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Joe Lieberman Was a True Man of Faith
The official Senate portrait of Joe Lieberman.
I was deeply saddened by Senator Joseph “Joe” Lieberman’s passing earlier this week. A colossus in American politics, Senator Lieberman exemplified the essence of principled leadership — itself a rare commodity in that realm. Yet, to define him merely as an outstanding politician scarcely captures the breadth of his remarkable journey.
As an observant Orthodox Jew, Senator Lieberman navigated the pinnacle of US political power with an adherence to faith that was as commendable as it was extraordinary. For many, leading a life aligned with devout religious principles and the requirements of Jewish ritual law is more than challenging in the rough-and-tumble of an ordinary existence. But Senator Lieberman managed this feat in the high-stakes life and public scrutiny of the world’s most high-octane political stage, setting a profound example of integrity and character strength.
Born into an unobtrusive, humble Jewish family in Stamford, Connecticut, Senator Lieberman’s Orthodox Jewish faith guided him throughout his life and career. His dedication to the Jewish religion and to his Jewish heritage was evident in every aspect of his life — whether it was observing demanding Sabbath laws, or the strict requirements of a kosher diet.
In an address to students at Brigham University in 2011, Senator Lieberman explained his deep religious commitments: “My Jewish faith is central to my life, including my career in politics. My faith has provided me with a foundation, an order, and indeed a purpose, and has so much to do with the way I navigate through each day, both personally and professionally, in ways both large and small.”
At the same time, Senator Lieberman’s ability to integrate this profound personal identity into a universal message of tolerance, respect, and understanding truly set him apart. He was able to be a deeply committed Jew and an all-round American with an ease that truly showed how this ideal can be achieved.
During Senator Lieberman’s historic 2000 vice-presidential campaign, his Orthodox Jewish faith was thrust into the national spotlight, providing the American public with a vivid illustration of his devout adherence to Jewish religious principles. Perhaps the most symbolic of these moments occurred each Friday evening and throughout Saturday, when Senator Lieberman would abstain from the usual campaign activities, respecting the halakhic prohibition against traveling in a car and using communications devices.
But while Senator Lieberman’s devout Jewish practices and proud faith left a significant impression on the American public in 2000 — so much so, that one Jewish leader, feeling self-conscious about his own lesser observance, publicly asked Senator Lieberman to “keep religion out of the presidential campaign” — these were not new or performative acts. Senator Lieberman’s commitment to his faith was a long-standing and sincere part of his life, not undertaken for public admiration.
Throughout his tenure in the US Senate, Senator Lieberman was committed to participating in crucial votes, often staying late to ensure his voice was heard, even if it was a Friday night. However, in observance of Sabbath restrictions, he conscientiously refrained from using the Senate’s electronic voting system on Friday evenings. And then, following the vote, instead of opting to drive home, Senator Lieberman would embark on a 4.5-mile walk back to his apartment in Georgetown, Washington, D.C.
Remarkably, considering the deeply divided political arena of 2024, Joe Lieberman’s political career was marked by a sensible, non-progressive liberalism emphasizing bipartisanship, moral clarity, and a deep commitment to democratic values that embraced consensus and eschewed partisan conflict. Throughout his tenure in the US Senate, Senator Lieberman championed causes that reflected his moderate approach, always striving to find a middle ground in an increasingly polarized political landscape.
One of Senator Lieberman’s most defining political positions was his unwavering support for Israel and the importance of the US-Israel relationship. He viewed this bond not merely as a matter of foreign policy but as a deeply personal commitment, rooted in his faith and his understanding of the strategic importance of a strong bond between United States, the world’s most powerful democracy, and Israel, a tiny democracy in a region swamped by theocracies and corrupt dictatorships.
His advocacy for Israel’s security and prosperity, and his efforts to strengthen the ties between the country of his birth and the country of his religious heritage, were relentless and unyielding. As he explained, “Support for Israel is not just a matter of policy for me, it is a personal commitment that reflects the best of what America stands for.”
