Dinitz Says Israel’s Strength is in the Unity Between That Nation and Jews All over the World

Simcha Dinitz, Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, said here last night that the greatest source of Israel’s strength, aside from its indomitable will to survive, is in the unity between that nation and the Jewish people everywhere. Addressing the 47th annual convention of the National Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs, an organization of 375 brotherhoods affiliated with Conservative synagogues in the U.S. and Canada, Dinitz declared:

“Let us not kid ourselves. Our strength lies in the unity that exists between us and the Jewish people throughout the world and especially in the great Jewish communities of the United States and Canada. This is the source of our strength. If one were to judge us by the sheer physical characteristics of 3 1/2 million people with a few thousand square miles, surrounded by 100 million people with 1 1/2 million square miles, with oil resources and money–then our place will dwindle into insignificance.”

Referring to the rescue of hostages at Entebbe Airport, Dinitz said that following this incident, tens of thousands of letters, phone calls and gifts poured into the Israeli Embassy in Washington from Americans in all parts of the country. Jews as well as non-Jews. The Ambassador added: “I say to you, in all candor, that if this (Entebbe) was needed to awaken world consciousness, then something is rotten-in-human mentality. After receiving all of these communications, I asked myself, where were they before and will they be with us tomorrow?”

Dinitz expressed gratitude for the flow of economic and military assistance from the United States and added that his nation has no need for American soldiers. “If that day ever came, we would lose the right to exist,” he said. “Just give us the tools and we can do the job.” The National Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs is a constituent body of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and the United Synagogue.