NJDC Mourns Passing of Charlie Wilson

David Streeter — February 10, 2010 – 6:56 pm | Foreign Policy | Israel | Terrorism Comments (0) Add a comment

Marc R. Stanley, Chairman of the National Jewish Democratic Council, today released the following statement:

“The death of former Texas Congressman Charlie Wilson today marks the passing of a true legend, and the loss of a man who proudly stood for his ideals—and in strong support of the State of Israel.

“Through his work as a senior member on the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee and Foreign Operations Subcommittee, Congressman Wilson famously worked to secure America’s interests overseas. He did so in a way that reached across party lines, and across ideological divides—providing us a foreign policy lesson that we can continue to learn from today. Yet while being strong on defense, he was also a good liberal representative for his East Texas district. Only someone with Charlie Wilson’s charisma and talent could tie the many competing interests that he worked with together around common causes. Of special importance to the Jewish community was his staunch support for Israel, as manifested in part by his long and close relationship with senior Israeli diplomat Zvi Rafiah—which was profiled in detail in the movie ‘Charlie Wilson’s War.’

“Congressman Wilson’s support for Israel in Congress and his commitment to America’s security, combined with his own liberal values, are all reasons why the American Jewish community will miss him so deeply.”

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