Thank you Cherna and Dr Irving Moskowitz

By Ronn Torossian

In the latest headlines of the Presidential race, Dr. Irving Moskowitz has donated $1 million to American Crossroads, the Karl-Rove linked super PAC, in a move The Huffington Post called “eye-catching.” What is more “eye-catching” is that anyone in the Jewish community can support Obama – the worst President Israel has ever faced.

The great Jewish religious leader, Hillel, one of the most important figures in Jewish history, said: “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And when I am for myself, what am ‘I’? And if not now, when?” Dr. Irving Moskowitz, and his wife Cherna epitomize the essence of what Hillel spoke – acting and working tirelessly for the people of Israel. And they do it with tremendous self sacrifice – negative publicity and threats to their safety.

There are those in the media who have had an obsession with these Jewish heroes – and what is it that has caused this obsession? The Moskowitzs have devoted their life to love for the Jewish people – as he has said doing the “natural thing for a Jew – trying to save our nation.” An Orthodox Jew who lost 120 relatives in the Holocaust, he asks “What could be more natural for a person with [my] upbringing than to want to help his people in Israel who are being surrounded by people that want to destroy the country?”

A Jew can buy a home in Harlem or East Los Angeles, Moscow or Tokyo – Is there a reason that a Jew (even one named Moskowitz) can’t buy a home in any area of Jerusalem ? Does not the whole world speak of human rights, equality amongst people and recognize the rights of Jews as equals? So why this big news about a Jew who is so passionate about helping his people?

Universally, the Jewish community and every single Israeli government since 1967 has been firm that Jerusalem will remain united under Israeli control and has built throughout Jerusalem – one of the few things that all of Israel and (nearly every Jew in the world) agrees. Moskowitz puts his money where his mouth is – putting facts on the ground and ensuring that Jerusalem remains the eternal and undivided capital of the Jewish people and the State of Israel. Worldwide, Jews should stand up and say: “Thank You Cherna & Dr. Irving Moskowitz.”

Media can write untruths with words like “occupation”, “settlements” – but in reality asMrs. Moskowitz has said “it is a continuation of a 2,000-year-old habit of Jews being told where they can and cannot live. This spanned from the ghettos of medieval Europe, to severe zoning restrictions in czarist Russia and finally to the edicts of Nazism where we were eventually told that we could not live at all.” Are American citizens deniedconstitutional rights to equal protection of the law?

I have known these fine people personally for many years – and there are so many stories which are untold of the amazing things the Moskowitzs do quietly away from the glare of the cameras. The Moskowitz Foundation provides millions of dollars annually to help people in need regardless of race, creed, politics or religion. As Dr. Moskowitz says”I remember growing up hungry, but I cannot sit idly by and watch children in our community grow up without food to eat.” One wonders what other community leader is condemned for helping so many people? Their latest donation which didn’t capture worldwide headlines – a $1.5 million in California for the construction of a middle school sports complex. Is California not occupied territory of the American Indians?

The story which the media should be telling is a very simple one – these humble, decent grandparents have devoted their lives to helping the Jewish people. Whereas they have been needed in Jerusalem and Israel for many years, and have delivered, this modern day Maccabee made his largest donation to an American political race to date because of the vast importance to the Jewish people of this Presidential race.

‘Everybody is wrong and you alone are right?’ You cannot believe in anything in the world, if you admit even once that perhaps your opponents are right, and not you. This is not the way to do things. There is but one truth in the world and it is all yours” Ze’ev Jabotinsky

I am blessed to know the Moskowitz family for many years – they know their way is right and are concerned with good deeds and doing the right thing – as these holy people do.

At the Passover Seder we recently sang “Next Year in Jerusalem”- Any Jew who believes that Jerusalem is Jewish and must remain united can only say Thank You for all that they do. As Dr. Moskowitz says: “After 2,000 years of sacrifice for the dream of returning to Jerusalem, we cannot allow it to be taken away.”

Ronn Torossian is thor of “For Immediate Release”, Ronn Torossian owns 5WPR, 1 of the largest US PR Firms, and is a Jewish philanthropist and board member of numerous Jewish organizations.