When US Ambassador to Israel Richard Jones arrived at his home for a visit, Maran HaRav Eliashiv shlita asked the Ambassador to convey his appreciation for the US’ ongoing support of Israel, calling it a “kingdom of chessed,” while at the same time stressing the dangers Am Yisroel faces from its many enemies.
In his remarks to the Ambassador, translated by former Beitar Illit Mayor Rabbi Yitzchok Pindrus, HaRav Eliashiv noted that the US works to assist Am Yisroel both in Middle East affairs and in diplomatic efforts for Jews in other parts of the world.
Maran also urged the US to continue its efforts, as an emissary of Heaven, to protect the Jews. He noted the fears Am Yisroel faces in light of Iran’s accelerated efforts to develop nuclear weapons, saying that the US should do everything in its power to ensure the survival of Am Yisroel in Eretz Yisroel.
Ambassador Jones assured HaRav Eliashiv that the US is also deeply concerned by Muslim extremism and would work to ensure the safety and well-being of world Jewry. He noted that although the US would like to see Israel and the Palestinians reach a peace agreement, all diplomatic efforts being made are based on a genuine concern for the safety of Israel.
At the end of the visit, Maran blessed the Ambassador for success in his job. Accompanying the visit were Alex Dinales, director of the American Center in Jerusalem, Von Ridiad of the Political Department at the US Embassy in Tel Aviv and Rabbi Mattisyahu Cheshin, who serves as a liaison between the chareidi community and foreign embassies.
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21 Responses
Let us all step back from all the politics and other mishegass in the US, nationally and locally, to absorb Rav Eliashiv’s words, and have hakoras hatov to the Malchus shel Chessed.
It works both ways. In the zechus of the Chessed it does for Klal Yisroel, the US has merited Hashem’s protection more than any country on earth.
besides the usa being a ‘ kingdom of chesed ‘as descibed by maran elyashaiv shlita, it is also a midana of midas tovas by virtue of the us ambassador visiting the rav as he did.
What about the fact that they engage in wholesale terror bombings and attacks on civilians for many years. Yes, they’ve been good to us, but they’ve been far from only a medinnah she chessed.
Frailichin Peerim!
With Maran Hagoen Harav Eliyashev Shlita confirming what we all felt, that the United States of America is a Medina Shel Chesed, there can be no further doubt of this wonderful truth!
#3 your wrong, terribly wrong.
any acts you read was to fight reshorim or rotzchim who would be delighted to eat your hide. the chazal say ‘habo l’hargo , haskeim u’hargo’. dont let the media fool you and your kind. the same terrorists that want to destroy israel are after the usa.america is a medina shell chesed, tzadaka and yosher. dont be fooled otherwise.
drawkcab,
What Leftist cesspool have you been drinking from? Perhaps you got this nonsense from Moveon.org or counterpunch or someother slime bottom sucker source.
They undoubtably have made mistakes, especially under Clinton’s leadership, but what wholesale bombing are you talking about?
Malchut edom can be at time showing hesed and at other can be Amalek. Example: The US was NOT acting with hesed when it let millions of jews die in europe during the holocaust….knowingly!
It did do the right thing when the moment was opportune to them though!
Above all the US acts in her own self interest. Hesed displayed to jews or to the state of israel is only a consequence….
HAG SAMEAH
drawcab/#3 – which Palestinian faction are you affiliated with?
THS IN INCREDIBLE AND AMAZING!!
DO YOU KNOW OF ANY OTHER AMAASADOR FROM ANY OTHER COUNTRY COMING TO THE GADOL HADOR!?
AH FRELICHIN PURIM!!!!!
#3,
Rachmana Letzlan! This is utter nonsense how can you question our daas torah!!!!!????
You cant comprehend the rav’s immpecable sechel!!!!
#s 5,7,9,12
As I wrote above, the US has been good to us and continue to serve many needy populations and I’m thankful for everything. But to determine that a a country’s propriety purely because on their relationship with us…I don’t get it.
#5,7
The US has a long history of terrorism. Beginning with the founding of the country-geneivah, up until today when we’re in Iraq for what? and have ties to Saudi Arabia when they sponsored the attacks of 9-11 and many others…c’mon.
