Huckabee at home abroad in Israel
By: Ben Smith
February 18, 2011 10:52 AM EST
A parade of Republican presidential hopefuls is making its way to Israel, signaling the candidates’ seriousness about foreign policy and national security and their hawkish approach to terrorism. As POLITICO recently reported, “A stop in the Jewish state is becoming as critical as an early trip to Iowa or New Hampshire.”
But while Mitt Romney and Haley Barbour check the Israel box and move on, Mike Huckabee lingers. This month, the former Arkansas governor spent two weeks in Israel on his 15th trip to the Jewish state, during which his suggestion that the Palestinians go find their own state in some Arab country prompted a settler leader, Dani Dayan, to announce that he is praying Huckabee will be elected president.
Huckabee isn’t getting any votes in Israel. Republican Jewish activists marvel that he doesn’t even raise any money from American friends of Israel on his trips. Instead, the near-annual sojourns in the Holy Land are another anomalous feature of Huckabee’s unusual public life, mixing faith, business and politics for a man who — despite his position atop 2012 Republican polls and his Fox News gig — follows no known rules of American politics.
“He does things and says things when he’s here that no other top-tier American political figure will say and do,” said Charles Levine, an Israeli-American political consultant who has worked with Huckabee. “Others couch their phrases very diplomatically or stick to politically correct concepts or phrases. He does not do that.”
Huckabee first visited Israel when he was 17. After high school, he and a friend set out on what now seems to him a “pretty crazy” adventure for “an untraveled kid from Arkansas” — a monthlong trip that took him from Syria to Greece, with a week in Israel, which he found utterly “enchanting, inviting, mesmerizing and magnetic.”
Huckabee was set to enroll at Arkansas’s Ouachita Baptist University at the time, and visiting Israel “was like going to a place I’d never been — but a place where I felt at home,” he said in a recent interview from his office at Fox News.
“Since I was a little child, all these places where I was — these were places whose names I knew, whose stories I was familiar with,” he said.
Huckabee went to the Western Wall, where he saw Orthodox Jews for the first time.
“It was like something out of a book for me,” he recalled.
And he went down to the Jordan River, for a sight that, 37 years later, briefly left him mumbling like a 17-year-old again.
“We had stopped by to see where Jesus was baptized, and instead there were these great-looking Israeli girls in bikinis, just showing off and flirting,” he recalled.
Huckabee, an ordained Southern Baptist minister, visited Israel next in 1983 and soon began bringing members of his congregation along. Now when he goes, he simply e-mails his list. This year, 180 signed up to ride with him on tour buses around the country for a broadened traditional Christian tour that takes in Bethlehem and Nazareth, as well as Jewish sites such as Masada and the Holocaust museum. His family business, the MDH Group, serves as tour operator, charging $4,479, everything included.
“He’s there primarily as a pastor,” said Lauri Olson Elsass, an Ohioan who was on the tour in 2009 and again this year, when her husband’s company came to shoot a documentary.
In that spirit, Huckabee led the 180 pilgrims down the hillside outside the Old City of Jerusalem to the grave of Oskar Schindler, a German industrialist credited with saving more than 1,000 Jews during the Holocaust, and started preaching as an aide filmed for posterity and YouTube.
Schindler had led a life of “drink and debauchery,” Huckabee reflected, his overcoat and checked scarf pulled tight on an unusually cold day. “His lifestyle would be the kind that would have him voted out of most churches, understandably, and if not voted out, certainly ostracized.”
Then he came to his moral: “None of us have done so much so wrong that we are beyond God’s grace,” he said.
The trips also have political lessons. Huckabee met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a committee of the Knesset on this trip, making headlines for his dismissal of the land-for-peace bargain that underlies the peace process and of the very idea of a Palestinian state in the West Bank.
Such a state “can’t be on top of the same real estate that the Israelis control,” he told POLITICO. “There’s no such thing as a realistic hope of this two-state solution.”
He said demands that Israel rein in settlements have only encouraged Palestinian demands. Instead, he said, the U.S. should “encourage the Israelis to build as much as they can and as rapidly as they can.”
Huckabee also dismisses the concern that Palestinians might demand the franchise in a state that encompassed both Israel and the occupied territories — and in which Jews could eventually be a minority.
“The real answer is that there’s an aggressive interest in bringing Jews from around the world to the homeland,” Huckabee said.
Underlying Huckabee’s view of the situation is a long view of the land and peoples.
“This is not a battle of borders; this is one of worldviews,” he said. “It goes back to Isaac and Ishmael, and it’s not going to be changed by a couple of presidents or prime ministers.”
