NYT gets on the Congress summering in Israel story

Good that the Times finally covered this. Great lead by Jennifer Steinhauer:

WASHINGTON — Looking for your member of Congress? Try Jerusalem.

But I don’t know why Steinhauer takes these cats at their word:

“It’s my responsibility to be able to advocate on pro-Israel issues,” said Representative Michael Grimm of New York, a freshman who went with the first group of Republicans, in a telephone interview from the country. “Coming here and being able to feel it and touch it to fully understand how daily life is for an Israeli is important….”

Grimm opposes the two-state solution. Why is he so on the case? The Forward reported earlier this year that it’s about money:

[H]is hawkish views on Israel seem to square with Jewish constituents, especially among the Orthodox community, in his congressional district, which includes Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn. They are in line, too, with Jewish donors from outside that have helped him get elected.

During his electoral campaign, Grimm drew significant support from Jewish donors living outside the district — so much so that, in July 2009, the press office of incumbent Democrat Mike McMahon circulated a list of Grimm donors under the heading, “Grimm Jewish Money Q2.”

The press officer who distributed the list was quickly fired, and McMahon apologized for the list’s distribution.

Some of Grimm’s Jewish support, particularly during the early months of the campaign, came from the supporters of Rabbi Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto, a Sephardic kabbalist with deep ties among Israel’s political and business elite and with growing influence in the United States. Last June, Grimm sat beside Pinto at the front of the sanctuary in his Manhattan yeshiva while the rabbi delivered a lecture.