David M. Friedman
David M. Friedman | |
---|---|
United States Ambassador to Israel | |
In office May 15, 2017 – January 20, 2021 | |
President | Donald Trump |
Preceded by | Dan Shapiro |
Succeeded by | Thomas R. Nides |
Personal details | |
Born | David Melech Friedman August 8, 1958 |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse |
Tammy Sand (m. 1981) |
Children | 5 |
Education | |
David Melech Friedman (born August 8, 1958) is an American bankruptcy lawyer and the former
He was an advisor to Trump during
Early life and education
Friedman was one of four children born to Morris S. Friedman (d. 2005),[1] a Temple Hillel rabbi[2] and Addi Friedman, a high school English teacher.[3][4] He grew up in North Woodmere, New York.[1][5] His father was a rabbi at Temple Hillel, a Conservative synagogue in North Woodmere, and served as the head of the New York Board of Rabbis.[1][6]
He graduated from Hebrew Academy of Nassau County (HANC) high school in 1974, and earned his B.A. degree in anthropology from Columbia University, graduating in 1978,[7] and his J.D. degree from New York University School of Law, graduating in 1981.[1][8] He has been a member of the New York State Bar Association since 1982.[7]
Legal and philanthropic career
In 1994, he left the now-defunct law firm Mudge Rose Guthrie Alexander & Ferdon to form the bankruptcy practice at Kasowitz, Hoff, Benson & Torres.[9][10] Friedman was promoted to name partner in 1995, and the firm was renamed Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman.[11] As the head of the creditors' rights and bankruptcy practice group,[3] Friedman advised and represented Donald Trump and The Trump Organization in bankruptcies involving his Atlantic City casinos.[12]
Friedman volunteered to head American Friends of Bet El Institutions,
Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign
Friedman advised Trump on Israel-related and Jewish issues during his
Nomination for U.S. Ambassador to Israel
Reactions
On December 15, 2016, the
The liberal advocacy organization
Are J Street supporters really as bad as
kapos? The answer, actually, is no. They are far worse than kapos—Jews who turned in their fellow Jews in the Nazi death camps. The kapos faced extraordinary cruelty and who knows what any of us would have done under those circumstances to save a loved one? But J Street? They are just smug advocates of Israel's destruction delivered from the comfort of their secure American sofas—it's hard to imagine anyone worse.[33]
When asked about his comments on J Street at the
Five former United States Ambassadors to Israel –
Other Jewish and Israeli groups and individuals supported Friedman's nomination. Nathan Diament, executive director for public policy at the
Senate confirmation
Friedman's confirmation hearing was held on February 16, 2017.
Several Democratic members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee criticized Friedman's fitness for the position, while the Republican members generally expressed their support.[43] On March 9, 2017, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved his nomination in a 12–9 vote. All Republicans voted in favor, along with Democrat Bob Menendez from New Jersey.[50] Friedman was officially confirmed on March 23.[51] All Democratic and independent senators except Bob Menendez and Joe Manchin, from West Virginia, voted against him. 50 out of 52 Republican senators voted for him; two Republicans did not vote.[52] The Washington Post reported that this "sharply partisan vote was a notable departure from past votes to confirm ambassadors to Israel."[53]
On March 29, Vice President Mike Pence officially administered the oath of office, swearing in Friedman.[54] He succeeded Leslie Tsou, who served as the interim chargé d'affaires after Daniel Shapiro left the position on January 20.[55][56]
Ambassadorship
Friedman became the U.S. ambassador to Israel on May 15, 2017, when he presented his credentials to Israeli President Reuven Rivlin.[57] In 2019, The Jerusalem Post listed him as one of the world's 50 most influential Jews.[58]
The New York Times in January 2021 described Friedman "as one of America’s most influential envoys" and as someone "who drove the radical overhaul of White House policy toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."[59]
According to CNN, Friedman stated that Israeli settlements in the West Bank were not illegal and supported Israel to annex portions of the West Bank.[60]
For his work negotiating the Abraham Accords, Friedman was nominated alongside Jared Kushner for the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize. The nomination, submitted by Alan Dershowitz, also names Kushner's aide Avi Berkowitz, and Friedman's counterpart Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer.[61]
Post-Ambassador career
After his term of ambassadorship was completed, Friedman launched the Friedman Center for Peace through Strength which seeks to continue the inroads made by the Abraham Accords.[62] An opening event was held in 2021 at the Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem where the center is located.[63]
In 2022 Friedman released the memoir Sledgehammer: How Breaking with the Past Brought Peace to the Middle East. In it he describes his journey to becoming ambassador and how the Abraham Accords came about.[64] Bookscan sales indicated It sold more in its first week of release then any other Israel-related book in the past ten years according to vice president of the publisher Broadside books Eric Nelson.[65]
