Jack Ciattarelli seems to be a real friend of Israel and his comments on the U.S.-Israel relationship (Jewish Link, February 23) are certainly welcome, but do need further elaboration.
He says that “It goes without saying that our country’s relationship with Israel is very special.” Unfortunately, this cannot be assumed to automatically continue indefinitely. Within the sweep of Jewish history, Jews have lived comfortable lives for many years in many lands only to have the host countries turn on them with disastrous results. Spain, Germany, Poland, Russia, and Arab lands are just a few examples.
Again, he says there is a “very unique bond between our two nations… and without question the United States will never sacrifice its special bond with Israel.” This is certainly true, but also cannot be assumed to always remain that way. During the Obama administration the President went out of his way to demean, discredit, and humiliate Israel and Netanyahu (remember the infamous Netanyahu side-door invitation to the White House), and openly displayed his Muslim background while trying to forge closer ties with Muslims and Palestinians at Israel’s expense. The Biden administration is continuing this policy by constantly trying to resurrect the Obama two-state solution and Iran nuclear treaties, both which can be disastrous to Israel. Also, there is today a ”squad” of openly antisemitic, anti-Israel representatives solidly entrenched in the very halls of Congress itself, spewing their hatred, and for political reasons, even Jewish representatives are afraid to try to oust them.
Ciattarellie also says that the State Department’s website states, “We are united by our shared commitment to democracy and economic prosperity, and the United States is firmly committed to Israel’s security.” Being much older than Mr. Ciattarelli, my memory goes back further than his, back to the 1930s when the State Department was a hotbed of vicious antisemitism, where even legally established quotas for immigrants went unfilled. There was also the tragic story of sending the S.S. Saint Louis back to Europe, thus leaving many thousands of Jews to perish unnecessarily during the Holocaust. In addition, during the oil embargo years of the 1970s, the State Department favored oil-rich Arab countries over Israel.
The point of all this is, that while Jews have lived an unusually prosperous time in America, they should not be complacent that it will always remain so, and we must constantly work to maintain that status. As Thomas Jefferson said:”Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.”
Max Wisotsky
Highland Park
