The following is an
op-ed that I wrote regarding Senator Cory Booker, which appears in the current
edition of The Jewish Standard, in which I examine the controversy surrounding a
recent tweet where he was pictured holding a pro-Palestinian sign and his
office’s subsequent explanation, and how that fits into his track record when
it comes to Israel and the Jewish community:
One tweet cannot diminish our friend, Cory Booker
By: N. Aaron Troodler
August 9, 2018
Human beings are inherently imperfect, and people inevitably
make mistakes. As we typically tend to be error-prone, it is important not to
let the people’s gaffes come to define them and alter the way in which we
perceive them.
Last week, Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) was featured in a
tweet from the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights, a pro-Palestinian
organization that supports the BDS movement and advocates for ending U.S.
support of Israel. The tweet included a picture of the senator holding a sign
bearing anti-Israel verbiage.
I, like many others, was deeply disturbed by the photo.
Social media was abuzz with people criticizing Senator Booker and decrying him
for holding the anti-Israel sign. However, as I thought about the Senator’s
history relative to Israel and issues pertaining to the Jewish community, I was
perplexed as to how this could have happened. Rather than rush to judgment, I
contacted Senator Booker’s office and inquired about the photo, which appeared
to be an aberration.
Within minutes, I received an explanation. After Senator
Booker delivered a speech (at the progressive Netroots Conference in New
Orleans), the crowd swarmed around him, clamoring to take photos with him. During
the chaos, someone handed him a sign, and he did not realize that it was about
Israel. Hence the photo, which appeared on Twitter. His office added that the
senator “hopes for a day when there will be no need for security barriers in
the State of Israel, but while active terrorist organizations threaten the
safety of the people living in Israel, security barriers are unfortunate but
necessary to protect human lives.”
While I cannot condone what happened, I comprehend how it
could have occurred. I have been in situations where people converge on an
elected official and desperately seek a photo. It is absolute bedlam, and I
certainly can understand how mistakes could be made in the midst of the mayhem.
Personally, I found the explanation plausible, the acknowledgement of the
blunder refreshing, and the reiteration of the senator’s support for Israel
heartening. It is not my opinion that matters, however. It is the attitude of
the greater Jewish community toward someone who historically has been in our corner
that is paramount.
Senator Booker has stood with Israel throughout his tenure
in the Senate. He co-sponsored the U.S.-Israel Security Assistance
Authorization Act of 2018 and forcefully urged his colleagues to reject efforts
to eliminate security assistance to Israel. He recently participated in
briefings in Lebanon focused on efforts to ensure Israel’s security on its
border and discussed the ongoing threat to Israel posed by Hezbollah. He
co-authored a bipartisan resolution celebrating the 70th anniversary of the
establishment of the State of Israel and co-sponsored the Combating European
Anti-Semitism Act. Senator Booker also co-wrote a bipartisan resolution
condemning anti-Israel efforts at the United Nations and condemned “one-sided
resolutions in the U.N. Security Council that isolate Israel in the
international community.”
The senator received some criticism after he sought changes
to the Taylor Force Act; his intent, however, was to augment the legislation by
securing improvements that better ensured Israel’s security. Noting that the
“Palestinian Authority’s prisoner payment system, which encourages horrific,
unspeakable violence against the Israeli people is an inexcusable policy that
must be changed,” Senator Booker took a principled stand in order to procure an
amendment that he believed was necessary to prevent young Palestinians from
becoming radicalized and endangering Israel further.
Senator Booker took a great deal of heat for his support of
the Iran nuclear deal, but I know he grappled with an array of issues before
arriving at his decision. He studied every aspect of the Joint Comprehensive
Plan of Action and carefully considered the agreement’s pros and cons.
Recognizing the great need to prevent Iran from amassing nuclear weapons, he
concluded that the benefits of the deal outweighed the risks, and he ultimately
voted in favor of it. While I disagree with his vote, I respect him for the
meticulous approach he took, and I appreciate that bolstering Israel’s
qualitative military edge and being mindful of Israel’s safety were an
important part of his deliberations.
With most elected officials, examining their voting record
is the only barometer by which you can measure their support for Israel — or
their lack of support. With Senator Booker, his legislative history is only the
tip of the iceberg. It is his personal history and profound connection to the
Jewish community that makes Cory Booker perhaps the most Jewish non-Jew in the
U.S. Senate.
This is a man who once told me that he tries to study the
weekly Torah portion, explained to me why Abraham and Moses are the two Bible
heroes he admires most, and shared insights from the Torah with me. Senator
Booker, the one-time president of the L’Chaim Society at Oxford University,
also spoke with me about how the Jewish ideal of tikkun olam plays an essential
role in his life, told me fondly how he views Judaism as “a religion that’s
seeking to be a light unto nations of godliness and goodliness,” and described
for me how his love of Israel comes not through his politics, but from knowing
about the Jewish people, learning about the Torah, and visiting Israel. This is
a man who was deeply affected by the horrific ordeal in the summer of 2014 that
resulted in the tragic deaths of the three Israeli teens, and who grieved
together with the Jewish community.
Is Cory Booker perfect? Of course not. None of us are. Are
we going to agree with him on everything? No, certainly not. For us to allow an
inadvertent error manifested in one troubling tweet to negate his robust track
record on issues relating to Israel and the Jewish community, however, would be
malpractice on our part. Senator Booker displays a passion and genuineness when
discussing Israel and Jewish life that is palpable. We cannot be so fickle as
to forsake a good friend who has been there for us the overwhelming majority of
the time.
To err is human, to forgive divine.
N. Aaron Troodler is
the principal of Red Apple Strategies, LLC, a public relations and strategic
communications firm. He and his wife live in Philadelphia, but until recently
they lived in Teaneck, which was their home for 20 years. Follow him on
Twitter: @troodler