When Senator Lieberman visited our synagogue in Beverly Hills in 2015, he was the keynote speaker at a broadly attended public session about the future of Jewish education, titled: “How do we educate the children of this generation for a future we cannot yet envision?” His sensitivity to the aspirations and challenges faced by the next generation of Jews in particular, and Americans in general, was remarkable –showcasing a level of depth and compassion that surpassed the frequently superficial engagement characteristic of seasoned political figures.
Senator Lieberman’s legacy is not just in the laws he helped pass or the political battles he fought; it is in the example he set. His life demonstrated in real time, during our lifetimes, the power of living one’s values, of the possibility of unity in diversity, and of the enduring value of true religious faith in public life. Senator Lieberman showed us that it is possible to be devout in one’s personal beliefs while simultaneously serving a diverse and pluralistic society productively and with a broad-mindedness that enables and effects positive outcomes for all.
As we commemorate Senator Lieberman this week, I am reminded of a tradition in Jewish education where the first book of the Torah taught to young children is the third book of the Pentateuch: Vayikra (Leviticus) — which is currently being read in synagogues worldwide. This book, with its detailed focus on the rituals of the ancient Temple, is introduced early to instill the significance of Jewish faith rituals in the next generation before they delve into civil laws and the foundational stories of the Jewish people. This approach underscores a belief that once faith is firmly established, it naturally leads to moral behavior in everyday life and enables meaningful participation in broader society.
Senator Lieberman’s life, deeply rooted in the Orthodox Jewish tradition from his earliest days, exemplified this principle. His unwavering adherence to faith and its rituals equipped him to navigate the complexities of public life with a moral compass that was both steadfast and inclusive. He became the quintessential everyman politician, capable of representing individuals from all walks of life — old and young, left and right, privileged and underprivileged. His journey underscores the transformative power of faith to guide moral action and foster broad societal engagement, serving as a perfect example for future generations to follow.
The author is a rabbi in Beverly Hills, California.
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Students of Columbia University Affiliate School Petition Administration to Hire Pro-Hamas Professor
The “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” at Columbia University, located in the Manhattan borough of New York City, on April 25, 2024. Photo: Reuters Connect
Students of the Union Theological Seminary (UTS), an affiliate school of Columbia University, are pushing the institution to hire an academic who was just terminated for defending the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel.
Dr. Mohamed Abdou, a visiting professor in modern Arab studies who defended Hamas after the terrorist group slaughtered over 1,200 people and kidnapped about 250 others during its Oct. 7 onslaught, was reportedly relieved of his duties at Columbia University as of Sunday. Following Abdou’s firing, UTS students circulated a petition calling on the seminary to extend the anti-Israel academic an offer of employment.
“We condemn Columbia University’s efforts to stifle any mobilization around [the Palestinian] cause and its repressive, anti-Palestinian victimization of Dr. Abdou,” the petition reads.
“We ask the UTS administration to hire Dr. Abdou for the 2024-2025 academic year,” the petition continues.
During a US congressional hearing on campus antisemitism in April, Columbia President Minouche Shafik promised lawmakers that the university would terminate Abdou at the conclusion of the school year, citing his repeated public endorsements of violence against Israel and endorsement of terrorist groups.
During a Jan. 5 interview with Revolutionary Left Radio, Abdou heaped praise on Hamas, referring to the terrorist organization as a “resistance” and dismissed criticism of the terrorist organization as “white supremacy.” In the aftermath of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks, many pro-Palestinian groups have similarly defended Hamas a a “resistance” group and referred to the Oct. 7 atrocities as “self-defense.”
On Jan. 16. the Columbia Middle East Institute tapped Abdou to serve as lead instructor for a course on “Decolonial-Queerness & Abolition.” According to the course description, students analyzed “Euro-American informed modernity animated by (neo)liberal-Enlightenment values (free will/humanity, secularism, racial capitalism)” and “contemporary conceptualizations of family, kinship, and friendship in Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities within the context of settler-colonial societies (as the U.S./Canada) as well as in postcolonial nations and regions (as Southwest Asia, Africa, and the Middle East) that arguably never underwent adequate decolonization.”
Abdou faced intense criticism after a student recorded and circulated a course lecture in which he denounced Israel as a “settler colonial” entity that was inspired by American-style beliefs on private property, gender, and sexuality.