Huckabee said he views this not as a religious framework but as a historical one.
“Abraham was a very real person, and his sons were, and their offspring have fought from time immemorial to bring it to this day,” he said.
Some pro-Israel Jews view with suspicion Christian Zionists like Huckabee because of the belief among some fundamentalist Christians that gathering the Jews in the Holy Land will precipitate the Second Coming and the end of the world.
Huckabee wouldn’t directly describe his view on that belief but dismissed it as irrelevant.
“Even if there was nothing about eschatology involved, the reason this, as an American, matters to me is because freedom and liberty matter to me,” he said.
Huckabee’s latest tour, which included a speech at the groundbreaking of a controversial Jewish housing project in an Arab neighborhood in Jerusalem, deepened his ties with his Israeli admirers.
A parliamentarian who backs Israel’s settlements, Danny Danon, told POLITICO that if Huckabee “had to get elected in the Knesset, I’m sure he would be the president of the United States.”
Daniel Seidemann, a member of Israel’s peace camp, however, denounced Huckabee’s speech, comparing the former governor to a “pyromaniac playing with matches.”
Huckabee sees no reason for Israel to give up any of the land it occupies. His tour took him to places such as the settlement of Ariel, whose cultural center is boycotted by left-leaning Jewish performers. The settlement would be handed over to the Palestinians under virtually any two-state agreement.
But while Huckabee’s views mirror those of the American Jewish right, he has few ties to the American Jewish pro-Israel community and hasn’t sought or found political support there.
“Huckabee’s strength has been to tap into the universe he knows best, which is the Christian evangelical community,” said a leading Republican Jewish activist. “His lack of success in tapping into Jewish circles of support has less to do with him and his positions — which would certainly be embraced by many — but, rather, his lack of a good political rabbi to help him.”
And Huckabee still occasionally plays the role of the untraveled kid from Hope he was 38 years ago.
He recently recalled a dinner with Jewish friends, “when I was the only goyim in the entire group.”
“If you’ve been around a lot of Jewish people, particularly from New York, they tend to be very opinionated, very animated,” he said. “I felt like I was sitting between Barbra Streisand and Woody Allen — it was really interesting; it was surreal.”
OK, we agree to agree, for the most part.
Yes. The universe has a physical and a moral structure.
You can violate the essential structure of the universe only at peril. Step off a cliff without a parachute (or maybe even with one) and you’ll quickly discover the laws of gravitation.
God is lawful — perfectly so — and requires adherence to law.
And that surely goes not only for the laws of physics but also for the laws of metaphysics, and geopolitics too.
Much of Tanach is intended to alert one to that fundamental structure,
since “experience is a hard teacher —
because SHE gives the test first, the lesson afterwards.”
[Vernon “Deacon” Law, Pitcher, 16 Seasons for the Pittsburgh Pirates, won the Cy Young Award in 1960]
That being said, I still don’t think you can jigger the timing of the big clock-in-the-sky…….
El Shaddai, The Almighty, can be loved,
can be petitioned, can be thanked, can be praised.
But He can’t be bribed.
He is, among other things, the essence of integrity.
Dweller, all of Tanach contains encouragements and warnings based on cause and effect, of people either doing G-d’s will or violating it.
Yes; it was Tonto’s term-of-address for him.
Occasionally; enough to recognize the name, obviously.
Hope we haven’t scared off pfabill. He probably had no idea he was walking into a minefield when he happened by.
I’m not so sure they think it would “precipitate” it. That would be weird.
Anybody — Jewish or ‘Christian’ or whatever — who believes you can actually “force the hand of God” has personal issues of megalomania.
I mean, it’s one thing to say that Israel is God’s timepiece — and that paying attention to her may provide clues to what’s happening.
It’s quite another to suggest that finite men (or anything else) can speed up or slow down the alarm on the thing by pushing around the hands of the clock.
God moves in his own “time.”
Won’t be pressured.
Won’t be ‘appeased.’
Won’t be intimidated.
And always keeps His word.
you are right. My apologies to Salomon and I never insult Canadians using such terms. Canadians and Israelis have much in Common we are both vassals of the USA.
Is that were that term came from?
Did you watch the Lone Ranger Tonto?
I could be mistaken, Yamit, but I believe that our friend Salomon is actually Canadian (though, like as not, you’ll have the same admonition for Canucks & Quebecois as for Americans).
Hey, Salomon, did Canadian kids watch the Lone Ranger?
