New York Assemblyman Dov Hikind noted at a Ateret Cohanim dinner Wednesday that the organization buys homes in parts of Jerusalem legally, and that the idea that Jews are allowed to live anywhere they want in Jerusalem is what democracy is all about.

“Every part of Jerusalem is holy and important,” he stated, “and Jews have a right to live everywhere. Just like in America, no one would ever think that Jews do not have the right to live in a certain neighborhood just because some of the neighbors hate Jews.”