Editor’s Note: This “Jewish citizen” column revives editor Donald H. Harrison’s periodic reports on Jews in government, politics, and the media.
By Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO — With partisan emotions not yet having subsided in the United States, Israel’s President Isaac Herzog paid a visit to our nation, demonstrating that both sides in the recent election contest have been friends to Israel.
Addressing the General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America on Monday, he said:
“As President of the State of Israel, I take this opportunity to congratulate President-elect Donald Trump, a champion of peace and cooperation in our region. I wish him every success in realizing his vision of not starting wars—but stopping wars and leading the world towards a future of security and prosperity.
“I wish also to express gratitude and admiration towards the 46th President of the United States, Joe Biden, for his lifetime of love for Israel and devotion to the Jewish people. Thank you, Vice President Harris, for your solid friendship and partnership.”
Following a meeting between the Israeli and American Presidents, it was announced that Washington did not plan any change in its supply of arms to Israel, even though Israel had not met U.S.-set goals for increasing the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza civilians by Tuesday’s deadline. A U.S. spokesperson said Israel had made progress toward the goal.
*
It has been a maxim that Israel and the Jewish people in America cannot be overly identified with either the Republicans or the Democrats lest one party write us off and the other take us for granted.
That is why as a member of the American Jewish community, I think we should all extend our thanks to Jews who have been serving prominently in the outgoing Biden administration such as Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen, Attorney General Merrick Garland, White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, and Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Jared Bernstein.
Additionally, a special thanks goes to Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, who filled the unofficial role of “Second Gentleman” with good grace and style, and who introduced Jewish home rituals to the official vice-presidential residence, including the placement of a mezuzah on a doorpost and prominently displaying an illuminated Chanukah menorah.
Likewise, we should thank retiring Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland for his long service in the U.S. Senate. He was a champion of the U.S. – Israel relationship and a global foe of antisemitism. In the remaining days before the new Republican Congress takes office, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York may schedule a vote on the Antisemitism Awareness Act, which I hope will be adopted. It helps to define antisemitism, utilizing the working definition by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). After the new Congress is seated, Schumer will remain in the U.S. Senate, although as a member of the minority party. Jack Lew, a former Secretary of the Treasury, deserves a mazal tov for his service as the U.S. Ambassador to Israel.
President-elect Donald Trump has begun indicating whom he will appoint to prominent offices once his term begins on Jan. 20, 2025. Some members of the Jewish community have already been designated, notably former Congressman Lee Zeldin of New York as head of the Environmental Protection Agency; Stephen Miller as White House deputy chief of staff for policy; and New York real estate investor Steven Witkoff as Middle East envoy.
In the realm of Foreign Relations, besides Witkoff, well-established friends of Israel will take their places — U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) as Secretary of State; U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-New York) as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations; and former Arkansas Governor (and a 2008 Republican presidential candidate) Mike Huckabee as U.S. Ambassador to Israel.
As President Joe Biden remarked to Israel’s President Isaac Herzog on Tuesday, Nov. 12, “You don’t have to be Jewish to be a Zionist.” That maxim is particularly true in the case of Huckabee, who has declined to use the term “West Bank,” preferring to refer to that region by their biblical names of “Judea” and “Samaria.” A Baptist minister, Huckabee has said the Bible has conferred title of that area to Israel and refers to Jewish communities within the Palestinian territories as “neighborhoods” or “cities” but not as “settlements.” Furthermore, he has insisted “There’s no such thing as an occupation.”
*
Donald H. Harrison is publisher and editor of San Diego Jewish World.