I suggest we better educate ourselves and our vulnerable children.
Who is we Kimosabe? Education or it’s lack in a Jewish context in the galut would take with a major effort of several generations to reverse current trends. You in America have neither the insight nor the will to do what is necessary to reverse what in as little as 2 generations have destroyed what was steadfast for over 60 generations.
One-quarter of American Jews have rejected watered-down Judaism in favor of full-strength Christianity. Why?
According to the American Jewish Identity Survey 2001, out of approximately 5.5 million American adults who are either Jewish by religion or of Jewish parentage and/or upbringing, nearly 1.4 million say they are members of a non-Jewish religion.
We are not talking here about secularism, not about Jews who opt out of going to synagogue in favor of a baseball game or the movies, but rather in favor of church. Since the vast majority of American Jews are of Ashkenazic descent, this means that 25% of the descendants of European Jews who resisted the blandishments and threats of Christianity for some sixty generations, often at the cost of their lives, are now voluntary apostates.
History shows that substitutes for halachic Judaism have a shelf life of four generations or less. Reform Judaism’s founder Moses Mendelssohn had nine grandchildren; eight of them were baptized as Christians. Zionist founder Theodore Herzl’s children were not only not Zionists, they were not Jews. How many of the grandchildren of the great Yiddish writer I.L. Peretz married under a chupah? How many of his great-grandchildren know what a chupah is?
To perpetuate Jewish culture, outside of museums and university courses, at the very least you need Jews. But Jews, as all the population surveys prove, are rapidly disappearing. The first step in the multi-million-dollar enterprise of passing Jewish culture on to the next generation is to ensure that there will be a next generation.
To Ellen: Education is the best antidote to obscurantism. If we so much fear being evangelized, I suggest we better educate ourselves and our vulnerable children.
He’s quite correct, pfabill.
On the other hand, I rather doubt that by saying, “And if you’re looking for a Messiah… His name was Meir Kahane,” that he means to suggest that Kahane was ‘Moshiach.’ That would be a helluva stretch, even as interesting as Kahane was.
Kahane didn’t exactly “come on a wave of peace and prosperity” himself.
Relax, pfabill, Israel isn’t a theocracy.
If it were, Yamit would be in big trouble.
And so would visitors like YoursVeryTruly.
Don’t be a stranger here.
This blog can acquire a rough-and-tumble quality on occasion — but I know I’m not alone in saying that you’re welcome here.
There is only one ans. to your question but only a believer in the one true creator would would know and understand.
Your reply puts you on the other side. How do you bless the Jewish people? By actively seeking the eradication of Judaism? What does the Torah say?
Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah, which is the consensus authority on Torah Law, states:
“When, however, Israel is in power over them [the gentiles], it is forbidden for us to allow an idolater among us… [Exodus 23:33] states, ‘They shall not dwell in your land’ – i.e., even temporarily… A person who accepts these seven mitzvoth is a “ger toshav.” (“ger toshav,”) (a non-Jew who has accepted the Seven Noachide Laws) and is thus permitted to live among Jews in the Land of Israel. A “ger toshav” may be accepted only in the era when the [laws of the] Jubilee Year are observed. In an era when the [laws of the] Jubilee Year are not observed, however, we may accept only full converts [to Judaism].” (Rambam, Hilchot Avodat Kochavim 10:6)
Chriatianity is not considered Paganism by Jewish orthodoxy because some or all Christians believe J to be the messiah, but because he is deemed a deity. Under Jewish Law no believing Christian would be allowed even to enter the Land of Israel under penalty of death.
Messianic churches don’t want a secure and prosperous Israel. Many rational leaders and compassionate Christians side with the Jews, but the core attitude toward Israel views her as a springboard for the eventual triumph of Christianity. Few Christians subscribe to the alternate concept that the Messiah comes on a wave of peace and prosperity. Christianity wants a specific Israel—the lamb of Isaiah.
And if you’re looking for a Messiah…
His name was Meir Kahane.
Excuse me, but Huckabee’s high profle address for a major evangelical institution which currently and actively seeks to convert Jews and establish missionizing congregations throughout Israel and the world is neither “obscure” nor “eschatological”.
Except that MJBI’s purpose isn’t to pray, rather it’s to prey – upon vulnerable Jews.
Their stated vision and mission:
The vision of the MJBI is to bring Jewish people into a personal relationship of faith with Yeshua the Messiah, knowing their acceptance will eventually mean life from the dead (Romans 11:15).
