(March 28, 2024, Washington, DC) – Every once in a while, an individual comes along who conveys the personification of ethics, political courage, and moral integrity. Senator Joseph Lieberman was just such a person. We, at EMET, had the profound honor and privilege of working closely with Senator Lieberman over the years, honoring him in 2009. He had worked with us on multiple legislative initiatives and always had an open door to us.
Senator Lieberman constantly reached across the aisle, working particularly closely with Senator Jon Kyl, (Republican, Arizona). He displayed a spirit of unity and cohesion, something that is so markedly lacking in today’s deeply partisan Congress. Our nation and its values and principles always took priority for him. His ideas were too vast to be weighed down by party affiliation or by partisan, political bickering.
Senator Lieberman was a great American who believed passionately in the United States, a deeply religious, Orthodox Jew, and a proud Zionist. He used to often joke with us how, on Friday evenings when there were votes in the Senate, his colleagues would say to him, “Joe: Shouldn’t you be walking home? The sun is about to set.”
As the first Jew to ever be nominated for the Vice President of the United States, he was an exemplary role model for us all.
The world is a bit darker of a place now that Senator Joe Lieberman has left us. His mark, however, will forever remain with us. May Haddasah and the entire family be comforted among the mourners of Zion in Jerusalem, and may his memory serve for all of us as a blessing.
