The Rabbinical Alliance of America — Igud HaRabbonim, representing nearly one thousand rabbis serving throughout the United States of America — calls upon House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to insist that Representative Rashida Tlaib clarify her position on the State of Israel.
The concern of the Rabbinical Alliance of America stems from a map of the middle-east that Congress Member Tlaib displayed last week in her office with a note posted over Israel that reads Palestine. Israel is a crucial and strategic ally of the United States. It is the only democracy in the Middle East and maintains strong economic, military and social ties with the United States.
Rabbi Mendy Mirocznik, Executive Vice-President of the Rabbinical Alliance of America, stated that, “[t]his map displayed by a member of the United States House of Representatives is troublesome. If left unclarified, it can be interpreted as a statement by a member of Congress that undermines the legitimacy of the State of Israel. Considering the controversy that this map has sparked it requires immediate clarification as to what message Congress Member Tlaib was expressing when she had this map displayed. This map leads to the inconceivable question whether Israel has the right to exist as a sovereign nation.” Mirocznik further called upon Speaker Pelosi to contact Representative Tlaib in order “to clarify her position on Israel, America’s true democratic friend in the Middle East. Israel is a strategic, stable American ally in a volatile region and serves to protect American security Issues.”
The Rabbinical Alliance of America is looking forward to receiving a favorable clarification to alleviate the concerns of our constituents.