Exactly fifty years ago, at a gathering marking twenty-five years of the Rebbe’s leadership, the Rebbe expressed deep gratitude to the new president of the United States. Highlighting the United States’ support for the Jewish people both domestically and in Israel, the Rebbe outlined the unique role America plays in fostering global security.
JEM’s Enduring Peace project presents a new video of a powerful address from the Rebbe with a message that seems snatched from the headlines -- speaking directly to current events in the Israel-U.S. relationship.
It was Yud Shvat 5735-1975, marking the twenty-fifth anniversary of the passing of his predecessor, and twenty five years of the Rebbe’s leadership. In honor of the occasion, representatives of Mr. Gerald Ford, President of the United States, and New York Governor Hugh Carey, paid tribute to the Rebbe’s leadership. New York’s mayor, Abe Beame, was also in attendance, as well as a delegation of prominent Israeli officials.
Noting a rise in America’s position as a leader of the world, the Rebbe highlighted the ability to influence global affairs, and to set the tone for the rest of the world. This influence is nothing less than a divine gift, the Rebbe declared, and the United States must use this capability to promote peace and morality throughout the world.
Addressing American foreign policy, the Rebbe advised on several core ideas: Israel as the ideal and reliable partner for the U.S., the benefits to global security by abundant arms supplies to Israel, the prospect of American isolationism, and how America can utilize its God-given potential to bring stability to the world.
Speaking directly to the American and Israeli delegations, the Rebbe spoke of the Jewish people’s inalienable right to the land of Israel, describing the Bible as the actual deed that conferred ownership of Israel to the Jews. Adopting this approach in Israel’s official explanations, the Rebbe argues, is the surest way for Israel to secure its interests.
Rabbi Elkanah Shmotkin, director of Enduring Peace shared, “as we celebrate seventy-five years of the Rebbe’s leadership, we see how relevant Torah’s straightforward, logical and compassionate path to peace is today. Time and again through history, it has been shown: When Israel adheres to the path laid out by Torah, it will be to true security and lasting peace.”
“The Rebbe’s insistence that Israel must utilize the true explanation of its ownership of the land -- the fact that God gifted it to the Jews -- to the exclusion of any other explanation, continues to prove itself in current events.”
The video was released as part of JEM’s Enduring Peace, an educational project dedicated to sharing Torah’s roadmap for Israel to achieve security and peace, as articulated by the Rebbe.