Pence praises late tourism minister Benny Elon for memorial
US Vice President Mike Pence penned a letter to Elon's wife Emuna in which he told her that the "US-Israeli bond is strong today, thanks in large part to Benny."
By GIL HOFFMANUpdated: JUNE 1, 2017 00:40Benny Elon (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
US Vice President Mike Pence sent a condolence letter to the family of the late tourism minister Benny Elon that will be read aloud Thursday night at a ceremony in Jerusalem marking 30 days from Elon’s death.Pence and Elon worked closely together when Elon was chairman of the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus and Pence was his counterpart as chairman of the US congressional Israel Allies Caucus. They maintained their close ties after Elon left the Knesset and became the international president of the Israel Allies Foundation.“Rabbi Benny Elon’s big heart and undying burden for the Jewish people reached beyond the capital State of Israel to the United States itself,” Pence wrote to Elon’s wife, Emuna. “The US-Israeli bond is strong today thanks in large part to Benny and his legacy will endure for generations to come.He will be forever remembered and sorely missed.”Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, Jerusalem chief rabbi Arye Stern and members of the Elon family will speak at the memorial at Jerusalem’s Yad Harav Nissim night.Elon died May 5 after a long battle with throat cancer. He was 62.