By COLlive reporter
The caucus of Republicans in the United States Congress held a breakfast roundtable with officials from 20 national Jewish organizations last week.
The mission of The House Republican Conference is to deliver the Majority’s conservative message to citizens. This meeting was to discuss the legislative agenda for the 113th Congress.
Present were Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, the newly elected chair of the House GOP conference—the No. 4 position in Republican leadership, and Matt Brooks of the Republican Jewish Coalition and others.
Participants came from AIPAC, American Jewish Committee, Anti-Defamation League, Jewish Federations of North America, Religious Action Center (Reform), Bnai Brith International, Orthodox Union, Agudath Israel of America, Jewish Council for Public Affairs and others.
When representatives of the organizations were asked to introduce themselves and their work, each began reviewing their group’s history and credentials.
So when it came to Rabbi Levi Shemtov, Vice President of American Friends of Lubavitch and Director of Chabad in Washington, DC, the task to top the rest might have seemed difficult at first.
He told the following joke:
A dry cleaner once wrote on his shop “the best in the nation.” When his competitor opened, he wrote on the store front “best in the world.”
The one who first had a dry cleaning shop on the block found it hard to operate without a sign promoting his work. He ended up writing: “Best dry cleaner on this block.”
“I am proud to represent here Chabad-Lubavitch, a movement founded in the late 18th century,” he said. “We have 4,000 rabbis in 49 U.S. states and in over 80 countries.”
Rabbi Shemtov was invited to say Dvar Torah following which Chief Deputy Whip Peter Roskam gave an update on domestic policy, with a focus on tax reform and the charitable deduction.
Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Ed Royce spoke about foreign policy priorities, with an emphasis on Iran sanctions. After some time for Q&A, the group resolved to begin meeting on a regular basis.
Rabbi Levi Shemtov is a truly amazing man. A few months ago I was flying through DC and needed a minyan to say Kaddish for my father. A shliach/friend had given me Rabbi Shemtov’s number. He called me back and personally helped. I don’t know of another head of an organization at that table, especially one who is fully responsible for his own overhead who would have helped in a few hours notice. How great are our shluchim.
No one every was, nor will anyone ever be, like ‘The Lubavitcher Rebbe, MH”M!
Go Levi!! You make even those who dont know you proud to be one of your kind!! (Behind every great man is an even greater woman! Nechama, I still remember the days in high school,,,,,)
And Lubavitch always does more….often with less! We are proud of our Shluchim across the globe.
Bebirchas continued Hatzlochoh lemaaloh min hameshuyar!
Levi J