I have known and corresponded with Howard for over five years. He was truly dedicated to Israel and the Jewish people. His work is of enormous importance to Israel for he was a legal pioneer. The Levy Report drew heavily on his work. He will be sorely missed. Ted Belman
“A Tribute”
By Arlene Kushner
Howard Grief, z”l, passed away yesterday here in Jerusalem. To those of us who work closely on issues concerning Jewish rights in the land and Jewish sovereignty, he provided not only an enormous amount of historical and legal information, but a perspective. He served as an inspiration because of his tireless dedication, even in the face of severe illness.
I dedicate this posting to him, so that all who read this should know the debt we owe to him.
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An international lawyer, born and educated in Montreal, Grief made aliyah in 1989 and served as a legal adviser in international law on matters pertaining to the Land of Israel for the ministry of Professor Yuval Ne’eman, during the administration of Yitzhak Shamir.
As he did his extensive research, Grief developed the thesis that de jure sovereignty over the entire Land of Israel was vested in the Jewish People as a result of the Resolution of the San Remo Conference, adopted in April 1920, which made reference to the Balfour declaration.
He lectured and wrote on this issue extensively, and in 2008 authored his comprehensive treatise, The Legal Foundation and Borders of Israel under International Law.
Here you can see a position paper on the subject he wrote for the Ariel Center for Policy Research:
And here an enlightening video in which he makes his thesis clear:
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Baruch Dayan HaEmet. Receive our gratitude, Howard Grief, and rest in peace.
I have been in contact with Attorney Howard Grief z”l since 2007. In these times of political meanderings and shameless inversions of reality, Howard Grief’s scholarship proved invaluable. He showed his boundless intellectual courage in seeking the truth and telling it, without being harnessed by the political correctness that afflicts so many politicians, pundits and academics.
I owe Howard Grief an everlasting gratitude for the support and assistance he provided in my writing of a handbook on “The Jewish People’s Rights to the Land of Israel.” His attention to detail and his perseverance in the defense of Zionist values and Israel’s rights no doubt left an indelible mark on me and on many other pro-Zionist thinkers.
May this towering figure rest in peace and be always remembered by those who embrace the noble cause he pioneered.
It’s a huge loss, but he left a huge legacy of research. The website he founded, Office for Israeli Constitutional Law – http://www.justicenow4israel.com/ – has an archive of documentation on Israel’s legal right to the land, including the now endangered Judea and Samaria. We are very grateful for his significant contribution to Israel, and extend our deeply felt condolences to his family and friends.
Speaking of death, Senator Frank Lautenberg – NJ, (therefore, my Senator, even though I never voted for him) has died.
Christie will appoint a Republican in the interim — possibly Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno, but almost certainly, since no Republican has been elected to the US Senate in NJ since the liberal Clifford Case in 1972, Cory Booker will win the special election.
Booker is not a bad guy — for a Democrat, but is still a center-left Democrat.