Chabad Leader Rabbi Levi Shemtov Slams Obama Over UN Vote At Menorah Lighting Ceremony
Rabbi Levi Shemtov, an executive at the American Friends of Lubavitch, has had some choice words for President Barack Obama about the whole UN Security Council vote against Israel last week. The Lubavitch, or Chabad, rabbi took advantage the public forum offered by National Menorah Lighting outside the White House this week to express his dismay over the vote.
To recap, last Friday the UN Security Council voted 14-0 to condemn Israeli settlement building over the pre-1967 border and the Obama Administration declined to exercise America’s power of the veto to stop it, instead abstaining from the vote.
Rabbi Levi Shemtov recalled how he once heard the late Lubavitcher Rebbe tell the Israeli envoy to the UN about the need for “fighting darkness with light.” Light, as in the lights of the menorah, is an important element of the Channuka holiday.
Setting up the National Menorah in front of the White House for the world's largest Chanukah celebration Sunday. #w… https://t.co/NYL3vDnZo6
— Chabad.org???? (@Chabad) December 21, 2016
“I remember those words being spoken to a particular man by the rabbi many many years ago on [the Jewish holiday] Simchat Torah. The rabbi told him: ‘You are working in a place where there is great grief and darkness, but remember that in that place of darkness, you can only counter it by lighting a candle. By creating light, ” Rabbi Shemtov recounted.
“That man was Benjamin Netanyahu, and he was at the time the ambassador to the United Nations.”
“I know that some of us are so sad at what happened there with regard to Israel, ” added Rabbi Levi Shemtov. “We must remember that the way to counter any darkness, any disappointment is not with harsh rhetoric, not with anger, but when we create light, the darkness dissipates.”
The Rabbi’s comments came at a strenuous time for American – Israel relations. Prime Minister Netanyahu and Israel supporters in America have been attacking President Obama for not vetoing the vote and have even gone so far as to say that he was behind the UN resolution.
THE USA AND ISRAEL – A RELATIONSHIP UNDER TENSION
The recent abstention vote by USA in UN Security Council [UNSC]
passed a resolution condemning Israeli settlements in east Jerusalem and the
West Bank declaring Israel’s annexation of these lands illegal. Such an action
ignores the USA’s support of Israel as sovereign nation whose right to exist
has been supported by prior administrations for the last forty years. This
abstention vote fracture this bond between USA and Israel. Comment: Per Pew Research,
50% of the financial donations to the Democratic Party and 25% of those to
Republicans come from Jews. Maybe this Political Contribution Distribution will
change based upon the latest UNSC vote.
History shows how the areas in question were part of Israel
Palestine from biblical time until the 20th Century. In 1929, it was
the Arabs who massacred the Jews in Hebron; that in 1948, Jews were expelled
and murdered in Gush Etzion, Kalya (near the Dead Sea) and Atarot, north of
Jerusalem. Per Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
“The United Nations has consistently ignored the fact that Jews were ethnically
cleansed from these territories in 1948, which is why there were no Jews in the
area until after 1967.” During the 1967 6-Day War, Israel defeated a overwhelming
army of Arab enemies to recapture Jerusalem, including the disputed areas. To
attain this victory Israeli soldiers rappelled upon the Golan Heights to secure
its border against Syria.
Demanding that Israel return these lands to a supposed
second, Palestinian, State is like requiring USA to return Texas to Mexico
after the Alamo.
As a side note, based on my working and living in Texas and Israel,Texans and Israelis are similar in
temperament, independence, family values and integrity. Example: These folks
have worked together [Noble Energy, Houston TX and Delek Energy, Tel Aviv IS]
to develop Natural Gas in the Mediterranean. You can only distinguish them by
the guns they carry [Texas carry Colts and Israelis carry Uzis] and the hats
they wear [Texans wear Stetsons and Israeli wear Yarmulkes].
REFERENCE:
Goodwin, R.W.; “http://www.energypulse.net/centers/article/article_display.cfm?a_id=2389”;
Energy Pulse Weekly; February 24, 2011
http://www.energycentral.com/generationstorage/fossilandbiomass/articles/2389/Natural-Gas-Assures-Israel-s-Future/
Richard W. Goodwin West Palm Beach