President George H. W. Bush passed away last week at the age of 94. Bush was generally considered a friend to American Jews and Israel. But at least once in his life, he said something that prompted blow back from members of the Jewish community. What did he say?
A. Before Bush entered politics, he was an entrepreneur in the oil business in Texas, and in 1954 he became president of the Zapata Offshore Company in Midland, Texas. When Egypt blocked the Suez Canal in 1956, leading to the Second Arab-Israeli War, Bush spoke out against the Israelis, claiming that they and their French and British coalition partners were causing a major disruption in international oil markets, hurting Bush’s company as well. Members of the Jewish community in Houston reached out to Texas governor Allan Shivers, who contacted his friend George Bush and alerted him to the distress he had caused within the Jewish community. Bush apologized, and often referenced that incident as one which enlightened him to the issues facing Israel, something he did not have much knowledge about previously.
B. In 1991, Bush opposed a plan to provide $10 million in loan guarantees to Israel in support of the resettlement of the large number of Soviet Jews who were arriving in Israel. There was a strong effort in the Jewish community to get Bush to go along with the plan, prompting him to say that he was just “one lonely guy” up against “a thousand lobbyists on the Hill.” Bush later apologized for the remark, which was seen as suggesting that Jews had too much power in Washington, DC.
C. When President Bush was putting together a coalition to fight against Iraq following Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait, there was great discussion as to what role Israel might play. Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir was anxious to see Saddam Hussein defeated, as he feared that otherwise, Iraq would be emboldened to attack Israel. Hussein had spoken of wanting revenge against Israel since the 1981 bombing by Israel of the Iraqi nuclear facility. But Bush was concerned that an Israeli presence in the coalition would restrict America’s ability to align with other Arab countries against Iraq. At one point, in frustration, Bush said during a White House strategy session that “we have to find to way to keep that Jewish fellow quiet.” When word got out of Bush’s reference to Shamir, he received great criticism from within the Jewish community, leading him to apologize to Shamir for his indiscretion.
D. Following the Gulf War in 1991, the Bush administration began to focus on the Arab-Israeli conflict, feeling that the time was ripe for a resolution, following the defeat of Saddam Hussein and the freeing of Kuwait by the American-led coalition. Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir was reluctant to enter negotiations, and at one point Bush said, “We will always stand by our Israeli friends. But that does not mean that we will stand by blindly. I call on Prime Minister Shamir to join in our efforts, so that we can continue to stand side by side.” There was a huge outcry from the American Jewish community and Congress who felt that this was unduly harsh and threatening to the Israelis, leading Bush to publicly apologize to Shamir. Ultimately, they did move forward together with the Madrid Conference, a forerunner of the Oslo Accords of 1993.
E. In President Bush’s acceptance speech at the Repubican National Convention in 1988, he referred to “a thousand points of light,” a phrase he continued to use in reference to the many volunteers and organizations who worked to improve the lives of Americans. The following year, Rabbi Levi Shemtov of Chabad in Washington lit the national menorah at Chanukkah time, and in his remarks he drew parallels between Bush’s thousand points of light and the lights of the chanukkiah. He then noted that he would be delivering potato latkes to the Bush White House for Bush’s family and White House staff to enjoy. The word spread of this effort, and all of a sudden Chabad Houses around the country were sending potato pancakes to the White House. Finally, President Bush had to call on Jews across the country to cease with this effort, as he famously said, “Read my lips. NO NEW LATKES.”