10 | AUGUST 3 • 2023
guest column
Mr. Herzog Goes to Washington
I
t’s never a surprise to see
that anything having to
do with Israel is going
to invoke controversy. Such
was once again the case on
Wednesday, July 19, when
the President of Israel, Isaac
Herzog, a soft-
spoken, center-
left politician
who holds a
ceremonial
position, came
to Congress
to address a
joint session in
commemoration of Israel’s
75th anniversary.
The controversy started as
soon as the appearance was
announced. Within days, nine
members of the Progressive
Caucus announced they
would be boycotting the
speech. Rep Ilan Omar,
D-MN, tweeted that there
was “no way in hell” she’d be
attending. Rep. Rashida Tlaib,
D-Mich, said “We’re here
again reaffirming Congress’
support for apartheid,” and
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, chair
of the caucus, called Israel a
“racist” state, a statement she
later walked back.
This quickly prompted a
hasty bipartisan resolution
supporting Israel on the eve
of the speech, which passed
overwhelmingly, 412-9.
I was fortunate enough
to be present at the speech
on behalf of AIPAC, as the
invited guest of Michigan
Rep. Shri Thanedar.
Before meeting up with
Rep. Thanedar at his office,
I waited in the downstairs
cafeteria. The scene was
immediately intriguing —
familiar looking lawmakers
everywhere, often in
deep conversations
over coffee, and a
ton of staffers who
all looked very
professional, serious
— and very young (I
was definitely feeling
my age).
When it was time to go
to the House chambers, I
was escorted through a long
maze of narrow underground
tunnels. After 10 minutes, it
started getting a bit crowded,
but I had no clue where
exactly we were. Suddenly,
Lauren Boebert walked right
beside me, and then Kristen
Sinema, and then a slew of
more and more recognizable
members of Congress, TV
journalists and a smattering
of Orthodox Jews, all
converging on the multiple
doors and into the big event.
People were visibly pumped
up. Clearly, for me, this day
was going to be different
from all other days.
I pushed open a door and
before me was the panorama
of the grand U.S. House of
Representatives, the place
I’ve only seen on television.
The place where presidents
deliver States of the Union,
and FDR declared war. It is
strikingly small and intimate,
only about 10 rows deep. I
was fixated on watching the
familiar faces of the members
comfortably milling around
the floor before the speech.
The schmoozing and displays
of affection (Sinema is a big
hugger) was bipartisan and
seemingly genuine, a bizarre
contrast to the divisiveness
that actually abounds there.
The president of Israel
was suddenly announced,
and a huge burst of jubilant
applause exploded. It was a
very long applause — five
minutes maybe — and
undeniably heartfelt. Anyone
who thinks that congressional
support for Israel is waning
would be astonished to see
the raucous support that was
on display there.
President Herzog started
off by giving the crowd a
bit of a history lesson. He
informed everyone that he
was standing on the exact
spot where his father spoke
when he was president of
Israel 35 years ago. He noted
that his grandfather, the Chief
Rabbi of Israel, stood beside
President Truman in the
Oval Office as he officially
recognized Israel, just 11
minutes after statehood
was declared. He then
introduced Truman’s son,
who was attending the
speech.
He expressed profound
appreciation for U.S.
support and the peace
deals it has brokered over
the years, saying that the
U.S. has always “altered
the trajectory of our
country.” He called the
relationship a “family” that
is “unbreakable” and “deeply
rooted” in shared values.
“Today we reaffirm the
future of our relationship,”
he said, because “America is
irreplaceable to Israel and
Israel is irreplaceable to
America,” a line that invoked
a rousing standing ovation
from the crowd.
He addressed domestic
issues in Israel, proclaiming
that he is “well aware of
the imperfections of Israel’s
democracy,” but that it is still
“strong and resilient.”
In a not-so-subtle dig at
Prime Minister Netanyahu,
he stressed the importance
of a “strong and independent
judiciary.”
He took Iran head on,
stating that it’s Israel’s
“greatest challenge” and
cautioned the crowd that
Iran “does not wish to attain
PURELY COMMENTARY
Mark Jacobs
CHIP SOMODEVILLA/GETTY IMAGES/JTA
Israeli President Isaac
Herzog addresses a
joint meeting of the U.S.
Congress at the Capitol,
July 19, 2023.