When Trump received Kanye West and white supremacist Nick Fuentes at Mar-a-Lago in November 2022, Friedman tweeted: “Even a social visit from an antisemite like Kanye West and human scum like Nick Fuentes is unacceptable. I urge you to throw those bums out, disavow them and relegate them to the dustbin of history where they belong.”[66]
On 13 June 2023, Friedman endorsed Trump for President.[67]
Alongside Mike Pompeo, Friedman featured in the 2023 documentary Route 60: The Biblical Highway, directed by Matt Crouch.[68]
Personal life
Friedman is an Orthodox Jew and is fluent in Hebrew.[9][14] He has been married to his wife, Tammy Deborah Sand, since 1981.[5] They have five children and seven grandchildren.[69] Friedman's daughter, Talia Friedman, immigrated to Israel and officially became an Israeli citizen on August 15, 2017.[70] In 1984, Friedman met President Ronald Reagan when Reagan visited Temple Hillel and became the first sitting president since George Washington to visit a synagogue.[71][72] Friedman became friends with Donald Trump in 2005, after Trump paid him a condolence call during shiva for his father.[3]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Kershner, Isabel; Stolberg, Sheryl Gay (December 16, 2016). "David Friedman, Choice for Envoy to Israel, Is Hostile to Two-State Efforts". The New York Times. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
- ^ "Paid Notice: FRIEDMAN, RABBI MORRIS S." New York Times Archives. 25 February 2005.
- ^ a b c Maltz, Judy (November 11, 2016). "What Do We Know About David Friedman, Trump's Pick for Ambassador to Israel?". Haaretz. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
- ^ Galvin, Gaby (20 March 2017). "10 Things You Didn't Know About David Friedman". U.S. News & World Report.
- ^ a b "Tammy D. Sand Is Engaged To David Melech Friedman". The New York Times. January 4, 1981. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
- ^ Solomon, Daniel J. (December 16, 2016). "Meet David Friedman, Bankruptcy Lawyer Turned Possible Israel Ambassador". The Forward. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
- ^ J Street. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
- Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman. Archived from the originalon March 8, 2017. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
- ^ a b c d "President-Elect Donald J. Trump Nominates David Friedman as U.S. Ambassador to Israel". GreatAgain.gov. December 15, 2016. Archived from the original on September 5, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
- ^ Amon, Elizabeth (August 2004). "Fast Rise to the Top" (PDF). The American Lawyer. New York City. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 13, 2011. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
- ^ Feliciano, Carmen (May 1, 1995). "Profiles/Executive Moves". Crain's New York Business. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
- ^ a b c d DeYoung, Karen (December 15, 2016). "Trump picks a supporter of West Bank settlements for ambassador to Israel". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
- ^ Zeveloff, Naomi (January 15, 2017). "Inside the West Bank Settlement That Trump's Envoy David Friedman Loves Best". The Forward. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
- ^ a b c "Trump Taps David Friedman as U.S. Ambassador to Israel". Haaretz. December 16, 2016. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
- ^ a b Maltz, Judy (December 16, 2016). "Fund Headed by Trump's Israel Ambassador Pumped Tens of Millions Into West Bank Settlement". Haaretz. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
- ^ Maltz, Judy (February 15, 2017). "Building Dedicated by Trump's Israel Envoy Was Constructed Illegally on Palestinian Land". Haaretz. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
- ^ Nathan-Kazis, Josh (December 19, 2016). "David Friedman Does More Than Write for Far-Right News Site". The Forward. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
- ^ Graham, David A. (December 16, 2016). "Trump's Pick for Israel Ambassador Is No Diplomat". The Atlantic. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
- ^ a b Greenblatt, Jason D.; Friedman, David (November 2, 2016). "Joint Statement from Jason Dov Greenblatt and David Friedman, Co-Chairmen of the Israel Advisory Committee to Donald J. Trump". Medium. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
- ^ "WATCH: Trump Promises to Move U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem". Haaretz. January 20, 2016. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
- ^ a b "Republican Senators Introduce Bill to Move U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem". Haaretz. January 4, 2017. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
- ^ Baker, Peter (November 18, 2016). "An Embassy in Jerusalem? Trump Promises, but So Did Predecessors". The New York Times. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
- ^ Elman, Miriam F. (December 29, 2016). "Trump's plan to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem could help the peace process". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
- ^ a b Samuelson, Kate (December 16, 2016). "Why Jerusalem Isn't Recognized as Israel's Capital". Time. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
- ^ Hanna, Andrew; Saba, Yousef (December 15, 2016). "Will Trump move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem?". Politico. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
- ^ Baker, Peter (June 1, 2017). "Donald Trump Won't Move Embassy to Jerusalem, at Least for Now". The New York Times. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
- National Archives.
