Glen Cove, New York – New York State Assemblymember Charles Lavine, in partnership with Plainview-Old Bethpage School District member Lauren Sackstein, will donate “I❤NY” keychains and shirts to active duty Israel Defense Force (IDF) soldiers.

“We as New Yorkers must do everything possible to maintain and reinforce our positive relationship with the State of Israel,” said Assemblymember Lavine, President of the New York Chapter of the National Association of Jewish Legislators and a member of NAJL’s National Board of Directors:. "As a community leader, I wanted to personally connect with the brave IDF soldiers who put their lives on the line every day. This simple gesture of gratitude is the least that we can do.”

Board of Education member Sackstein will be joined by seventeen other women, all of whom have been selected by the Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project (JWRP) to represent Long Island on an educational trip to Israel. The group departs on July 7 and they will be traveling to Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Trustee Sackstein intends to distribute the “I❤NY” items to IDF soldiers stationed in Jerusalem.

“I am very excited for this opportunity of a lifetime. I’m looking forward to an amazing journey and experience where I can bring the heart of New York to the heart of Jerusalem,” said Sackstein.