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The Hasbara Holiday

Five members of the General Assembly represent Delaware on Israeli propaganda tour

 · September 18, 2025
Spiegelman, Brown, Shupe, Paradee, an unknown individual, and Ross-Levin representing Delaware at a tree planting in Ofakim Park, southern Israel.

A group of Delaware state senators and representatives joined other state-level officials from across the country at a four day conference in Israel called “50 States One Israel.” State Senators Darius Brown (D-Wilmington) and Trey Paradee (D-South Dover) joined State Representatives Melanie Ross-Levin (D-N Wilmington), Jeff Spiegelman (R-W Kent Co.), and Bryan Shupe (R-Milford) at the four day junket described as the largest delegation of elected officials to ever visit Israel.

The Israeli government began sending invitations to American state elected officials as early as 2021, and offered free travel and accommodations.

Since then the Israeli military assault on the Gaza Strip has been defined as a genocide by The United Nations, Amnesty International, Doctors Without Borders, B’Tselem, and the International Association of Genocide Scholars (to list just a few).

Interestingly, while the Wikipedia page for 50 States One Israel did not list the Delaware delegation on Wednesday, September 17 all five are listed as of Thursday,  September 18. 

The conference ran from September 14 through 18 with the delegation treated to strange musical acts, a tree-planting ceremony, a guided tour of the Gaza envelope (the areas around the Gaza Strip), and an address from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

(Note: the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu “for committing the acts jointly with others: the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.”)

In response to questions, Delaware House Communications Director Jenevieve Worley wrote, “This visit to Israel was not sponsored by the state of Delaware and all participants attended voluntarily. Non-participants, to include the House Communications Team, have no knowledge of any specifics regarding the visit.” 

State Senate Communications Director Sarah Fulton confirmed that the senators were not available for comment.

[Editor’s note: After the publication of this story the Delaware Call obtained, via an anonymous source, the letter sent to all the delegates of the conference. We have confirmed the authenticity of the letter.]

About the Author

R.E. Vanella is the Coordinating Editor of the Delaware Call and the host of the Highlands Bunker podcast. He lives in the Forty Acres neighborhood in Wilmington with his wife. He is currently working on a book about the intersection of politics and cricket tentatively titled Thoughts from Silly Point. Read more from R.E. Vanella.