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11/23/2003 12:05 PM

Bloomberg Visits Israel, Kosovo In One Day

By: NY1 News

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Mayor Michael Bloomberg has wrapped up a whirlwind one-day trip to Israel and Kosovo Monday.

Bloomberg, who was making the second trip of his mayoralty to Israel, traveled with his 94-year-old mother, Charlotte.

The mayor concluded his 36-hour trip in Kosovo’s capital city, Pristina, where he met with elected officials and retired members of the NYPD, who are helping to train the local police force. He also laid a wreath at a monument to Mother Teresa and meet with U.S. troops in the area.

“Terrorism and genocide unfortunately strikes everyplace, and we all have to fight back and make sure people have a right to freedoms that we would all want for everybody,” said the mayor.

Earlier in the day, Bloomberg and his mother attended a dedication ceremony for a pediatric ward at a hospital in Jerusalem. The mayor made a donation to the ward, which is named for his mother.

The Charlotte Bloomberg Pediatric Wing will provide three floors for cancer treatment, high-risk pregnancies and child psychiatry.

Bloomberg said his mother had long hoped to be in Israel with him and his sister, Marjorie Tiven, who works for the city as the $$1 a year liaison to the United Nations.

“One of the things that brings people together is a common pain, common needs, adversity in both places, and you see America and Israel realizing just how dependant they are on each other,” said Bloomberg.

The mayor, rated recently among the most philanthropic people in the United States, said he made this multi-million gift to Jerusalem's largest hospital because of his mother's lifelong devotion to Israel.

“Terrorism any place is despicable and intolerable, and everybody in the world has a vested interest in working together to end terrorism,” said Bloomberg.

This was the mayor's second official visit to Israel this year. In August, Bloomberg rode a bus on a route hit by a suicide bomber, and he visited the Western Wall.

The mayor is heading back to New York Monday night, and is expected back at work on Tuesday.