The MJBI equips leaders who will establish Messianic Jewish congregations and ministries in Jewish communities worldwide. Additionally, the MJBI seeks to equip the Church in its responsibility to take the Good News to the Jew first (Romans 1:16). Like Paul, the MJBI helps educate Christians in their role to provoke the Jewish people to jealousy and thus save some of them (Romans 11:11-14).
If MJBI’s title was changed to “the Christian Institute for Deceiving and Converting Jews”, then it would honest.
Jews who do vote in American elections should assert themselves as Jews and strive for an honest and respectful relationship with any man or woman whose sights are set on the White House.
These are the questions Jewish Israel addressed to Huckabee in a very nice letter and we hope to get an answer:
Well, leaving that aside, there’s also the not-so-minor matter of whether he is in fact “God” —
— and if he isn’t God, then the question also of whether he would WANT anybody to mistakenly attribute divinity to him —
— and if he wouldn’t want anybody to misattribute divinity to him, then how their doing just that must make him feel.
Meantime, pfabill, for his sake AND for God’s sake, and for Zion’s sake — and speaking for one Jew, welcome.
Regarding Huckabee: I agree that he’s for real; I don’t think he’s at all disingenuous or deceptive. He believes what he believes.
The bottom line for Israel, in any event, is
As another goyim who loves Israel, I have to say that I don’t believe Huckabee is the least bit disingenuous. I, too, loved my visit to Israel in 2004, and often recall the beauty, joy and historicity of the land and the people. I can identify with everything Huck said, so I believe he’s totally sincere. I also think it was natural for him to visit the MJBI, just as an observant Jew would naturally gravitate to a synagogue if he visited the USA; nothing wrong with that at all. I understand that many Jews have some resentment to this organization, but they are hardly deceptive as Michal claims. Their title says it all. Many Jews are accepting Jesus as their Messiah, and we goyim welcome them wholeheartedly. But they are hardly being forced or intimidated to make that acceptance. To those who prefer to remain with traditional Judaism, we love you just as much, and wish you only the best. We identify very closely with you, and never find it burdonsome to participate in Gen. 12:3, “I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse.” Easily, the major difference that we have is that we disagree on whether or not our Messiah will have nail prints. The day will come (soon, I believe) when we will all know the answer to that. Until then, Evangelical Christians offer support, admiration and fellowship with no strings attached. Who else will do that? Syria? Iran? Turkey? Obama?
All of them? Some? Which ones?
Huckabee’s deeply held religious beliefs should be respected.
His clear vision on the “unrealistic, unworkable and unreachable” (may I add “unlawful”) so-called “Palestinian state” in Judea & Samaria, should be applauded and it should generate broad support from all pro-Israel circles, secular and religious alike.
Let us not reject such a sincere ally and supporter of Israel, for the sake of some obscure eschatological concern.
Voters outside of Iowa and New Hampshire seem to be irrelevant. The whole process seems rather magical, and anything but democratic. At this stage of the game in 2007, I think the race looked like Rudi Giugliani vs. Hillary Clinton. Then Obama appeared out of nowhere, and McCain rose from the dead. It seems like a waste of time, to even comment on the candidates.
And very loud.
Governor Mike Huckabee and Sarah Palin have been the top two choices of this American nationalist and Jewish nationalist for the presidency of the United States in next year’s national election. It’s not just a question of the future of Israel but also the future of the USA. I think Huckabee’s chances of getting the Republican nomination and beating Barack Hussein Obama in the general election little more than 20 months from now are greater than Palin’s. But whatever way it works out, Palin will be a key hard-driving force that will reach out and mobilize the fastest-growing segment of the electorate, which is now right of center.
And to tell you the truth, Huckabee’s opinion of dealing with over-opinionated and over-animated New York Jews is about the same for this upper midwestern Jew; you would all understand that if you thought of me as a man who has been a rural and small town guy for half his life. Madison, Wisconsin people are some of the wildest leftists I ever have run across. But that sort of stuff stops about 15 miles east of here. Leftist Jews always have turned me off.
Arnold Harris
Mount Horeb WI
I do not believe that Huckabee’s motive’s are genuine. Recently, Huckabee spoke at a Messianic Jewish Bible Institue banquet. MJI is a Chritian missionary org. whose sole mission is to convert Jews to their faith. Although, it appears that Huckabee is pro-Israel, I find it contradictory for him to claim his love for Israel and the Jews while at the same time be a supporter of this deceptive organization. He will not get my vote for the upcoming election. See this link: http://jewishisrael.ning.com/profiles/blogs/huckabee-speaks-at-messianic