MAY 12 • 2022 | 69

O

rrin Hatch died April 
30, 2022, at the age of 
88 from complications 
of a stroke. The longest-serving 
Republican in the history of the 
Senate was a devout Mormon 
from Utah. 
But he used his Mormon faith 
to style himself as a lifelong 
friend of Jews and Israel — and 
the most visible way he showed 
his adoration was through the 
mezuzah he wore around his 
neck.
“It is difficult for me to express 
the profound reverence I have 
for the Jewish people,
” Hatch said 
in a May 14, 2018, speech on the 
floor of the Senate. “
As a symbol 
of my respect, I wear a mezuzah 
around my neck. I have done so 
every day for the past almost four 
decades — actually, more than 
four decades.
”
A mezuzah is a small box that 
contains a small scroll with Torah 
verses — and is normally put on 
the doorposts of Jewish homes. 
But some Jews have been known 
to turn them into necklaces.
“The mezuzah reminds me of 
the affinity that I, as a member of 
the Mormon faith, hold for the 
Jewish people and their history,
” 
Hatch continued in his speech. 
He drew a link between Israel 
and the state of Utah, which was 
settled by Mormons in the 19th 
century following the murder of 
their prophet Joseph Smith, who 
had the goal of founding a state 
in which to practice the faith — 
and polygamy — freely.
“Both Israel and Utah were 
founded by religious minorities 
seeking refuge from persecution,
” 
Hatch said.
Hatch’s professed love of the 
Jewish people didn’t end with 
his mezuzah. An accomplished 
songwriter, he also once wrote 
and performed a Chanukah song 

at the request of Jewish journal-
ist Jeffrey Goldberg. The song, 
“Eight Days of Hanukkah,
” was 
later recorded for Tablet maga-
zine and contained the lyrics: “
A 
small band of people led the way 
/ Through the darkest night they 
pray / Seeking religious freedom, 
they / Did more than just sur-
vive.
”
When Hatch retired from the 
Senate in 2019, after being first 
elected in 1976, he had served 
seven terms and played a large 
role in crafting legislation and 
securing Supreme Court justices 
that collectively pushed forward a 
heavily conservative identity. For 
the last four years of his career, 
as president pro tempore of the 
Senate, Hatch was third in the 
line of presidential succession.
He traveled many times to 
Israel, where he delighted in tak-
ing part in Shabbat dinners and 
referred to the Israel-U.S. bond as 
“unbreakable.
” 
Hatch’s passing was mourn-
ed by the pro-Israel lobbying 
group AIPAC, which tweeted 
that he “had a genuine affection 
for the Jewish state.
” Nathan 
Diament, the executive direc-
tor of the Orthodox Union 
Advocacy Center, told the Jewish 
Telegraphic Agency that Hatch 
was also key to passing religious 
freedom laws that benefited the 
Orthodox community. 

Sen. Orrin Hatch, 
Friend of Jews, Israel

ANDREW LAPIN JTA

Sen. Orrin Hatch in his office on 
Dec. 11, 2018, as he prepared to 
depart the U.S. Senate.

 BILL CLARK/CQ ROLL CALL VIA GETTY IMAGES

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Howard Lanznar

Chairman of the Board of Directors,

ORT America

Carole BenEzra

President, ORT Michigan
Nicole Miller

Director, ORT Michigan

Barbara Birch

President & CEO, ORT America

Dr. Conrad Giles

President, World ORT
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