Opinion: Why do pro-Israel NORPAC and AIPAC want a Rabbi running for Congress to stop talking about Israel?

Recently, major Republican donor Sheldon Adelson and his wife, each gave $250,000 to a new independent super PAC, called the Patriot Prosperity PAC, created to help elect New Jersey Rabbi Shmuley Boteach to Congress.

A half-million dollars is a huge sum to donate to a congressional campaign. It not only reflects Adelson’s confidence in the Rabbi as a future congressman but also his confidence in the Republican’s ability to win the election.

In contrast, NORPAC, whose mission is to elect pro-Israel candidates, has refused to endorse the Rabbi and even tried to convince him to stay away from one of their events -- not because of anything the Rabbi said or did, but because, unlike Sheldon Adelson, they aren’t sure Boteach can win and they don’t want Israel to become an issue in the campaign. And AIPAC is joining them in hoping the Rabbi just shuts up about Israel.

Perhaps they want to be on good terms with the incumbent following a primary where they offered strong support for his opponent, or are afraid that, in response to a pro-Israel campaign, the area’s Arab community will fight back with anti-Semitic smears the way they did in the primary.

Because of redistricting, the NJ-9 Democratic Party primary pitted two incumbents against each other, Bill Pascrell vs. Steven Rothman.

In an interview with New Jersey Jewish News, NORPAC President Ben Chouake talked about the group’s endorsement of Rothman, saying in essence that Pascrell, who has received NORPAC contributions in the recent past, may be supportive on matters concerning the Middle East — but Rothman is better.

The primary campaign got ugly in the middle of February when Aref Assaf, president of the American Arab Forum, published a column in the Newark Star Ledger that questioned Rothman’s loyalty to America, and that of the Jews who backed him. The article, titled “Rothman is Israel’s Man in District 9,” used that age-old anti-Semitic meme of dual loyalty.

As total and blind support becomes the only reason for choosing Rothman, voters who do not view the elections in this prism will need to take notice. Loyalty to a foreign flag is not loyalty to America’s.

This started a political battle between the district’s Jews and Arabs. NORPAC redoubled their efforts to support Rothman, especially because Pascrell has remained silent, refusing to condemn the charges of dual loyalty. The primary campaign ended up as a proxy war with NORPAC leading the Jewish forces against the Arab favorite, Pascrell.

In the end, Pascrell won the primary by a 20% margin, and NORPAC became convinced Rabbi Boteach had no chance. They have decided to sit out a crucial election even though its mission is to elect pro-Israel candidates.

Bill Pascrell ‘s 14-year Congressional record does not illustrate a friendly attitude toward the Jewish State, and some of his best “friends” are linked to terrorism.

For example, in March 2007 he reserved a conference room in the Capital to be used by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim organization formed by the Muslim Brotherhood and criticized by the FBI for its links to Hamas. Sen. Charles E. Schumer, vice chairman of the party’s Senate conference, stated, “We know (CAIR) has ties to terrorism,” then criticized the group for having “intimate links with Hamas.”

Rep. Pascrell was also one of the 54 signatories (all are Democrats) to a January 21, 2010 letter to the President asking him to address the “humanitarian crisis” in Gaza, forcing the end to what they called a “blockade” of Gaza by Israel. The letter said nothing about the danger that action might have on Israeli security.

Speaking at a Pascrell fundraiser in 2002, Lebanese-American businessman Sami Merhi likened then-Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to Adolf Hitler and said he “can’t see the comparison” between the 9/11 hijackers and Palestinian suicide bombers. When Mr. Merhi ran for a seat as Passaic County freeholder in 2006, senior New Jersey Democrats, including Sen. Robert Menendez, repudiated his remarks and said they could not support his candidacy. Mr. Pascrell called Mr. Merhi’s comments a “mistake” but refused to abandon him as a candidate.

With a track record such as this, NORPAC should be chomping at the bit to support Rabbi Shmuley in the general election. Instead, the pro-Israel organization is treating the Rabbi as if he had a contagious fatal disease.

On June 13th, Speaker of the House John Boehner came to New Jersey and spoke at a small NORPAC gathering. Rabbi Boteach purchased a ticket for the event -- after all, he is a GOP candidate for Congress, and he is one of the area’s most prominent clergymen. But a source within the Rabbi’s campaign has told me NORPAC tried to stop the Rabbi from attending the event.

The campaign insider played me a voice message, received the Friday afternoon before the Boehner event. The message was from Dr. Mort Fridman, NORPAC’s vice president. Fridman requested that the Rabbi not attend the event “because of the situation.” Fridman never described what the situation was, but the campaign assumes it had to do with the Democratic Party primary battle.

Ironically, Fridman ended his phone call by wishing the Rabbi a “Good Shabbos.” When I first head the tape, his “Good Shabbos” reminded me of the southerner who slanders a friend behind his back and “then makes it all better” by finishing the slander with, “but bless his heart.”

Rabbi Boteach attended the event anyway, as he should have, not merely because he is a GOP candidate for Congress, but because he is one of the areas most respected Rabbis. And as for NORPAC, they remain on the sidelines despite the fact that there is a clear difference between the two candidates’ records with regards to the Jewish State, they are not sure Rabbi Shmuley will win, or perhaps are afraid that if he does, it will rile up the local Arab community the same way the primary did.

According to the campaign, the leadership of pro-Israel organizations does not want the Rabbi to even mention Israel in his campaign. NORPAC president Ben Chouake approached the Rabbi urging him not to mention Israel. In a very public confrontation at the AIPAC Young Leadership Dinner, AIPAC’s Northeast Regional Director Mike Sachs, practically ordered Rabbi Boteach to avoid talking about Israel.

Note: After first agreeing to provide Mr. Sachs/AIPAC’s side of the story, AIPAC’s communication department did not return phone calls or emails.

In the end this is a very strange race. NORPAC should be strongly behind Rabbi Boteach, a pro-Israel Rabbi whose daughter is in the IDF, who is opposing a congressman with a poor record on Israel. But they are sitting on the sidelines. AIPAC seems to be joining NORPAC in trying to convince the Rabbi not to make Israel an issue in the campaign. To paraphrase Shakespeare, “Things are rotten in the State of Jersey,” and NORPAC and AIPAC are disappointing their donors and disregarding their missions with their NY-9 actions.

Jeff Dunetz is the Editor/Publisher of the political blog “The Lid” (www.jeffdunetz.com).