Entrepreneur Lee Trink sat down for an in-depth conversation with ynet Global about rising antisemitism, Jewish identity and shifting political currents in the United States. Trink, who describes himself on Instagram as “an entrepreneur, a world traveler, an optimist,” also calls himself “a proud Jew, a proud American, and a Zionist,” a declaration he says is “not a trivial statement” in today’s climate.
“The climate today in America is difficult. Forget about how it is in Europe,” he said. “The danger for Jews there, I think that there are some countries that are not for Jews anymore. I think they’ve made it clear. I’m sure that there’s aliyah in record numbers.”
Interview with entrepreneur Lee Trink at the ynet studio
(Video: Lior Sharon)
While his focus in recent years had been Israel, he said, “In the last few months, I’m very confident in how Israel has been navigating it and will be navigating it, but frankly, I’m extremely concerned about the state of Jews in America.”
Asked what pushed him to become such a public advocate, Trink pointed to both heritage and a sense of responsibility after the October 7 attack. “I always wear a gigantic Chai or Magen David, before October 7, I never wore it,” he said. “All my grandparents are Holocaust survivors. I heard the stories growing up, but even though they told me things like that could happen again, I almost laughed it off.”
“But on October 8 and in those weeks following, I had a few thoughts. One was 'this is on my watch.' I’m at a point in my life where I have an agency, I have power, I have connections, I felt extremely obligated.” He said he spoke up online because “Jews that are scared around the world need to see Jews that are not scared, and that was really the beginning of why I started making those videos.”
“I always wear a gigantic Chai or Magen David, before October 7 I never wore it”
On whether his outspokenness and ties to Israel hurt him professionally, Trink acknowledged strained relationships. “Some have been really damaged,” he said. But he insisted he never hesitated: “Some things are more important than opportunity and more important than business, and to me this was, if anything, a test of who I am.”
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'Jews that are scared around the world, need to see Jews that are not scared'
(Photo: Screengrab)
He said the strengthened bonds he has formed with Jewish communities worldwide far outweigh any losses. He encourages others to be similarly unapologetic. “Jews must take up space,” he said. “They are doing so much against Jews because they want us to hide… and the only way to combat that is to be stronger, prouder, more obvious about our Judaism than we’ve ever been before.”
Trink also addressed political developments in New York, expressing deep concern about the election of Zohran Mamdani for mayor. “The election of Mamdani is a terrible thing for the city for a lot of reasons and not just because of Jews,” he said. He warned that “because he has control of the police, they will be under policing of Jews and Jewish issues.”
"I made a video the night Mamdani won, and I was extremely angry, upset. I'm from New York. I grew up in New York, I spent almost my entire life in New York City, and I said we must give him no quarter, no space. Mamdani must feel our hot breath on his neck every day he does his job," he said, arguing that retreat is not the answer. “The antidote… is not less but it’s more.”
Despite rising tensions, he rejected the idea of leaving New York if he lived there today. “I would absolutely not leave,” he said. “To give up one of the most important homes to Jews… we cannot give that up. I would not. I would fight every single day against this mayor.”
Trink expressed hope in next year’s governor’s race and praised Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, calling her “such a fierce warrior.” He noted that as governor, she “would have the ability to fire Zohran Mamdani as mayor.”