Former New York Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller, nominated today by President Ford to be Vice-President, is considered a friend of the Jewish people and has long been firmly committed to the security and survival of Israel. At a White House press conference following his nomination. Rockefeller did not discuss international matters except to say that he looked forward to efforts “to face the tough realities in our country and in the world.”
He told newsmen that protocol dictated that he not discuss issues before appearing before the Congressional committees which will conduct hearings on his nomination. Both the Senate and House must approve Ford’s nomination of Rockefeller.
Rockefeller did not respond to a question as to whether he had discussed his nomination with Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger, widely considered to be a political protege of the 66-year-old former governor. Kissinger was for a long time an advisor on foreign affairs to Rockefeller, and since Ford’s first act on becoming President was to announce that Kissinger would remain as Secretary of State, it is assumed that Ford and Rockefeller are in full agreement on U.S. foreign policy.
This would mean, observers noted, that Rockefeller can be expected to support fully the Administration’s policy in negotiating a peace settlement in the Middle East on the lines currently being pursued by Kissinger and Ford. However, Rockefeller pointed out to newsmen that his role as Vice-President depends entirely on the President.
SUPPORTER OF JEWISH CAUSES
For the 15 years he was governor of New York prior to his resignation in Dec. 1973. Rockefeller received a great deal of support in his election bids from the Jewish community. He was a strong supporter of Jewish causes in New York and throughout the nation and a firm defender of Israel.
He was a long-time supporter of the United Jewish Appeal campaign in New York and was founder and first chairman of the Non-Sectarian Community Committee for the UJA in 1946-47. He assumed chairmanship of the committee again in 1958. He said of the committee’s work at one time that it “demonstrated our conviction that all civilized men shared the duty of redressing the outrage committed against the Jewish people.” As governor, he was a frequent speaker at major UJA campaign functions and traditionally participated in the inaugural dinners.
At the end of World War II, Rockefeller was active in helping to relocate those in DP camps in Europe and supporting the establishment of the State of Israel. His support for the Jewish State has continued and he visited Israel several times the latest in the summer of 1972. During the Six-Day War. Rockefeller declared that the U.S. “must support whatever action is necessary to maintain the integrity of Israel…to restore peace and to remove the long festering conditions of conflict that torment the Middle East.”
ISRAEL’S NATIONHOOD MUST BE RECOGNIZED
In a speech on Israel’s 20th anniversary in 1968, Rockefeller noted that “it is well to recall that during this 20-year period almost a million-and-a-half downtrodden people have found a haven and a home in Israel made up of survivors of the Holocaust and victims of oppression in many countries of the world.” He said this was “the largest and finest example of humanitarian rescue in the history of mankind.” Noting that the U.S. was the first country to recognize Israel as a State, Rockefeller said it continues its “interest in the growth and development of Israel as the only true example of democracy in the Middle East.”
Rockefeller also stressed at the time that peace in the Mideast “still hinges on the acceptance of realities. Once Israel is accepted as a fact of life…then permanent peace can come…and that day when Israel’s nationhood will be recognized by its neighbors must come as soon as possible…the United States should do everything in its power to advance that objective.”
Speaking to the America-Israel Chamber of Commerce in May 1973, Rockefeller paid tribute to Israel’s “triumph and courage over incredible obstacles,” adding: “We are all deeply and understandably impressed by the courage of Israeli arms. But equally vital to Israel’s survival has been her economic flowering over the past 25 years. She has become a humming, thriving workshop and a land of increasing plenty.”
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