Following Shafik’s congressional testimony, Abdou claimed that the Columbia president “lied” about his firing and accused her of “misrepresenting” his opinions. He reiterated his support for Islamist terrorist groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah, both of which are backed by Iran.
Abdou’s public support for terrorism has caused a firestorm of controversy with Columbia students and alumni, calling into question the university’s commitment to fostering a tolerant and safe environment for Jewish and Israeli students.
Abdou indicated gratitude for the petition on X/Twitter, saying that he is “indebted for this generous initiative.” He called on his supporters to sign and spread the petition “as far [and] as wide as possible.”
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Australian War Memorials Vandalized With Pro-Hamas Graffiti
A war memorial in Canberra was vandalized by anti-Israel graffiti. Photo: Screenshot
Multiple memorials near the Australian War Memorial have been defaced with anti-Israel graffiti as Australian policymakers grapple with how to manage a rise in antisemitism that has continued unabated since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Located on Anzac Parade — named in honor of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) — near downtown Canberra, vandals spray-painted pro-Hamas messages onto sites dedicated to those who died fighting for Australia in war. The messages included “Free Palestine,” “Free Gaza,” “Blood on your hands,” and “From the river to the sea” — the last of which is a popular slogan among anti-Israel activists calling for the destruction of the Jewish state, which is located between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.
The Australian National Korean War Memorial, Australian Vietnam Forces National Memorial, and the Australian Army National Memorial were all targeted over the weekend, as well as a wall between the memorials along Anzac Parade.
The incidents sparked outcry among Australian lawmakers and members of the Jewish community. In parliament, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the vandalism as “criminal” and called for the perpetrators to “get exposed publicly as well for who they are. We know what they are — they’re unworthy of having any respect and any leniency as a result of their own actions.”
The Australian Jewish Association wrote on X/Twitter in response to the desecration of the war memorials, “The anti-Israel movement is one of the ugliest Australia has ever seen.”
Condemnation of the vandalism by Australia’s politicians was not universal, however. On the far left, Green Party Senator Jordan Steele-John refused to support a motion from a fellow lawmaker condemning the memorials’ desecration. “War memorials are not politically neutral spaces,” Steele-John argued to the Senate.
Adam Brandt – the leader of the Green Party who days after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks on Israel condemned “Israel’s occupation — declined to comment on whether vandalism is a legitimate form of protest.
Over 17,000 ANZAC soldiers fought in Korea and 60,000 in Vietnam. ANZAC forces also participated in the Gallipoli campaign of World War I.
Australia’s Senate has faced growing calls to recognize a Palestinian state. Recently, Fatima Payman — a newly elected senator and member of the majority Labour party — was suspended by Albanese after voting against the Labour Party’s official position when she supported a Green Party motion for Palestinian statehood.
Meanwhile, the city council of Sydney — one of Australia’s largest and wealthiest cities — last week passed a motion calling on lawmakers to review its investment portfolio to determine whether it is linked to companies which provide arms and other services to the state of Israel. Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore, who is not formally affiliated with any political party, backed the idea to move toward adopting the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement.
Such political steps have come amid a surge in antisemitic incidents across Australia.
In just the first seven and a half weeks after the Oct. 7 atrocities, antisemitic activity in Australia increased by a staggering 591 percent, according to a tally of incidents by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry.
In one notorious episode in the immediate aftermath of the Hamas onslaught, hundreds of pro-Hamas protesters gathered outside the Sydney Opera House chanting “gas the Jews,” “f—k the Jews,” and other epithets.
The explosion of hate also included violence such as a brutal attack on a Jewish man in a park in Sydney in late October.
Pro-Hamas sentiment has also led to vandalism. Last month, the US consulate in Sydney was vandalized and defaced by an unidentified man carrying a sledgehammer who smashed the windows and graffitied inverted red triangles on the building. The inverted red triangle has become a common symbol at pro-Hamas rallies. The Palestinian terrorist group, which rules Gaza, has used inverted red triangles in its propaganda videos to indicate Israeli targets about to be attacked. According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), “the red triangle is now used to represent Hamas itself and glorify its use of violence.”
