The Blogs: An Evening commemorating October 7th with Consul General of New York Ofir Akunis

Last night, I had the honor of attending an evening commemorating the October 7th attacks three year anniversary that was hosted by the Consulate General of New York, Consul General of Israel Ofir Akunis and his wife Adi Akunis. The event was hosted at the historic Orthodox Synagogue Kehilath Jeshurun, in which Rabbi Haskel Lookstein (Rabbi Emeritus), Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz (Senior Rabbi) and Cantor Chaim Dovid Berson were in attendance. In addition, we heard from the senior Director of ZAKA, families of the bereaved who lost loved ones on October 7th and we heard beautiful singing and music led by Judah Gavra in Blessed Memory of the over 1,300 precious souls that we lost that day. Over the past few years, I have become close to Consul General Ofir Akunis and admire the great work that he does both in the States and in Israel. Whether it be at the Greek Jewish Festival, Israel Galas, Fundraisers, Rallies against antisemitism and much more, I have had the opportunity to witness firsthand the tremendous work that he does on a daily basis.

Ofir Akunis is an Israeli politician and diplomat who currently serves as the Israeli Consul General in New York, a position he assumed in May 2024. A prominent member of the Likud party, his diplomatic appointment in New York marks his first official posting in foreign service. Before transitioning into diplomacy, Akunis spent over a decade in domestic Israeli politics, having been first elected to the Knesset in 2009. Throughout his legislative tenure, he held several key governmental portfolios including Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology (where he served from 2015 to 2020 and again from 2022 to 2024). In this role, he finalized 30 international agreements and spearheaded major scientific conferences. He served as Minister of Regional Cooperation from 2020 to 2021, focusing heavily on facilitating the implementation of the Abraham Accords and promoting trade and regional dialogue. After serving in this position, he became the Minister of Labor, Social Affairs, and Social Services, in which he served in 2020 during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, where he managed critical welfare distributions, including home-delivered meals for Israel’s elderly population. Additionally, Akunis has held roles as Deputy Speaker of the Knesset, Chairman of the Economic Affairs Committee, and head of national initiatives like the “Computer for Every Child” project.

As Consul General, Akunis manages diplomatic and community relations across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Delaware. His tenure has been marked by high-profile public stances and media appearances representing Israeli policy, particularly relating to regional conflicts involving Iran and Gaza. He has drawn significant public attention for his sharp and justified vocal criticism of the antisemitic New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, frequently clashing over Mamdani’s anti-war stances, calls for the arrest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the revocation of anti-BDS policies. Citing blatant media bias, Akunis also ordered staff at the Israeli Consulate to cancel their subscriptions to The New York Times in August 2026. Born on May 28, 1973, in Tel Aviv-Yafo, Akunis is married to Adi Akunis, and the couple has two children, Yonatan and Roni. He and his family relocated to New York from Tel Aviv for his diplomatic posting.

As he spoke at last night’s Event commemorating October 7th, Akunis emotionally stated,”We will never forget how the Gazans stormed the Nova Music Festival killing hundreds of people, raping hundreds of young women. We remember the terrorists breaking into our Military bases and killing our brave soldiers in cold blood while they were sleeping. We remember the Gazans taking 251 innocent people and taking them into the dungeons of the tunnels and in private homes in Gaza. We remember the children of Gaza celebrating while bodies were being dragged through the streets. We remember the global protests on October 8th, 2023 including here in NYC in support of these terrorists. Shameless people wearing Keffiyehs and Hamas sympathizers. We will always remember October 7th, 2023. Like most Israelis, I was woken up that morning by hundreds of rockets that were flying over the skies of the State of Israel from Gaza. I remember seeing the first pictures coming out from Sderot, the Kibbutzim, the Nova Music Festival, all from our Military bases on that day as our whole Nation mourned as one. Later on I called the Government cabinet secretary and informed that I would be a representative at every military funeral possible and visit the families throughout Israel. I felt a tremendous amount of emotion and pain for every parent and grandparent who had to bury their child who had to give up their lives to protect their Nation. I saw the pictures of all the brave soldiers in their family living rooms who had to give up their lives during the shiva while listening to the families telling me stories about their remarkable lives.”

As the emotional evening came to an end, I had the opportunity to ask Consul General Ofir Akunis that it has been three years since that tragic day of October 7th, what is the biggest takeaway that we can learn from this tragedy that brought us all even closer? What can we infer from the skyrocketing of antisemitism that we have witnessed firsthand in NYC and across the Globe? Akunis stated ” Unfortunately, antisemitism has peaked to an all-time high since the end of the second World War. We must reflect the truth and that my speech tonight reflected the truth. We are living in an upside-down world. All of the lies become the truth in their eyes and vice versa. I insist that we must always stand for Israel and our brave soldiers and as I stated in my speech, the truth will always prevail as a light that goes counter to their darkness and unfortunately it is a deep darkness. I think that October 7th (which will be on Wednesday) was an example of the crudeness of Gazans and the Nukhbas and we are there and will stay there until we defeat Hamas which will be soon. Most of their commanders are not with them anymore and we will get the job done.” As we finished speaking, I embraced my dear friend Consul General Ofir Akunis as he fights the good fight on a daily basis and focuses on the beautiful thought that through darkness the light of truth will always prevail.