Jewish leaders honored Lindsey Graham, the late Republican senator from South Carolina, at a virtual tribute hosted by the Israeli-American Council on Tuesday.
Elan Carr, CEO of the council, said Graham had a “profound commitment” to Jews and Israel, where he saw Israelis give Graham the “same kind of riotous applause” that they gave the late former senator Henry “Scoop” Jackson, a Washington Democrat.
“It was extraordinary to see how deeply his work was appreciated and loved and embraced,” Carr said of Graham, who “treated people with decency.”
“All of us were stunned by the news of his passing,” Carr said. “We truly were heartbroken.”
Norm Coleman, national chair of the Republican Jewish Coalition and a former U.S. senator, said the RJC will award its first-ever Lindsey Graham Statesman Award at its annual summit in Las Vegas next month at a gathering dedicated in Graham’s memory.
“Lindsey had so much left to give. He was not finished,” Coleman said. “We were not ready to lose him.”
Jewish leaders spoke about the ways in which Graham was a staunch ally of American Jews and Israel.
Betsy Berns Korn, chair of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, said Graham “spoke forcefully” against Jew-hatred, repeatedly confronted Iran and its terror proxies and “built coalitions across the aisle.”
“Friends like Lindsey Graham come along once in a generation,” she said. “His conviction, his warmth and tireless commitment to the U.S.-Israel relationship leave an enduring legacy.”
Rabbi Yossi Refson, of Chabad of Charleston, said that in October 2018, Graham took a call from U.S. President Donald Trump while the senator was at the Chabad for a small breakfast.
Graham urged Trump to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights and told the president that he was looking at a Hebrew Bible at the Chabad that said the land belonged to the Jews, according to Refson.
“A lone senator inspired by the Bible,” he said.
Orna and Ronen Neutra, whose son Omer Neutra was killed on Oct. 7 while serving as an Israeli tank commander, said Graham was “one of the strongest and most consistent voices in the Senate supporting Israel and calling for the hostages to be released.”
He never gave them “false hope” and told them only what he believed, Orna Neutra said.
“Our family and the hostage families will always be grateful for his time, his honesty and his steadfast support,” she said.