Isolationists we have not been in recent years.
WWII-Dresden and Japan (still civilians)
60’s and 70’s-Cambodia
70’s-aiding Suharto in Indonesia
80’s-Central America
90’s-Yugoslavia
Today-Middle East-v’hakesef y’aneh es hakol.
What are your thoughts?
#6, the extent of precisely how bad Medinas Yisrael may be (e.g. miakev the geulah, maaseh satan, malchus risha, et al) has nothing to do with our gratitude to America for helping keep alive the Jews living in Eretz Yisrael (via what is, unfortunately, the only available vehicle in which to do so, Israel).
Achdus is essential, though, and I agree we all should (and do) appreciate each other despite differing on (“religious”) Zionism or other issues, but to still remain clear on those differences as a matter of halacha and haskafa.
#3, do you really know better what prompted America to send those bombs that you can deny America is a malchus shel chessed? Besides, America has done much good to its citizens and to our brethren in Erretz Yisrael, so it would be ungrateful (kafuy tov) to deny that recognition.
as #10 said, I, too, feel the Ambassador’s choice of visiting the gadol hador is far more impressive than had he chosen to visit, lihavdil elef alfei havdalos, Olmert or one of the other politicians.
Bm’chilas Kvod Maran, it is a well know fact that Gdolim, Rebbes, Roshei Yeshiva etc. do not sit down and read the daily news paper(not even in the bathroom), their knowledge of “verltliche zachen” comes mostly from what their gaboiyim mashbakim and neemanei beisam tell them.I wonder if Rav Elyashiv is fully aware of the machinations of Coondeleezza Rice and the inner workings of the anti Jewish pro arab US State Department. Rav Eliyashiv can only analyze with his Daas Torah according to the information given to him.It is a well known fact that many mashbakim gaboyim, neemanei bayis etc. do not give their Rebbes, Gdoilim etc. the full story or all the facts. Remember we are talking about Israelis who are themselves not fully aware of the facts, Even if they get their facts from the media, one must bear in mind the leftist leanings of the media and that the media has turned from reporting facts to editorializing the news according to their slant. (One of the many reasons the gdoilim forbid reading secular newspapers and listening to the secular radio)
As one reader already commented America does what is good for America, If you think for one moment that Ambassador Jones would not lie to Rav Eliyashiv, wake up and smell the coffee!
When in 1264, King Boleslav of Poland granted a charter inviting the Jews there. The charter was an amazing document, granting Jews unprecedented rights and privileges it was also a medinas Hachesed for many years!
I think some people are reading #3 wrong. It was Purim, he was a little inebriated when he posted.
Hint: study his name and think “venahapoch hu”
A freilichen Purim Mishuleshes to all!
What else are you expect to tell Rav Eliashiv, to high official from US Embassy?Of course , everybody will praise a King who let Jews Learn Torah…Esav was try to hurt Yaakov, But Hashem make that hi kiss him Instead.Of Course America Medinas Chesed,But remember,i still a Esav..I think we are now a pireod than Esav would like to destroy Yaakov, But only Hashem, make him Kiss …
Drawkcab,
@Drawkcab WWII-Dresden and Japan (still civilians)
This is really outrageous and shows your extreme Leftist orientation. Dresden’s residents, may they continue to burn in Hell, were Germans that supported the Nazis. It’s too bad that we only burnt down Dresden and not all their other cities.
This is the immoral mantra of the mythical holy “innocent civilian”. By any token, the residents of Dresden were totally guilty.
Japan had all its civilians mobilized to fight America. Boats were being prepared to send American servicemen over on wooden cots to pack them in beyond the normal capacity of the boats. It is estimated that 1 million or more Americans would have died in a land invasion of Japan. The nuking of Hiroshima and Nagasaki saved a tremendous number of American lives besides them being our enemy and deserving punishment.
@Drawkcab 60’s and 70’s-Cambodia
What did the US have to do with this?
@Drawkcab 70’s-aiding Suharto in Indonesia
80’s-Central America
Please elaborate.
@Drawkcab 90’s-Yugoslavia
This is one area where I agree. The Clinton regime initiated an attack on the Serbians to help the Islamic terrorists that were fighting them. He fooled America into thinking that some sort of genocide was going on there.
