MAY 12 • 2022 | 9

safeguards lives and advances 
prospects for peace. No 
other group in Washington 
is doing this crucial work. 
Put simply, in today’s broken 
Washington, AIPAC simply 
cannot do the work of 
strengthening the US-Israel 
relationship and saving 
lives without working with 
Republican members who are 
anathema to me.

CONSIDER THE 
FOLLOWING EXAMPLES
In March, AIPAC worked 
with the leadership of both 
parties to help ensure that 
important legislation such as 
the Normalization Bill and 
the $1 Billion Iron Dome 
Supplemental was included 
in the omnibus spending bill 
that funded Congress. Both 
these legislative initiatives 
were initially blocked by 
individual Republican 
senators — Ted Cruz and 
Rand Paul respectively. If 
AIPAC were to boycott 
the numerous Republican 
members who failed to certify 
the election, they couldn’t 
have overcome these senators’ 
ability to block these critical 
legislative priorities.
The omnibus spending 
bill also included the Nita 
M. Lowey Middle East 
Partnership for Peace Act, 
which requires USAID 
to establish a fund for 
promoting economic 
development for Palestinians 
as well as reconciliation 
between Israelis and 
Palestinians. How many 
Republicans would have 
supported economic 
development for Palestinians 
without AIPAC’s hechsher? In 
a bill named for a Democrat 
no less. How many fewer 
Republicans would sign onto 
such legislation if AIPAC 
decided to boycott large 

numbers of their ranks?
I am not prepared to see 
critical lifesaving and peace-
supporting legislative efforts 
benefiting the Jewish state, 
as well as the Palestinian 
people, wither on the vine so 
I don’t have to feel the taint 
of working with deplorable 
members of Congress who 
are going to get reelected 
anyway.
While I will continue to do 
all in my power to counteract 
these members’ dangerous 
domestic agenda, I’m humble 
enough to recognize that, 
when it comes to the U.S.-
Israel relationship, we need 
their support far more than 
they need ours. While I may 
have to hold my nose today, 
the next time Hamas decides 
to fire rockets at Israel — and 
when I see Partnership for 
Peace initiatives begin to bear 
fruit — I’ll be grateful that 
AIPAC made the decisions 
that were necessary to 
advance its crucial mission.
Some in Israel and here 
in America may see the 
Jewish state and the U.S.-
Israel relationship as a given. 
But the Yom Kippur War 
teaches us never to take the 
perception of security for 
granted. Israel’s safety cannot 
be guaranteed if we don’t 
address obvious threats in 
Congress before it’s too late. 
I am indebted to AIPAC 
for having the foresight 
and temerity to take up this 
challenge, and I hope you 
will join me in continuing 
to support the organization’s 
vital work. 

Rabbi Jacob Herber is the spir-

itual leader of Herzl-Ner Tamid 

Conservative Synagogue in Mercer 

Island, Wash. He serves on AIPAC’s 

Washington State Council, is a 

Senior Rabbinic Fellow of the Shalom 

Hartman Institute in Jerusalem 

and is a member of the Rabbinical 

Assembly’s Executive Council.

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