Former Gov. William Scranton put in an unexpected appearance yesterday at a citywide farewell dinner for Israel Consul-General Issakhar Ben-Yaacov who has been designated Ambassador to Nigeria. He told more than 400 people, “Israel is fortunate in having such dedicated, talented people in its service. We have had many enjoyable conversations together,” he said, adding that he was impressed with the manner in which Mr. Ben-Yaacov carried out his duties.
A standing ovation was given to Gov. Scranton who, on a fact-finding Mideast mission for Richard M. Nixon as president-elect last year, called for “even-handed” U.S. policy toward Israel and the Arab states. Many critics saw his call as urging diminished U.S. backing for Israel.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
