When sirens began howling and Hamas terrorists were swarming southern Israel on the morning of October 7, former IDF paratrooper and current U.S. resident, Mazi Melesa Pilip, felt helpless watching from her Long Island home. But until Shabbat was over, the GOP nominee for Congress could not ascertain the severity of the reports.
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The 44-year-old made liya from Ethiopia and was enlisted to the Paratroopers Brigade. “While my husband was worried about the kids in my absence, it was actually my sisters in Israel who said I’m needed in the US for Israeli advocacy, to explain tao the American people what we’re dealing with. I understood then what my power as a politician could bring about. In a sense, I’ve been on uniform ever since. I explain that an attack on Israel is an attack on the world, and no one creates more suffering to the Palestinian people than Hamas. I tell them it’s a worthwhile war.
The 44-year-old made aliyah from Ethiopia and was drafted to the Paratroopers Brigade. “While my husband was worried about the kids in my absence, it was actually my sisters in Israel who said I’m needed in the U.S. for Israeli advocacy, to explain to the American people what we’re dealing with. I understood then what my power as a politician could bring about. In a sense, I’ve been in uniform ever since. I explain that an attack on Israel is an attack on the world, and no one creates more suffering for the Palestinian people than Hamas. I tell them it’s a worthwhile war," Pilip told Ynet.
“We can see those Congressional demagogues like Rashida Tlaib and AOC, with all the lies they spread. It’s no wonder antisemitism is seeing such a spike. Due to politicians like those in The Squad, the American people remain unacquainted with the facts. They don’t know there are 2 million Muslims living in Israel alongside the Jews and take up senior positions all over the country; But to call us an apartheid state? I went to Haifa University and my best classmates were Muslims.”
'I tell the story of Israel'
A recent poll shows about half of America’s youth support Hamas and believe all of Israel should be handed over to the Palestinians, which greatly concerns Pilip.
"The average person sees Israel as racist, and those yelling for Israel’s destruction are tomorrow’s leaders. That’s why I’m running. There’s a loud minority in Congress and we need to combat it. I tell the story of Israel, which carries weight when the vote to pass funds to Israel comes up for a congressional vote.”
It seems Biden is on your side, and perhaps Israel’s best Oval Office friend ever. Why go against him?
“He could be doing so much more. The end of the war is still ways off and he’s asking for a cease-fire. Hamas made it all happen. It’s true there’s a lot of pressure on him, but the way he’s going about things seems counterintuitive. He’s conditioning help for Israel by tying it to Ukraine and several other things. Every day that goes by without help to Israel is substantial. If he wants to help, he can do it unconditionally. Biden is playing politics at Israel’s expense.”
Would Trump have acted differently?
“None of this would be happening. Russia’s war with Ukraine, Hamas’ courage to act the way they did, all this wouldn’t be an issue with Trump as president. He projected power when he was in office, which is something you have to do. Biden carries no deterrence. Hamas used this opportunity to full effect, thinking that with Biden there would be no repercussions.”
Sounds like you’re laying all the responsibility on the U.S. rather than Israel.
“There’s plenty of blame to go around, and no one is a saint, whether it's Israel or the United States. Regardless, this isn’t the time to assign blame. We’ll get through this tough time and reflect later. Leaders screw up too. What we know is that the United States is a world superpower that needs to take care of business.
“Biden should have put clearer boundaries, but Israel screwed up as well. As an Israeli who lives stateside, it was hard for me to see the polarization in Israel with the judicial overhaul. We were on the verge of a civil war and did not pay attention to everything around us. It emboldened our enemies to strike. We’ve had disagreements before, but what happened the days before the Hamas attack was taken to another level.”
'Americans need to see Israel united'
There is another side to Pilip’s message. “The war brought about admirable unity to Israeli society. It’s an existential war and it’s nice to see everyone pitch in. Our disagreements notwithstanding, we’ve put it aside, which shows the resilience of Israeli democracy. Americans need to see Israel united, otherwise it sends a bad message. The objective now must be eradicating Hamas and bring back the hostages," she asserted.