@Drawkcab Today-Middle East-v’hakesef y’aneh es hakol.
I agree with Bush’s attack on Iraq and the numbers of civilians killed reported by Lancet is an inflated lie promulgated by Soros.
As far as Israel is concerned, Bush is making a big mistake and is contradicting his was on terror which is a shambles now.
All in all, although America has made some mistakes, they never attacked anyone for their own monetary benefit. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be facing $100+ barrels of oil today.
tzoorba,
Well put. Thank you.
I even heard that he sang “oh say can you see” to Rav Elyashiv & he said its a zeyer derhoibiner niggun!!!
A freilichen peerim tzu aleh yeedin
I’m short on time; my apologies. But b’kitzur
WW II- women and children are also “being our enemy and deserving punishment.” according to that the Palestinian Homocide bombers have a right to kill Israli women and children because they support the state…I disagree. ditto with Germany
1960’s Cambodia-US carpet bombed Cambodia-no chiddush.
1970’s- Suharto was placed in the ranks with Hitler by the CIA, but the US supported this murderer.
Central America- we killed 100,000 people leaving a few countries destroyed.
Today- I agree the #s are inflated but the point is that if we were there to destroy al-qaeda why did we enter Iraq?
I don’t know your age and education, and apologize to the references to the 60’s and 70’s but these decsiions to support and or attack other countries seem to overlap with what we can gain from it. It’s an unfortunate reality and I didn’t think I was adding anything, except the media presents everyone else that we attack as the “bad guy” (granted many are; but my point is not all)and m’mailah we become the heroes; it’s dishonest.
The Chutzpah of Ambassador Jones: Deceiving our Gadol HaDor SHLIT”A to give him a Brachah while planning the expulsion of Yidden from Eretz Yisrael to make room for settling our worst enemies there, per the news dispatch below.
Could someone close with Maran HaRav Eliashiv SHLIT”A please ask our Gadol HaDor SHLIT”A to send a message to Ambassador Jones making his Brachos contingent upon:
(1) Eretz Yisrael for Yidden only; i.e., American sponsored settling of all Arabs in their own countries; and
(2) immediate Pidyon Shvuiim: freedom for Jonathan Pollard LOY”T.
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US Ambassador: Jews will just have to leave Jerusalem
[03.18.2008]
Cited in IsraelToday
US Ambassador to Israel Richard Jones suggested during a tour of overcrowded Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem on Monday that many Jews will just have to move out of the capital rather than expand into parts of the city claimed by the Palestinians.
Jones told said in an interview with The Jerusalem Post that Washington is growing increasingly displeased with Jewish housing projects on the eastern side of Jerusalem, which are certain to hinder efforts to conclude a peace deal along the lines of US President George W. Bush’s vision for the region.
The American envoy said he is well aware of the lack of Jewish housing in Jerusalem, but in a remark betraying a lack of understanding regarding Jewish historical and spiritual connection to the city Jones concluded that “sometimes people do have to move to a different location. They cannot always stay close to their families.”
He insisted that more important than the Jews’ restoration to their biblical capital and heartland is Israel’s implementation of commitments made as part of the US-driven Road Map peace process, even if unreciprocated by the Palestinians.
Jones ended the interview by all but justifying the Palestinian Authority’s ongoing failure to meet its primary obligations to curb anti-Israel violence and incitement by stating that “it is not easy for either side to move ahead when they see the provocative behavior of the other side.”
drawkcab,
No one needs to justify the U.S. bombing of Germany or Japan. If even one U.S. soldier’s life was saved, regardless of how many German and Japanese civilians were killed, it was well worth it. And I can assure you that the U.S. bombing of German and Japanese cities ended the world war earlier and saved MANY U.S. servicemens lives.
Additionally, how you can fault the bombing of Dresden, which only occured after Nazi Germany’s civilian bombing of London, is entirely incomprehensible.
The responsibility for the deaths of German and Japanese civilians (from U.S. bombing raids) lie squarely at the feet of Adolph Hitler and Imperial Japan for their war of aggression against civilized society. To claim otherwise is lunacy.
It is clear and transparent that you seek fault at democratic society where none exist.