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Rabbi Tory Candidate Berated Outside British Mosque, Called a ‘Snake’ and ‘Child Killer’
Illustrative: A pro-Hamas march in London, United Kingdom, Feb. 17, 2024. Photo: Chrissa Giannakoudi via Reuters Connect
A rabbi and Tory parliamentary candidate in England was berated with accusations of “smiling like a snake” and supporting the murder of children during a recent visit to a mosque in Greater Manchester, which has become a hub of antisemitic activity since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks on Israel.
Rabbi Arnold Saunders, the Conservative candidate for the heavily Jewish seat of Bury South, was invited last week to Bilal Mosque, located in the town of Prestwich, by its elders. During his visit, however, a member of the mosque began aggressively shouting at the elderly rabbi, who uses a cane, according to video circulated on X /Twitter.
“You are a snake”
WATCH the threatening way Rabbi Arnie Saunders was treated when he was invited to the Bilal Mosque in Prestwich, Manchester in his role as the Conservative candidate for Bury South by the mosque elders. That he was allowed to be abused, intimidated and have his… pic.twitter.com/X4PZTsteLq
— NW Friends of Israel (@NorthWestFOI) June 30, 2024
In the video, the enraged worshiper can be seen demanding that Saunders “condemn the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] in the strongest terms” for its military campaign targeting Hamas in Gaza.
“Don’t come to the house of Allah and try to engage with us when we know that what when you’re in your own places you’re saying that it is good that they are killing children,” the man continued.
“He’s happy that children are dying. Ask him to go,” he told mosque officials. “We don’t want to engage with these people.”
Muslim worshipers berate Rabbi Arnold Saunders outside of a mosque in Greater Manchester, England. Photo: Screenshot
“You come here and smile like a snake,” the protestor screamed at the rabbi as he stood up to leave.
Saunders attempted multiple times to respond to the man’s accusations but was repeatedly cut off. According to the video, other members of the mosque watching the exchange did not attempt to defend the rabbi.
British Jewish organizations quickly condemned the abuse of Saunders.
“We are disgusted by the abusive treatment of Rabbi Arnold Saunders … the footage clearly shows the rabbi was being targeted in this fashion due to his religion,” the UK’s main Jewish organization, the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said in a statement. “We urge all who care about the health of our democracy to call out this bigotry.”
The Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester & Region (JRC) similarly lambasted the treatment of Saunders.
“Rabbi Saunders is a much respected communal figure and we unequivocally condemn his treatment in this video. It is unquestionably antisemitic and we expect action to be taken,” the organization posted to social media. “The fact he has been attacked emphasizes how individuals are importing the tragic conflict taking place in Israel and Gaza onto the streets of the UK.”
North West Friends of Israel, an organization supporting Jews in the northwestern UK condemned the scene as well.
“That he was allowed to be abused, intimidated and have his personal space invaded is disgraceful and shocking,” the group said. “He must have feared for his safety. By contrast two of the mosque elders were recently invited to the Jewish Community of Manchester Bury South Hustings and treated with nothing but courtesy and respect.”
Saunders’ opponent for the British parliamentary seat in Bury South, Labour lawmaker Christian Wakeford, wished the rabbi his best. “Despite political disagreements, Rabbi Saunders and I have always had an excellent relationship and I hope he is OK following this incident.”
Recently, Manchester has evolved into somewhat of a hub for antisemitic and anti-Israel activity following the Hamas terrorist attacks of Oct. 7.
Earlier this year, two Israeli survivors of the Oct. 7 atrocities were detained and subjected to discrimination while being processed at Manchester Airport. According to the JRC, the two individuals, who were traveling to the UK to discuss narrowly escaping the Hamas onslaught, were singled out upon presenting their Israeli passports and explaining why they were there. British Border Force officers allegedly forced the Israelis to submit to two hours of “detention and interrogation,” as well as abusive comments.
More recently, a world map on the wall of Manchester’s Airport was removed by airport authorities after they were notified by the organization UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) that the Jewish state was crossed out and instead labeled “Palestine.”
“While we are very grateful to Manchester Airport for its swift action, we are concerned that people are unable to walk past a map that mentions ‘ISRAEL’ without deleting its name,” ULKFI said of the incident. “This shows an extremely worrying attitude to the world’s only Jewish state.”
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