Former Arkansas governor and Fox News host Mike Huckabee took the podium Sunday night to deliver the keynote address at the 28th annual Beit El dinner held at New York’s Marriot Marquis Hotel.
"The right of the Jewish people to their homeland is with G-d", declared Huckabee, who political insiders have suggested will throw his hat in the ring as a potential GOP presidential candidate in 2012.
Dr. Joseph Frager, renowned Jewish philanthropist and 2010 recipient of the Beit El "Shomer Yisroel" Award, enthusiastically endorsed the former governor as he introduced Huckabee to more than 1,500 attendees at the much-anticipated annual event.
Billed as a place where "Jewish history began and where Jewish life continues to thrive," Beit El is situated on the once-barren hills guarding the northern approaches to Jerusalem.
Mr. Eugene Gluck, Chairman of the Board of the American Friends of Beit El, welcomed the overflowing crowd by saying, "During this holiday of Chanukah we honor and remember the glorious legacy of the Maccabees of old and also pay tribute to the commitment and selfless dedication of those who live in Beit El and those who selflessly support this radiant Mekom Torah" (place of Torah – ed.).
A special video presentation also highlighted the evening as Knesset Member and National Union party chairman Yaakov "Ketzaleh" Katz was honored with the lighting of the menorah at the dinner. Both he and esteemed Torah scholar and Rosh Yeshiva of Beit El, Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed, were featured as pivotal figures in the burgeoning expansion of Beit El.
Dr. Joseph and Karen Frager received the 2010 Shomer Yisrael Award for their commitment to the residents of Beit El and the Land of Israel as well as innumerable Jewish communal causes. Dr. Frager is best known as the Chairman of the Board of the internationally acclaimed Jerusalem Reclamation Project, which has changed the face of the Old City of Jerusalem over the past 31 years.
Dr. Jeffrey and Esther Weber were honored with the 2010 Shomer Beit El Award for their "ardent support of Israeli and local Jewish causes." Dr. Weber serves on the Executive Board of the Merkaz Yisroel Marine Park Jewish Center in Brooklyn, NY. His connection to Beit El dates back to 1992. The Weber home often hosts staff members from the Beit El yeshiva traveling in the New York area.
The distinguished Keter Torah Award was presented to Dr. Joshua and Shifra Fox, residents of Lawrence, New York who are widely acknowledged by many Torah institutions throughout the United States. Dr. Fox has served as President of Congregation Shaarey Tefilla and is on the Board of Directors of the Torah Academy for Girls, the Jewish Heritage Center, Yeshiva Darchei Torah and the Yeshiva of Far Rockaway.
The Guest of Honor were Rabbi Dr. Richard and Sandy Weiss of Hillcrest, Queens. Rabbi Weiss holds the pulpit at the Young Israel of Hillcrest and is an assistant professor of biology at Stern College for Women. The Weisses were lauded for being "ardent advocates of Israel and the community of Beit El." After visiting Beit El on his last mission, Dr. Weiss remarked that "the people of Beit El are modern day pioneers who have established a blossoming town right next to Ramallah, where Yasser Arafat based his reign of terror."
Malcolm Hoenlein, Executive Vice Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, addressed the audience as well, calling the nation of Israel to become "B'nai Bina" (a people who understands).
"We don't want to see the realities in our midst and we must understand the challenges of our time… Chanukah is not about the past but about our future and Beit El is not about our past and is inextricably tied to our future. We must boldly declare the Jewish claim to the [Western Wall] and to [the Temple Mount],” he said.
“Our history and our future is forged in thousands of years of Jewish sacrifice and Jewish blood, sweat and tears and we must stand strong and rise to the challenges presented to us by those who seek to jettison the Jewish claim to Jerusalem and all of Israel."