“We’ll have our due diligence after the war, but at the moment we’re stronger together. That’s the beauty of our people. We’re together no matter where we are. It’s admirable. For the sake of our troops, it’s important to act as one,” she said.
In terms of talking to Israeli media, this is Pilip’s inaugural interview, after being the Republican nominee for New York’s Nassau County, and she conducts it in fluent Hebrew. “I’m not used to speaking about politics in Hebrew, but generally I prefer speaking in Hebrew, and I wish my English was just as good. I’ve been getting a lot of supportive messages from friends that I’ve brought some Israeli pride. I’m a Zionist who grew up loving her country.”
Pilip made aliyah when she was 12, as part of 1991’s Operation Solomon, and moved to the U.S. in 2005.
“It wasn’t that I wasn’t happy here. Academically, I was very engaged in the Haifa University, but then I met my husband, Adalbert Pilip, a New York cardiologist. I had no plans to leave, but fate had other plans. It was hard to leave everything behind, but I have a great and supportive husband and we’ve built a family together. My children and I still make annual visits, even though they grew up entirely American. I can’t make choices for them, but when they turn 18, if they want to enlist with the IDF, I’ll support it.”
'America the beautiful is no longer'
It’s her children who were Pilip's main motivation to get into local politics, after one of her kids returned from school one day saying he was subjected to antisemitic harassment. “Every Jewish person in America worries about antisemitism. Jewish students have no one to protect them, especially now with the war. America the beautiful is no longer. Today there is chaos that doesn’t serve the American people.”
Amazingly enough, Pilip is still a member of the Democratic Party, but says it is a meaningless detail. “Immigrants almost automatically register as Democrats, but with time, I realized my values are much closer to the Republican Party. The things I value as a mother and a woman are personal security, strengthening the police, lowering taxes and enforcing harsher immigration standards. With Biden, there’s no accountability.”
She says she was courted by Republican leadership due to her strength and shared values. “They never asked what party I’m registered with, and I can change it at will should they inquire,”Pilip says.
Regarding the legal affairs of the party's leader, former President Donald Trump, she says: “No one’s above the law. We have great candidates right now. Trump is one of them. We’ll wait and see. Whoever the nominee is, we’ll support him all the way.”
Fighting for a paramount congressional seat
The GOP majority within the House of Representatives is tiny and easily fleeting, which means the Nassau County seat Pilip is running for has garnered much attention. “Both parties are gonna be pouring a lot of money into this campaign,” she said. Estimates say this could end up being the priciest House campaign in the history of the state of New York.
And there’s another component to this story, which is the person who was removed from the seat she’s trying to win, the now-expelled George Santos, a man who has told so many lies about his own background- which turned out to be easily disprovable - that many of his own party voted to kick him out.
Initially a Santos supporter, Pilip has turned around on the issue. “Santos lied and should have resigned. He said his family were Holocaust survivors. He wanted to ride a wave of sympathy. In hindsight, there was financial malfeasance on his part as well. Everyone thought he needed to resign. It’s a shame he waited to be expelled,” she says.
Pilip remains unfazed by recent controversy caused by Santos' disgraceful exit, and confident it won't leave a stain on her or her party's electoral efforts in the district. She's equally unperturbed by the predictions favoring her Democratic opponent,Tom Suozzi, 61, a seasoned political figure with a history in the House of Representatives and a reputation for pulling the strings in local politics. His clear pro-Israel stance aligns with the district's, which, despite its affluent status and significant Jewish population, traditionally leans Democratic.
However, Pilip's focus isn't on historical voting patterns. Rather, she reflects on her own trailblazing journey.
"Even when I ran for a position in the district legislature, I was pregnant and already had five children, and no one thought I would win. In the end, I became the first Republican in history to serve as the representative of Great Neck in the district legislature. I'm used to breaking glass ceilings. I know how to campaign, I have good relations with people of all faiths. That's how I built myself, through human relations. And I will represent my district and Israel. I am so proud of my people. Especially today, after all that we are going through. Am Israel Chai, our strength is in our unity, and Israel should know that it has a full representative here, 100%. We will put things in order," she asserts.