Rabbi Shmuley Boteach apologizes to Susan Rice over attack ad
In letter titled 'Dear Susan Rice, I'm sorry,' Boteach says he never intended to personally attack Rice.
By JPOST.COM STAFFRabbi Shmuley Boteach(photo credit: REUTERS)
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach wrote an apology letter to United States National Security Adviser Susan Rice in the Washington Post on Tuesday.Boteach, a New Jersey-based author and pro-Israel advocate, apologized to Rice over an attack ad he published in The New York Times last week accusing her of turning a blind eye to genocide."The ad was criticized by Jewish organizations, which said that we had attacked you personally. That was not our intent. We hoped to focus on policy, and we failed. I apologize fully and hope you will forgive me. It is the job of a communicator to communicate. Effectively. And having come up short, I will try again," Boteach wrote in the letter titled 'Dear Susan Rice, I'm sorry.'In a full-page ad in The New York Times, Boteach’s organization claimed Rice steered then-president Bill Clinton to avoid using the term “genocide” before the 1994 November midterms, fearing political repercussions should the White House appear complacent.Boteach tied this alleged political calculation to Rice’s comments on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington, which the premier said was necessary for the protection of the State of Israel. Rice said his decision to accept the invitation was “destructive of the fabric of the relationship” between Israel and the United States.Following its publishing, an array of Jewish groups condemned the ad.Michael Wilner contributed to this report.
