Last week, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) — an organization which many on Capitol Hill view as the spokesman for the Jewish community — ran a prominent advertisement in the New York Times and New York Sun with quotes from President Bush and members of Congress in support of Israel. It should have been an entirely commendable effort, but it wasn’t. Instead, the ad was used as an occasion for partisan politics.
From the advertisement alone, one might get the idea that in Congress only Democrats support Israel; what else should be made of the fact that all of the congressmen quoted in the advertisement were Democrats? Surely this is a poor representation of the bipartisan congressional support for Israel.
It is unconscionable to be playing politics with Israel at this difficult time, which is exactly what this was. Iran and Syria, through Hezbollah and Hamas, are employing their terrorist tactics not only to eliminate Israel, but also to impose radical Islamofascism all over the world. This is a time for us to stand together, not to use Israel to advance political agendas.
One suspects that the origin of the ADL ad was the absence of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s name from a House resolution in support of Israel. Although Pelosi voted in support of the resolution, she did not co-sponsor it. Pelosi wanted to include language asking both sides to limit civilian casualties, but Majority Leader John Boehner refused on the grounds that this would weaken Israel’s ability to defend itself. So she was not one of the sponsors.
In bickering e-mails to their supporters, Republican and Democratic publicity machines put out different narratives as to why Pelosi’s name was left off the resolution. Each side insisted that the other was letting partisan politics interfere with this important resolution.
This is unfortunately something that we have come to expect; that’s the sad nature of the Beltway — constant jockeying for one’s team even to the detriment of the country as a whole.
As Israel wages a war and civilian Israelis are killed on their way to work, most people don’t care much at all whether Pelosi was a co-sponsor of the resolution or merely voted for it. The important news is that the House and Senate overwhelmingly support and will continue to support Israel.
Nevertheless, there was concern that this spat reflected poorly on the Democratic party. The ADL’s ad protects their friends in the Democratic party. In doing so, they ignored the hard labors of the Republicans in the House and Senate who have been strong supporters of Israel and potentially put at risk future bipartisan support of Israel.
Too much of the world gives in to Islamofascism and the terrorism that is its trademark. The most farsighted views on the struggle have come neither from the Middle East nor Europe, where terrorists intimidate cowardly governments. Instead, the lasting importance of this conflict is best seen by America, where accommodating terrorists is not considered to be an option.
American politicians of all backgrounds, parties, and beliefs embrace the cause of good against the chilling threat of Islamofascism. It’s an American cause without party affiliation, and all Americans can be proud of the support our nation offers Israel and those who fight against terrorism.
Some may see the struggle between Israel and Hezbollah as an opportunity to score political points at home. No group in America should claim this issue as its own. It is not a Jewish issue, not a Christian issue, not a Republican issue, and not a Democratic issue. The struggle against Islamofascism is an American issue. Americans, and freedom-loving people around the world, will not triumph if the struggle is inundated with political rancor.
Seven score and three years ago, Abraham Lincoln spoke of an America “conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” President Lincoln wondered aloud whether such a “nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure.” The world is a much better place because America has.
Today, more than a million Israelis have fled their homes or huddle in bomb shelters. They wonder whether their nation, dedicated to virtually the same principles as America, can endure.
A deeply divided America barely survived itself, and we cannot be effective in this or any war if we view it as a chance for partisan point-scoring. The stakes are high in the war against Hezbollah and Islamofascism, a war that involves all democratic nations. Only through our united efforts can we be successful.
– Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld is the rabbi of Ohev Sholom-The National Synagogue in Washington, D.C.