This is a very important e-mail message to distribute widely, if it hits home with you:
Subj: Fwd: Support Israel - Elect Obama!
Date: 9/7/2008 1:42:22 A.M. Central Daylight Time
From: david@meyerslink.com
To: obama@meyerslink.com
Sent from the Internet (Details)
Dear Friends and Family,
Like many American Jews, one of the lenses through which I view national elections is colored blue and white; in addition to all of the other issues that affect me and my family, I think very carefully about the impact of my vote and my voice on Israel. Unlike most American Jews, I am also an Israeli citizen, served for several years as an officer in the Israel Defense Forces, and have close family and friends living all over Israel.
I would like to share with you why it is so important for Israel that we elect Barack Obama to the presidency. And then, with your help, I would like to reach out to the Jewish communities in swing states - particularly Florida and Wisconsin where we have a lot of close family and friends - to make sure that they understand what is at stake and engage them in a discussion of this issue.
Why is Obama the best for Israel?
* Senator Obama's record on Israel is as strong as any American politician; the success of the pro-Israel community has helped to ensure that politicians from both major parties remain committed to the tenets of the relationship that the United States and Israel have had for 35 years- commitment to Israel's security, veto of outrageous anti-Israel resolutions in the UN Security Council, a significant annual aid package, and diplomatic and military cooperation.
* The most important thing an American president can do for Israel is to be a good president for the United States, especially to maintain American economic leadership and to preserve and increase US influence in the world. In a world where power is more widespread among nations than ever before - Russia, China, the EU, India - we need a president who can leverage American strengths to remain a world leader, not alienate our allies and squander our resources trying to go it alone as Bush has done and McCain will do. Barack Obama's organizing and alliance building capabilities will help return our credibility and credit. Support for Israel - no matter how vociferous - without influence among other nations is useless.
* We need a president and an administration who will engage in the Israeli-Arab peace process. Israel has suffered, in the fullest sense of the word, from the neglect of Bush and the Republicans during the last eight years. While the second Intifada started while President Clinton was still in office, the peace process was ignored when Bush came to office (and "supported" Israel by essentially saying "go get 'em") and spiraled into the miserable bloodbath that it was. An engaged and active American president could have helped to bring the parties back on the track of negotiations and saved hundreds of wasted lives and maimed bodies on both sides. Barack Obama will be the kind of president who will engage the parties and use all of the tools of diplomacy to reduce violence and move towards peace.
* Israel's future prosperity and security are inseparable from the future of global energy supply; creative, progressive, realistic approaches to energy - rather than supporting oil companies and oil producing nations - can be expected from Obama, not McCain. McCain's cynical flip-flop on offshore drilling and ignorance of the lack of impact this will actually have shows that he is not the one to lead this country into the energy-constrained age that we face.
* Israel has always benefited from administrations that were - and were perceived as - honest brokers. Praising Israel to the skies and putting down Arabs and Moslems does not make an effective president for Israel. It was President Carter (even though some of his statements have been repugnant to me personally) who brought us 30-years of peace with Egypt, with not a shot fired. It is hard to overstate how important this has been not only in reducing bloodshed but in creating the conditions where Israel could emerge as a modern, high-tech economy.
* As Jews, we appreciate and understand sechel - intellect. The Republicans have retained power against the interests of their voters by reducing issues to catch-phrases and jingoistic statements that neither reflect reality nor do any good (think of the "USA, USA" chants at the convention or "wanted, dead or alive" statements in 2001). Though they may be smart, neither self-described "mavericks" nor "pit bulls with lipstick" bring the temperament or the nuanced approach that is essential to get things done in the Middle East. The Middle East is not a place that can be reduced to black and white. Barack Obama has the intellectual power and interest to lead a wise and nuanced approach to helping to maintaini Israel's security while moving towards peace.
About me
In the hope that you will pass this on to your own friends, family and colleagues, here is some information about my background that informs these views.
* I grew up in the United States, influenced by the roles that members of my family played in World War II and the creation, building and defense of the State of Israel. My grandfather was an American businessman who risked everything to clandestinely send weapons to Israel during its War of Independence, helped found the Weizmann Institute of Science, and was a personal friend of David Ben Gurion, Golda Meir and Abba Eban. My father made aliyah with a young family in 1948, arriving aboard a tanker running the embargo with aviation fuel for the war; he lived on two kibbutzim in the desert and went on to be one of the founders of the city of Ashkelon. Two uncles served in WW II, one was a pilot who was shot down and taken prisoner in Germany and the other landed at Normandy. After the war, he stayed in Europe to lead Holocaust survivors to Palestine, married one of them and founded a kibbutz where he lives to this day. My brothers grew up in Israel and three served in the IDF, spanning the time from the Six Day War through the Lebanon War, two returning from the US to fight in 1973. My sister lives in Jerusalem and is expecting her first child in November.
* With the weight of this long history on my shoulders, I too made aliyah and volunteered for the Naval Officers course in the IDF. While the navy is not as well known outside of Israel as the air force or some of the commando units, it is a highly professional, elite force that is a key strategic component of the IDF, especially its "long arm." I spent my time on a variety of combat vessels and, in the ongoing engagement in Lebanon, was involved in patrol, reconnaisance and special operations against a variety of terrorist organizations. Later, I was involved in the development and testing of key strategic weapons systems that have greatly enhanced Israel's security. Somewhere in the middle, I dodged Scud missiles during the Gulf War. These experiences provided me with a deep understanding of the strategic environment in the region and what is and is not important to Israel's security.
* Since then, I have built a career in the maritime industry and in business consulting. Most importantly, I married Julie and became the father of two beautiful boys - Ayal and Zev. It is thinking about them and with the heavy thought that they might follow in my footsteps that I push aside any political leanings and think of who is most likely to help Israel achieve peace and security.
What to do
* Pass this on to anyone you know for whom the impact of our election on Israel is important.
* Let me know if you can help bring together groups of Jewish voters in Wisconsin and Florida who would be interested in hearing more about and discussing the impact of this election on Israel. I would be particularly interested in meeting with synagogue and community groups over the next few weeks.
Shalom,
David
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David Meyers
408-730-4470
david@meyerslink.com
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