I am proud to say that the late Sen. Arlen Specter was a friend of mine. (“Remembering Specter, ‘A Tough Jew’” Oct. 19). He was the toughest man I ever knew. No matter how difficult the situation was, he stood up like a giant and fought — and with a ready smile. Everything I ever asked him to do to help Israel, he did — from linking Palestinian aid to compliance with Oslo; to fighting Arab terrorists; to supporting moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem; to opposing Strobe Talbot, a hostile Israel critic, for undersecretary of state. (Few knew that two of his sisters were Orthodox, with one living in Israel.) Specter was Israel’s best friend among the 13 Jewish senators. His passing was a great loss to Israel, America, and to me. I already miss him terribly.
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