The phrase quoted in the title is taken from T’hilim (Psalms) 117:1. It sounds familiar because we recite it in every Hallel. It concludes with, “because his kindness to us was overwhelming…”
A Russian prince once asked Rav Yitzchak of Volozhin to explain why non-Jews are expected to express praise to Hashem for his kindness to Israel.
Rav Yitzchak answered that the non-Jewish leadership knows the evil plans they had in mind for the Jews that were thwarted by His actions to protect us. Thus, your secret councils are in a greater position to praise Hashem than the Jews themselves.
Looking back, we now know how disastrous a second term for Jimmy Carter would have been. After his defeat for a second term, he openly expressed hatred for Israel and was the first known public official to describe Israel as an Apartheid state. He let us know how he loathed Menachem Begin during the Camp David Accords negotiations. He knows more than anyone what he had in mind had he, G-d forbid, won a second term.
Now that the election for President is behind us, we can see what evil – or idiocy – may have been in store for us. Increasingly, under pressure from his colleagues, President Biden would have handcuffed Israel. In a remarkably candid interview in The Wall Street Journal over the weekend, Prime Minister Netanyahu shared his thoughts about events since October 7. He acknowledged that Mr. Biden was of immense help in the days to follow the Hamas onslaught. “It’s the first time a US president came to Israel at a time of war.”
However, he continues by delicately outlining the major differences between Israel and “the Americans,” i.e., Biden.
The “Americans” did not want Israel to fully prosecute the war. They did not want the IDF to enter Rafah, the very stronghold of Hamas for all kinds of concocted humanitarian concerns. Unfortunately, claims Netanyahu, the West’s coddling of Hamas gave the terrorist organization the lift they needed to refuse any further hostage deals. How is that for humanitarian consideration?
The Biden/Harris administration held back sorely needed weaponry from Israel at critical times, said Netanyahu. We know that Biden did not want Israel to go on the offensive with Hezbollah or Iran. Israeli success in these arenas was despite Biden/Harris and company. Think how disastrous a second-term Biden would have been. Or how completely upside down a vapid Harris administration would have been. The Woke agenda would have exploded and we would be living in a universe that is not recognizable.
Some outfit named PolitiFact voted that the “Lie of the Year” was Trump’s claim that some Haitian immigrants ate cats and dogs. I guess Biden’s lie about not pardoning his son Hunter doesn’t count. Nor his insistence that no one is above the law, as he pardoned about 1,500 convicts, including some hardcore criminals. Or Kamala Harris’ claim that she knew Joe Biden to be sharp as a tack. Doesn’t compare to eating cats and dogs, which caused so much harm (Right!).
To me, one of the greatest lies perpetrated during the campaign was Harris’ claim that she and the administration tried doing everything to halt illegal immigration, but Trump and the Republicans destroyed their opportunity. The next thing you know, after the election, Biden decides to sell parts of the existing Mexican wall for scrap.
We would have had another four years of the media covering for all the misdeeds of the Harris administration (as they did of the well-documented mental decline of President Biden).
To give you an idea of where the Democrats were trending regarding Israel, just last week, 77 Democrats signed on to a letter to Mr. Biden demanding that there be an investigation of Israel’s usage of American arms, and to stop further shipments if they are not satisfied with the results of the investigation.
The usual suspects signed on. But some were shocking – like Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland), an otherwise good Jewish supporter of Israel. The other – unfortunately not so shocking – was Jerrold Nadler (D-Manhattan).
Nadler campaigned on the fact that he is one of the few Jewish congressmen left. What has he done to benefit the Jewish People? Nothing about Columbia University’s anti-Semitism on campus. He even refused to sign legislation that would make it illegal to exhibit certain acts of anti-Semitism. I wrote a letter to his Washington office. You should, too.
And take note of Greogory Meeks (D-Queens) of the Foreign Relations Committee, who, despite his formerly good record with Israel, signed numerous petitions against Israel. And why not? Unlike Grace Meng, he signed on to Obama’s Iranian Nuclear Deal. And with no repercussions. Jews voted for him anyway.
This is why I say that you must consider a candidate’s party before supporting the candidate. The Democrats are trending further and further away from us. I know that’s not mainstream political thinking. But it’s been proven right.
Here’s a test. Close your eyes and think of a political party that is very often critical of Israel. Next, close your eyes and think of a party that so often has representatives aggressively in support of Israel. Which parties come to mind?
No matter who you supported in the last presidential election, we must all sing praise to Hashem for sparing us from a very scary unknown.
Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld is the Rabbi Emeritus of the Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills, President of the Coalition for Jewish Values, former President of the Vaad Harabonim of Queens, and the Rabbinic Consultant for the Queens Jewish Link.
