“Posties” Meet Up; East Side Politicos Solidly Behind Israel
From setting up the meeting of a current and a former “Postie” at the popular new restaurant Benny John’s on the E. 48th St. to rounding up local political reaction to the Israel-Hamas War, it has been a busy week for our East Side columnist.
| 13 Oct 2023 | 12:21
Mirso Lekic (left), who already owns the Tudor City Steakhouse, recently opened Benny John’s, a new hot spot on E. 48th St. where he greets current Post gossip columnist Cindy Adams and Our Town’s Editor in Chief Keith J. Kelly, who worked with Cindy for over 20 years while writing the Post’s Media Ink column. Photo: Courtesy Mirso Lekic
Post time-Cindy Adams has been my friend forever-from the early days of Our Town in the 70s when she wrote the eponymous gossip column called Cindy Says and I was her editor. After writing for Our Town for maybe six years at five dollars a column, Cindy had an offer to write for the New York Post. She told the Post’s then editor Roger Wood yes, and she wanted to continue writing for Our Town. Reluctantly, Wood agreed. When Cindy conveyed the good news to Our Town Publisher and owner and my then husband Ed Kayatt, he would have none of it. “Cindy,” he said, “it’s either Our Town or the Post...!” The rest is history.
So why am I telling you this? Well, Keith J. Kelly, Our Town’s Editor in Chief since January of this year, wrote the Media Ink column for the Post for over 20 years and was a colleague of Cindy’s. I thought it would be fun for Cindy and Keith to meet up, and I arranged for the three of us to have dinner at the new and popular Benny John’s just off Fifth Avenue on E. 48th St. They regaled with tales of their years at the Post.
When I asked Keith how it was getting together with Cindy again, he said, ”It was great catching up. Amazingly, Cindy has not changed one bit. And was delighted that she was very interested in hearing about the Kelly Gang, our charity fundraiser headlined by former top cop Ray Kelly. I told her we raised over $1 million since we started back in 2003 and hope to resume it next St Patrick’s Day. You don’t have to be a Kelly or Irish to support it. But we’ll be sure to comp Cindy!” To which Cindy responds, “Only in New York, kids, only in New York.”
Standing with Israel - Thanks to the UES’s Lexington Democratic Club for their public statement in support of Israel, and special shout outs to the East Side’s electeds State Senator Liz Krueger, Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright, Council Member Julie Menin, Congress Member Jerry Nadler for their public support of Israel in this terrible time. Their messages were conveyed via emails and/or texts. And heartfelt thanks to Congress Member Dan Goldman who was in Israel with his family as the Hamas terror unfolded. He brought the message of thenecessity of standing with Israel. Fortunately, and thankfully, Dan Goldman is the face of the future of New York and America. He’s the one good thing that happened with redistricting.
Here’s the Lexington Democratic Clubs statement on Israel.
“The Lexington Democratic Club condemns the NYC-Democratic Socialists of America for having held a rally in support of terrorist violence in Times Square on Sunday afternoon [Oct. 8].
“The indiscriminate murder, assault, and abduction of hundreds of civilians (including Israelis, Americans, Canadians, Brazilians, Mexicans, French, Britons, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Thai, Germans, and Filipinos), including women, children, and the elderly, should be categorically condemned by all parties in our political process. The actions of these terrorists should not be glorified as “resistance,” as was done publicly by those marching in the NYC-DSA rally. There is no justification for mass slaughter, sexual assault, and to attempt to legitimize these evils acts is disgusting.
“The Lexington Democratic Club stands alongside our fellow Democrats and elected officials calling for the universal condemnation of not only the terrorist violence, but also the NYC-DSA or anyone who would celebrate or justify the deadly attacks against Israel.
“We stand with Israel and maintain its right to defend itself from these heinous attacks.