A Caring President

Despite occasional disagreements, Reagan advocated for Jewish causes.

the West Bank and Gaza, Reagan
dealing with Jewish officials
assumed
Israel was agreeing to a freeze;
or the Soviets.
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
but Begin merely was saying, with char-
"The end of the Cold War
acteristic confidence, that the settlements
was important not just for the
Washington
should not pose a problem.
free world but for diminish-
onald Reagan's presidency was a time when
"Theirs were different personalities,"
ing the cause of rejectionist
U.S. Jewish power grew to new levels of influ-
Breger said, so much so that Reagan
Arab states and enabling
ence — and when Jews learned of its limits.
expressed relief in 1984 after his first
Soviet Jews to be free," said
Thanks to Reagan, who died June 5 at age 93 after a
meeting with Begin's successor, Yitzhak
long struggle with Alzheimer's, the years 1981-1989 saw David Makovsky, then a lead-
Shamir — even though Shamir some-
ing
Soviet
Jewry
activist
and
the consolidatiOn.of bipartisan support for the causes
times took a harder line than Begin.
now
a
top
Middle
East
ana-
Jews held dearest: a secure Israel and the freedom of
The first crisis of Israel ties during
lyst
at
the
Washington
Soviet Jews.
Reagan's presidency was occasioned by
Institute for Near East Policy.
It also saw the Republican Party become an accept-
Israel's attack in June 1981 on Iraq's
'We can only be grateful for -
able option for Jews, ensuring that no single party could
Osirak nuclear reactor.
this."
take the Jewish vote for granted.
Reagan, a proponent of nuclear power
Max
Kampelman,
Reagan's
"Historians will look back and say the Reagan years
in
the United States, was upset an ally
chief
arms
reduction
negotia-
were the years the Jewish community tried the
ostensibly was reinforcing percep-
tor,
said
Reagan's
interest
in
Republican Party on for size," said Marshall Breger,
Ronald Reagan
tions that all nuclear power posed
Jewish issues came naturally.
Reagan's liaison to the Jewish community from 1983 to
dangers, and he suspended arms
The two had frequent and
1985. "That began the process of developing a comfort
shipments to Israel in response.
long conversations about
level which is now only coming to fruition. The Reagan
Reagan said Iraq, which the United
administration turned the Jews into a two-party com- . Israel and anti-Semitism, he
States then supported, may have
told
JTA.
munity." . .
been persuaded to use the nuclear
Still,
there-were
times
when
Attorney Harriet Rotter of Bingham Farms, who was
reactor for peaceful purposes.
Reagan's interest caught even
a delegate at the 1980 Republican convention, is wear-
Reagan also resented the lobbying
Kampelman, a carryover
ing a Reagan button all week in honor of the president
by Israel and its supporters against
from the Carter administra-
she admired.
the sale of AWACS spy planes to
tion, off guard.
"He just had such an overwhelming personality," she
Saudi
Arabia in 1981. The
Harriet
Rotter
In
one
1982
meeting,
Max Fisher
said. "When you talked to Ronald Reagan, even when
American
Israel Public Affairs
Kampelman
proposed
mak-
you met him in line, you re a lly thought he was looking
Committee,
outraged that Reagan
ing
dissidents
part
of
the
at you and caring about what you had to say. He truly
was
reneging
on
a
campaign
promise
so soon after his
negotiating
package
on
arms
reduction
with
the
Soviets.
was a man of the people.
election, got the House of Representatives to oppose the
"I'm so pleased to see to see the kind of response of all The suggestion might have undermined the talks and
sale.
Americans, even those who didn't support him political- was likely to raise the hackles of some allies, but Reagan
When the battle went to the Senate, Reagan, eager
was receptive.
ly," she said.
for
a triumph with an irascible Congress, played hard-
At
the
end
of
the
meeting,
Kampelman
recalled,
"he
Franklin philanthropist Max Fisher, who has had the
ball.
He and his aides raised the specter of dual loyalty
gave
me
a
list
of
people,
and
said,
'See
what
you
can
do
President's ear for numerous administrations, has per-
charges:
about
helping
these
people
in
Russia.'"
sonal memories of Reagan.
"The administration was out there saying 'Reagan or
He said he didn't look at the list until he left his office
"He was a dear friend of mine and a wonderful friend
Begin,"' recalled Ira Forman, then the political director
and it was a list of Jewish refuseniks."
to Israel and the Jewish people," said Fisher, who spoke
for AIPAC and now the executive director of the
One of the most prominent of those refuseniks,
to Reagan about Israel in the White House. "He was a
National
Jewish Democratic Council.
Natan Sharansky, now an Israeli Cabinet minister, sent
good man and a great friend and I'll miss him very
Begin's
opposition to the sale especially peeved'
Reagan's
wife,
Nancy,
a
letter
of
consolation
Sunday
and
much."
Reagan, and on Oct. 1 of that year, Reagan famously
expressed his gratitude to the former president.
said "It is not the business of other nations to make
Fighting For Freedom
American foreign policy."
The interests of the Reagan administration and
That set off a wave of anti-Semitic hate mail to sena-
American Jews intersected throughout much of Reag-an's Supporting Israel
tors. The AWACS sale triumphed in the Senate, and the
Reagan also earned Jewish admiration for appointing
time in the White House.
apparent succumbing to warnings about excessive
secretaries of state who were sympathetic to Israel.
As Reagan worked to end the Communist threat in
Jewish
influence was a shock for a pro-Israel community
Alexander
Haig
and
George
Schultz
both
broke
with
the Soviet bloc, American Jews- sought to give Jews there
that
had
become increasingly confident in its influence
the
traditional
"bad
cop"
role
that
the
Cabinet
officer
the right to practice their religion freely and emigrate if
since
the
Yom Kippur War.
usually
plays
with
the
Jewish
state.
they so chose.
Reagan attempted to make amends after the vote by
But the president's visceral sympathy for Israel was
Reagan was able to use the Soviet Jewry issue as an
proposing a strategic relationship with Israel in
undermined by his uneasy relations with then-Israeli
entryway into negotiations with Soviet President
November 1981. Begin and the Knesset surprised
Prime Minister Menachem Begin. The leaders' styles
Mikhail Gorbachev.
Reagan a month later by annexing the Golan Heights,
inevitably clashed: the avuncular, give-me-the-big-pic-
It framed the discussion when Gorbachev first came
territory claimed by Syria.
ture
movie
star
versus
the
proper
European-born
lawyer.
to Washington, a day after 250,000 people rallied there
Reagan withdrew his offer, and two months after
"There
were
many
misreadings,"
Breger
recalled.
for Soviet Jews. And Reagan showed a strong personal
Reagan's
October remark, Begin got his own back at
When
Begin
said
"no
problem"
about
settlements
in
commitment to the Soviet Jewry issue, whether he was

RON KAMPEAS

R

6/11
2004

22

