of Israel, and the American people are with us."

Pilip agrees that this is a very big and significant campaign with a lot of resources invested in it having her win. "It's making headlines around the world for several reasons," she says.

"First of all, this is a battle over who controls Congress, which is very important heading into the 2024 elections. The Republicans want control in order to be effective. If in the past, they would invest a few million on their nominees but in my campaign, they are investing up to $20 million to win this seat. Additionally, there is a desire to undo the damage Santos caused, which is an embarrassment for the party. Almost everything he said was a lie. And of course, there's my personal story, of a woman who grew up in Israel, served in the IDF, and is now running for Congress against the backdrop of the war on Hamas."

When we talk about fighting Hamas and support from the US, Pilip admits that the Biden administration is assisting Israel, but it is still subject to influence from extremists within the Democratic Party. "President Joe Biden is doing the maximum to help, but he faces a lot of pressure from within," she says. "The anti-Israel lawmakers, the Squad, refuse to condemn Hamas. While they are a minority, they have tremendous influence, demanding a ceasefire and conditioning aid to Israel on many things."

However, when it comes to foreign policy, Pilip takes the opportunity to attack the current president. "What happened on October 7 should not have happened. The US deterrence capability in the region was damaged, and when you are weak, you send a message of weakness, which countries and groups will take advantage of," she attacked. "It is the duty of a world power to impose order in the world, and it is our duty as the US to continue supporting Israel and sending a message to Iran and its proxies that we will not sit quietly and allow them to achieve what they want."

Pilip refuses to set conditions for continued aid to Israel, saying that Israel must be supported without deadlines and without conditions. "Israel must be given the necessary time for the war without conditions, to conduct the war and uproot Hamas. There is no other solution," she explained.

With her deep connection to Israel and the Jewish tradition, in American politics, Philip is leading a fierce local Republican agenda. "The economic issue and personal security are very important to me. I've helped stop tax hikes and the defunding of local police forces due to rampant crime, and the immigration issue is very important to me," she said. "We see millions coming here with drugs like fentanyl, which hurts the young generations, who get addicted and die from it. I changed the progressive reforms that negatively impacted residents."

Against the backdrop of rising antisemitism in the US, especially on campuses across the country, Pilip claims she is concerned about the permissive spirit that pro-Palestinian students receive from university administrations. "The antisemitism and anti-Israel activity on campuses did not happen overnight but was built up over years. Students calling for an intifada and 'from the river to the sea' feel comfortable with it because those managing these institutions give it legitimacy," she continues. "During the hearing in Congress, the university presidents were unwilling to condemn the calls for genocide of Jews and this shows how this extremist view is growing stronger because there is no one to control it and stop it." 

In Pilip's view, this is very worrying. "The American people need to understand that this is a terrorist organization whose interest is to destroy the State of Israel, and in the same breath also the American people," she says. "The slaughter against Israel could also happen here. One needs to understand who the bad actors are and who the good ones are. Israel did not attack Hamas, it did not murder children. Hamas are the ones who violated the ceasefire and burned babies and raped girls, acts the likes of which humanity has never seen. These are things that were captured on camera and seen around the world."

If she wins the congressional seat, Pilip says, she will take on institutions that do not act firmly against expressions of hatred. "I am very proud of the Congressional hearing held by the party leadership. One needs to use this tool – congressional hearings — and hold those responsible accountable. An institution that encourages hatred on campuses and does not act against calls to destroy the State of Israel will not receive funding. One who does not provide protection and equal rights to all students will pay the price in state funding. There also needs to be a lot of educational work done in schools, starting from elementary schools. The younger generation needs to be educated about the Holocaust, what is happening today is not enough. A student my son's age came out of class and said he 'admires Hitler'. I was shocked by this, it means they have not invested enough in Holocaust education."

Despite her clear agenda on local issues, especially American policy towards Israel, Pilip avoids answering questions related to next year's presidential election. When asked which Republican presidential candidate she would support, she dodges the question and does not name any of the candidates. "We are in the midst of the race between the candidates, and it has not yet been decided who the party's nominee will be. My district will vote for whoever the party chooses," Pilip says.

Pilip wanted to convey a message to the Israeli public: "First of all, the people of Israel live. My dear brothers and sisters, we feel your pain from here. We are thinking about our missing persons and about the slaughtered babies." She sounds very emotional, her voice breaking at times. "Victory lies in our unity. The country is small, there is no room for infighting among ourselves. It's okay and normal if we don't agree on everything. It doesn't look good, and only makes us look weak in the eyes of the enemy as well as countries like the US, who want to see unity."

Pilip refuses to directly address the only woman in the race, Nikki Haley, as well. "Everyone's good, but as we get closer to the end of the debate between the candidates, we'll state our opinion and vote for the candidate that gets nominated," she noted.

Q: Why do some claim that the Republican party is "rolling the dice" by nominating you? 

"The party knows me very well, they know I'm a strong woman who has proved herself. My husband and I come from underprivileged families and succeeded through our own efforts. I'm not a politician, I'm a person from the field with seven children who always works hard. If they want a politician who's good at talking and sitting in a chair, they should take Tom Suozzi (her Democratic opponent). I'm running out of a sense of purpose, to bring change, I represent a young voice and we need new faces, not 'old politics'. The party trusts me and knows what I stand for." 

Q: Do you think you have a chance of winning?

"My chances are great. Polls don't interest me. I'm working very hard to win. My agenda is very appealing to voters here."

Pilip asked to convey a message to the public in Israel: "First of all, Am Yisrael Chai. My dear brothers and sisters, we feel the pain from here. We think about our kidnapped people and about the babies slaughtered in cold blood." 

She sounds very emotional, her voice breaks off at times. "Victory is in our unity. The country is small, there's no room for infighting among us. It's okay and normal that we won't agree on everything. It doesn't look good, and only makes us look weak in the eyes of the enemy and also in the eyes of countries like the US, which wants to see unity."