Harper Lives It Up in Jerusalem

By COLlive and Chabad.org

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper joined his Israeli counterpart, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for some private time with the delegation of Canadian Chabad rabbis who accompanied his trip.

Rabbi Yitzchok Wineberg, of Vancouver, B.C., took the opportunity to express his appreciation to Harper for his longstanding friendship with the Jewish community and staunch support of Israel.

He reiterated how crucial it is for Israel to remain strong even in the face of external pressure to cede land in exchange for promises of peace, Chabad.org reported.

Both premiers responded by telling the delegation of their admiration of the Lubavitcher Rebbe and the work of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement in Canada, Israel—and around the world.

Netanyahu fondly recalled the wisdom and holiness that he encountered in his interactions with the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson of righteous memory, throughout the years.

In fact, during the state dinner that followed, Netanyahu retold the life-altering words that the Rebbe shared with him nearly 30 years prior when he was the newly appointed Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations.

“You’ll be serving in a house of many lies,” the Rebbe said to him. “Remember, that even in the darkest place, the light of a single candle can be seen far and wide.”

Staff of Prime Minister Netanyahu wrote on his Facebook page that he’s shared the Rebbe’s words with Harper and that he noted, “Stephen, in your speech last night in the Knesset you spread a giant light.”

As a token of appreciation, Wineberg presented Prime Minister Harper with a five-volume leather-bound set of Chumash with the Rebbe’s commentary published by Kehot Publication Society in conjunction with Chabad of California.

Rabbi Chaim Nochum Cunin, who directed the publication of the work, was on hand for the presentation, as well as the Chabad rabbis who accompanied Harper during his historic first trip to the Holy land.

Later in the day, Prime Minister Harper visited the Kotel in Jerusalem where he prayed and inserted a written prayer between the cracks of its large stones.

He was welcomed by Kotel Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowicz and Soli Eliav, the director of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, who thanked him for his support of Israel.

Harper took a keen interest in the archaeological findings in the area of the Temple Mount, which only became possible after the Israelis captured the Old City from the Arabs in 1967. Jews were barred from the site for 19 years.

Asked by a reporter about the repercussions of his steadfast support of Israel, Harper admitted that “Canada is paying a price” and that there are “enough” countries that criticize Israel.

“Everything here is so small,” he added. “And this clarifies that security concerns of Israel and emphasizes that how every threat is an existential one.”

VIDEO: Harper entertains a dinner in Jerusalem