Dear Friends,
With the death of Senator John McCain, America has lost a person with truly heroic qualities: someone who inspired many with his courage and fortitude, and with his love and commitment to America and the ideals our nation stands for.
I’m sure that just about everyone has watched or read reactions to Senator McCain's loss. What we may not have seen are
Jewish
responses to his loss. Let me share three of them with you at this time.
First
, I invite you to read the words of former Soviet refusenik, Natan Sharansky. Mr. Sharansky endured nine years of Soviet captivity before he was freed in a prisoner exchange. He emigrated to I
srael and served in the Knesset (the Israeli Parliament) and as Chair of the Executive of the Jewish Agency. He
encountered Senator McCain on several occasions. He writes about one of those encounters
here
.
Second
, not all of us are aware what a strong supporter of the Jewish people Senator McCain was. On occasion, he paid a political price for that. According to a tribute by Ron Kampeas in the
Forward
,
"In 2008, [Senator McCain] secured the political endorsement of Pastor John Hagee, who founded Christians United for Israel. But McCain [repudiated] Hagee after it was revealed that Hagee had espoused a theology that cast the Holocaust as a means of ingathering the Jews in Israel. 'Obviously, I find these remarks and others deeply offensive and indefensible, and I repudiate them,' McCain said at the time. 'I did not know of them before Reverend Hagee’s endorsement, and I feel I must reject his endorsement as well.'"
Finally
, I want to share with you words that John McCain himself once shared at a roast in honor of his friend and colleague, Senator Joseph Lieberman. (Please note that Mr. McCain's words are, shall we say, "salty." Remember: he served in the Navy.) Yes, I know that Senator McCain is not Jewish, so you might think that his words don't belong in a list of "Jewish" reflections, yet -- as you will see by reading the summary or listening to the recording -- that idea is not as far-fetched as you might think:
I promised three responses, but I can’t resist sharing a fourth. Rabbi Jack Moline served a Conservative congregation in Alexandria, Virginia, for many years. Once, he was about to fly back to Washington when he found himself sitting next to Senator McCain. He writes about that encounter as follows:
Here's the kind of man John McCain was. I was waiting in Dallas for a connection to DC and the plane was packed -- the football team was in the Super Bowl and this was the last flight that would land in time for the game. It was, of course, oversold. Three passengers were the last to board, including Senator McCain and me. The Senator had a middle seat -- not easy for him to access. I heard one flight attendant say to another, "We have one more seat in first class -- we can move someone up." I turned and said quietly, "That's Senator McCain -- maybe you can move him up to first." She thanked me and leaned in and offered him the upgrade. "That's okay," he said. "This is the seat I paid for."
May Senator McCain's courage, devotion to country, spirit of compromise, and fundamental
decency
continue to inspire us. May he rest in peace.
Sincerely,
Rabbi Carl M. Perkins
