Trump-Backed Blakeman Draws Protest at Jerusalem Expo

Bruce Blakeman, the Republican endorsed by President Donald Trump, attended the Jerusalem Real Estate Expo in midtown Manhattan on May 28, 2026—an event that drew protesters outside the Hilton hotel and reignited debates over Israel-linked property sales, incl

Bruce Blakeman walked through the day-long buzz of the Jerusalem Real Estate Expo in midtown Manhattan knowing the optics would be the story long before the real estate ever was.

The Republican candidate for governor of New York—endorsed by US President Donald Trump—told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that he attended Thursday’s Israeli real estate expo to show he was an Israel supporter and investor. At the Hilton hotel. he moved among hundreds of attendees as representatives from dozens of Israeli real estate companies handed out pamphlets and shared information about properties for sale.

Protesters met him across the street later that day as the evening program began. As has become routine at similar events in the five boroughs, scores of demonstrators gathered outside.

Blakeman’s remarks turned quick questions into a confident line. When asked if he was worried that New Yorkers who accompanied him at the Jerusalem Real Estate Expo were fixing to leave for Israel. he answered cheekily: “Not when I’m governor.” He added. “They’ll have two places. They’ll want to live in both.”.

Some of the properties presented during the expo were in Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem—an area many countries consider illegal. Protesters have also targeted past Israel real estate events, including ones that have involved a small number of properties in West Bank settlements.

Outside, the tension was organized. More than 100 demonstrators gathered to protest the event. They were organized by Pal-Awda. a hardline anti-Zionist activist group that has led protests outside events facilitating immigration to Israel at various New York City synagogues. The synagogues rent out space to vendors, but do not organize the events themselves.

The Jerusalem Real Estate Expo was not a fringe appearance. Thursday’s event was larger than similar events at synagogues, filling up a convention space at the Hilton hotel and drawing several public figures.

Blakeman wasn’t the only politician there. Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion attended and was slated to speak during the evening program. Israeli NBA star Deni Avdija was also present and set to receive an award.

The politics behind the expo are complicated—and it shows in the different positions held by the two leading candidates. Blakeman trailed Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul by 16 percentage points in the latest polling, conducted by the Siena Research Institute in late April.

Hochul has pushed statewide “buffer zone” legislation in response to protests outside synagogues that were hosting similar events. and she said during her State of the State address in January that “targeting a Jewish community in this way is antisemitism.” The statewide buffer zone bill passed this week.

Blakeman. running to Hochul’s right. framed the expo as a pro-Israel signal—while the opposition framed it as something else entirely. The anti-Zionist Jewish Voice for Peace denounced the event. saying it was organized by the Israeli Building Center and the municipality of Jerusalem and that the municipality “is directly involved in imposing and administering discriminatory apartheid policies. and should not be hosted anywhere in the city.”.

Inside the hotel, Israeli real estate companies circulated information throughout the day. Across the street. protesters held their line as the expo continued into the evening—turning what was billed as a marketplace into a live test of how New York chooses to handle Israel-linked commerce. and who it chooses to trust when the cameras turn on.

Bruce Blakeman Trump endorsed Jerusalem Real Estate Expo Hilton Midtown Manhattan Pal-Awda buffer zone bill Kathy Hochul Moshe Lion Deni Avdija Jewish Voice for Peace East Jerusalem Israeli Building Center