From George W. Bush’s remarks yesterday at the Republican Jewish Coalition 20th Anniversary:
Simon Wiesenthal was a survivor and a witness, who served — who seared the horror of the Holocaust in the collective memory of the world. He’s one of these leaders that refused to back down. He spoke with clarity. He insisted that we remember the lessons of the crime. . . . As we saw in the recent desecration of the synagogues in Gaza, the ancient hatred of anti-Semitism still burns in the hearts of men. . . .
[S]ince this storm, our nation’s armies of compassions [sic] have rallied and have come to the aid of people who are in desperate need of help. . . And the Jewish community of this country has been on the forefront of the efforts.
At Tulane University, the Director of the Chabad, Rabbi Rivkin, brought teams of students to New Orleans, and southern Mississippi, and other communities hit by the storm. He called in folks to help. He didn’t say, head away from the storm; he said, let’s take it right to the middle of the storm area to help people. They helped rescue stranded people; they distributed bottled water and self-heating kosher meals; they cleaned up and helped salvage homes; they provided spiritual support for those who lost loved ones. . . .
Rabbi Stanton Zamek of the Temple Beth Shalom Synagogue in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, helped an African American couple displaced by the storm track down their daughter in Maryland. When Rabbi Zamek called the daughter, he told her, "We have your parents." She screamed out, "Thank you, Jesus!" (Laughter.) He didn’t have the heart to tell her she was thanking the wrong rabbi. (Laughter and applause.)
Jewish organizations have thus far raised $17 million to help the victims of Katrina. (Applause.) Our citizens are answering the call of the Prophet Isaiah: "If you give what you have to the hungry, and fill the needs of those who suffer, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your darkness will be like the brightest time of day." . . . .
Sam mentioned the time when the RJC flew four governors — and I happened to be one — to the Holy Land. And we went to a briefing by the government of Israel then, and one of the Cabinet members was Ariel Sharon. And after the briefing he introduced himself. He said, would you like to go on a helicopter ride and take a look at the West Bank. I said, "Are you flying?" No — (laughter.) I said, you bet.
It’s interesting how history works, isn’t it? In 1998, fall of 1998, the future President of the United States and the future Prime Minister of Israel were flying across the — across that country, with him describing to me how to keep Israel secure. A couple of lessons I took away from there — is, one, you know, how tiny the country is. You know, a guy from Texas, we got a lot of space there — there’s not a lot of space there. How vulnerable Israel can be. . . .
You know, in our response to terror and tragedy, we have seen how great suffering can awaken an even greater love — and we’ve been reminded there is no evil from which our Creator cannot draw forth greater good. . . It’s such an honor to be the President of a country that not only deals with our adversity, but is able to create good out of the adversity we face. And the reason why we’re able to is we’ve got a indomitable spirit, and we’ve got a land full of people that are incredibly generous and strong and compassionate. And I appreciate being in a room full of such people.