ISRAEL — National Union chairman Ya'acov “Ketzele” Katz sent a letter to White House chief-of-staff Rahm Emanuel last week admonishing him not to forget his Jewish and Israeli origins.
Katz's missive came in response to a reported verbal exchange between Emanuel and an unidentified American Jewish leader.
Reminding the Worlds Most Powerful Jew, He Is Jewish
ISRAEL — National Union chairman Ya’acov “Ketzele” Katz sent a letter to White House chief-of-staff Rahm Emanuel last week admonishing him not to forget his Jewish and Israeli origins.
Katz’s missive came in response to a reported verbal exchange between Emanuel and an unidentified American Jewish leader.
Katz claims that in a private meeting with the unnamed leader, Emanuel said, “In the next four years, there will be a peace agreement with the Palestinians on the basis of two states for two peoples, and it does not matter to us who is the prime minister.”
In the letter, a Hebrew version of which was provided to The Jerusalem Post by Katz’s parliamentary aide, Katz wrote: “For many Israelis, this report is a cause for worry because it reveals a condescending attitude toward our prime minister and Israeli public opinion. This is an attitude that Israel does not expect from a real friend such as the US, and all the more so from an Israeli Jew who has succeeded in being appointed White House chief-of-staff.”
Katz went on to compare Emanuel to the biblical Esther, who ended up at using her influence with Persian King Ahashverosh to intervene on behalf of the Jews of the Persian Empire.
“For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” Katz wrote, quoting from the Book of Esther (4:14).
Katz was hinting that Emanuel should use his influence to protect Israeli interests, which, he believes, are best served by preventing the creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Emanuel was born in Chicago in 1959. His father, Benjamin M. Emanuel, a Jerusalem-born pediatrician, was a member of the IZL (Irgun).
Rahm Emanuel and his brothers attended summer camp in Israel. Emanuel and his wife, Amy Rule, are members of Anshe Sholom B’nai Israel, a modern Orthodox congregation in Chicago. They have a son and two daughters; the older two attend the same Conservative day school Emanuel himself attended as a child.
During the Clinton administration he directed the details of the 1993 Rose Garden signing ceremony for the Oslo Accords, down to the choreography of the handshake between prime minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO leader Yasser Arafat.
In November, Emanuel said US President Barack Obama did not need his influence to “orientate his policy toward Israel.”
Meanwhile, the National Union said it was never officially notified by the Likud that it would not be entering the new government coalition.
“Basically, we are still waiting for a telephone call,” Harel Cohen, secretary of the NU’s rabbinic council, said on Sunday.
“Up until the swearing in of the new government, we were still receiving signals from the Likud that we were wanted in the coalition,” Cohen said.
He also said that in principle, there was nothing in the Netanyahu government’s platform that would prevent the NU from joining the coalition.
“Obviously, if the present government adopts a ‘two-states for two peoples’ solution, that would be problematic. But so far that has not happened.”
The NU’s rabbinic council, which gives final approval for all of the party’s political decisions, released a letter of support for Katz.
The council, whose members include Hebron-Kiryat Arba Rabbi Dov Lior, Beit El Rabbi Zalman Melamed and Rabbi Ya’acov Yosef, son of Shas spiritual mentor Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, responded to claims that Katz had made “outrageous demands” that kept the NU out of the coalition.
Rather, according to the rabbis, it was a sudden, inexplicable change of mood in the Likud.
Jews don-t do Mesira!
We have to remind some people in Crown Hiehgts, the Rebbes Shchuna, that they are Jews,who sould be pretecting their fellow jew and not g-d forbid the other way around!
Stop the Mesira!
rochel
I think it would be interesting if we, years from now, read the Book of Rahm….because really he is not like Queen Esther at all, like some would suggest.
Moishie
“Israeli interests, which, he believes, are best served by preventing the creation of a Palestinian state ”
I believe Israeli interests are best served by preventing Israeli and Jews worldwide from 100 more years of fighting and being killed.
