NYC paper sends Ahmadinejad Jewish 'welcome'

New York Post sends Iranian president gag gift ahead of UN General Assembly including traditional Jewish delicacies, Jewish Heritage Museum brochure and I 'Love NY' underwear

Ynetnews|Published: 09.23.12 , 23:45

The New York Post has found an interesting way to welcome Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to New York: The newspaper is hoping Ahmadinejad "feels the love and tastes the gefilte fish."

A specially themed welcome basket was sent to the Warwick Hotel in Midtown ahead of his annual address to the UN General Assembly on Wednesday – which falls on Yom Kippur.

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The New York Post said it tried to "deliver (Ahmadinejad) a gift fit for a despot – from New Yorkers with love."

The basket included locally procured classics like Gold’s Borscht, Manischewitz Gefilte Fish and smoked whitefish from the world-famous Murray’s Sturgeon House on the Upper West Side.

There were also some H&H bagels, onion bialys and Zabar’s cream cheese.

The New York Post's gift basket

The newspaper spared no expense as the basket even included a $125 ticket to the off-Broadway play "Old Jews Telling Jokes" – booked in his name – which the paper hopes "just might take the edge off his bloodthirsty desire to develop nuclear weapons and wipe Israel off the map."

The Post even made sure to include such essentials as "I ♥ NY” underwear and a stick of Irish Spring deodorant.

The paper then affords the Holocaust denier the opportunity to learn something about the subject by taking in a tour of downtown’s Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. They even packed a brochure.

For good measure, the basket also includes a card – signed by random New Yorkers with greetings that include: "Happy (Jewish) New Year 5773. Available for counseling if you need it," from one passerby; and "Welcome to New York and the USA! Home of all that is good!" from another.

The Post said it tried to deliver the care package to Ahmadinejad at the Warwick on Saturday night, but was stopped by his security guards.

According to the Post's own account, after they were blocked by the Iranian president's security detail, a US Secret Service agent walked over and said, "This isn’t going to happen. You have to go."