Most Powerful Jew
Each and every one of us is the world’s most powerful Jew. All we have to do is conquer our yetzer hara.
Boruch N. Hoffinger
BS“D
Were’e the sechel in telling Mr. Rahm Emanuel not to do what’s good for America? This is Mr. Emanuel’s first obligation. Even if Israel is a ‘friend’ of America how long would Mr. Emanuel be in his job if he put ‘friends’ ahead of his own country? Would ‘Katzela’ risk his own job?
The comarison to Esther is weak. The situations are different. Had the Jews of Persia invited attacks by Haman (YM”S) and Esther needed to straighten out their bad, self-destrutive and suicidal policy then the comparison would have been clearer and more realistic.
The two-state solution is an Israeli idea. The Rebbe never really criticized America for exerting pressure (Once America pressured Israel and Egypt) but was sad when Israel almost always gave in.
What ‘Katzela’ sees as arrogance: “it reveals a condescending attitude toward our prime minister and Israeli public opinion…. (Not to care who’s PM)” is really healthy self interest on America’s part; something Israel lacks. Anyone can clearly see this.
Perhaps those living in a self-destructive society can’t perceive healthy self-interest in others.
If there’s peace in the Middle East the president can claim a great victory plus it’s good for commerce, etc.
Rahm is a Jew BUT
During the Yom Kippur War, Israel couldn’t understand why Kissinger was so tough on Israel when he is a Jew. The Rebbe told Israel, that Kissinger is working for USA, and he is looking out for USA’s best interest. You should be working for what’s best for Israel, and not what’s best for the USA!
Milhouse
Moishie, the only thing that can prevent 100 years’ more fighting and being killed, is standing strong and not showing the Arabs any weakness at all. In other words, the exact opposite of what Emanuel is urging. That’s not my opinion, that’s the Rebbe’s opinion, so you’re not free to argue against it, at least not on this site.
Mr Hoffinger, a Jew’s first obligation, before any other consideration, is to Am Yisroel. ALL other loyalties must come second. In general, the interests of the USA and the Jews coincide, so there’s no need to worry about conflict; but if they do conflict then every Jew MUST do what’s right for his nation, Am Yisroel, regardless of its impact on his temporary host country.
And in truth the interests of the USA and the Jews always coincide, because whatever is good for the Jews is good for America. Hashem put the USA in its place in the world in order to help the Jews, so if it decides to turn against the Jews it will be in danger of losing that place.
mendy
ester invieted haman to the party with achashvarosh so the jews will hink she’s not going to save them and they’ll will pray to hashem
DONT RELY ON ANY ONE EXEPT HASHEM
US-stay out of Israel
Giving away parts of the Holy Land is going against Hashem’s Will. This can only lead to less peace and more destruction. America is concerned about oil. It should use its energy in developing alternativer energy sources instead of using its resources to try to settle the “palestinian” problem. Most Americans are unhappy with the US being in the middle east and using its resources to help “palestinians”.
MJ
Two words: U.S.S. Cole. The United States really wants a Palestinian state so that it can attack its naval ships?!? Look what a handful of insurgents did in Iraq– if the U.S. ever needs to destroy a Palestinian state (where the majority of residents are terrorists or support terrorism) after creating it, it would make the campaign in Iraq look like kindergarden!
To Milhouse who
“because whatever is good for the Jews is good for America.”
In normal times yes but unfortunately we are not in normal times. The U.S. is very close to going under financially. If the economy falls more and the unemployment goes up to 25% like in the depression there will be riots in the streets and people will not want their government spending their money to keep Israel safe on the other side of the world when 25% of U.S. citizens will be starving.
Sorry to sound paranoid but the edge of the cliff is close the overwhelming NON Jewish population of this country will not and can not afford to spend money fighting Arabs for Israel’s sake when they think, right or wrong, that a two state peace agreement has a chance.
If the American people (Hispanic, oriental Christian etc) have to make a choice between their children eating or supporting wars against Arabs in the middle east what do you think they will choose?
Politicians no matter what their religion want to be reelected.