- ^ Cortellessa, Eric (December 16, 2016). "Trump taps adviser Friedman to be US ambassador to Israel". The Times of Israel. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
- ^ "Erekat: Moving US Embassy to Jerusalem will 'destroy peace process'". The Times of Israel. December 16, 2016. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
- ^ Ravid, Barak (June 23, 2016). "David Friedman: Trump Would Support Israeli Annexation of Parts of West Bank". Haaretz. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
- ^ a b V.V.B. (December 17, 2016). "An undiplomatic choice: Donald Trump picks a hardliner as ambassador to Israel". The Economist. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
- J Street. December 16, 2016. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
- ^ Friedman, David (May 6, 2016). "Read Peter Beinart and you'll vote Donald Trump". Arutz Sheva. Archived from the original on May 7, 2016. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
- ^ Rosenberg, Matthew (December 15, 2016). "Trump Chooses Hard-Liner as Ambassador to Israel". The New York Times. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
- ^ Cortellessa, Eric (December 16, 2016). "Liberal Jewish groups rage against Trump's Israel ambassador pick". The Times of Israel. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e "Hawks hail Trump's nominee for ambassador to Israel, doves vow a fight". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. December 16, 2016. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
- ^ Guttman, Nathan (December 19, 2016). "Chuck Schumer Not Taking Sides on David Friedman as Ambassador to Israel". The Forward. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
- ^ Guttman, Nathan (December 20, 2016). "Rep. Steve Cohen Rejects David Friedman — Says He's No 'Fiddler'". The Forward. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
- ^ Lardner, Richard (February 16, 2017). "Trump's pick for Israel envoy goes on damage control". Associated Press. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
- ^ Toosi, Nahal (December 15, 2016). "Trump picks hard-line attorney as Israel envoy, angering Jewish left". Politico. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
- ^ Booth, William; Eglash, Ruth (December 16, 2016). "Israel says there's never been a more right-wing U.S. ambassador than Trump's pick". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
- ^ a b c Gaouette, Nicole; Labott, Elise (February 16, 2017). "Senate grills US envoy to Israel pick after Trump scraps two-state policy". CNN. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
- ^ a b c Huetteman, Emmarie (February 16, 2017). "Trump's Nominee for Israel Envoy Apologizes for 'Hurtful Words'". The New York Times. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
- ^ Schulberg, Jessica (April 20, 2017). "6 Protesters Were Arrested. Only The 2 Arab Muslims Face Misdemeanor Charges". The Huffington Post. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
- ^ Cortellessa, Eric (November 6, 2016). "What a Trump presidency would mean for Israel". The Times of Israel. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
- ^ Friedman, David (October 2, 2016). "End the two-state narrative". Arutz Sheva. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
- ^ Sanchez, Raf (February 16, 2017). "Trump's Middle East policy in chaos as UN ambassador says US 'absolutely' supports two-state solution". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
- ^ Lardner, Richard (February 16, 2017). "Trump's pick for Israel envoy goes on damage control". Associated Press. Archived from the original on March 24, 2017. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
- ^ "J Street Israel boss rejects David Friedman's remorse for 'kapos' remark". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. February 17, 2017. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
- ^ Demirjian, Karoun (March 9, 2017). "Trump's pick for Israeli ambassador clears key Senate panel". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
- ^ Rosenberg, David (March 23, 2017). "It's final: David Friedman confirmed as Ambassador to Israel". Israel National News. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
- ^ "On the Nomination (Confirmation David Friedman, of New York, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Israel)". United States Senate. March 23, 2017. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
- ^ Demirjian, Karoun (March 23, 2017). "Senate confirms David Friedman as U.S. ambassador to Israel, with little Democratic support". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
- ^ Tibon, Amir (March 30, 2017). "David Friedman, Staunch Supporter of the Settlements, Sworn in as U.S. Ambassador to Israel". Haaretz. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
- U.S. Embassy in Israel. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ Sommer, Allison Kaplan (January 7, 2017). "Outgoing U.S. Envoy Dan Shapiro to Stay in Israel After Trump Takes Office". Haaretz. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ Ahren, Raphael (May 16, 2017). "David Friedman officially takes up post as Trump's Israel envoy". The Times of Israel. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
- ^ "50 Influencers 2019". www.jpost.com. Retrieved 2019-10-02.
- ^ Halbfinger, David M. (January 10, 2021). "Strong Views and 'Close to the Boss': How U.S. Envoy Reshaped a Conflict". The New York Times. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
- ^ Bergen, Peter (May 21, 2021). "Jared Kushner's Middle East fantasy explodes". CNN. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
- ^ "Kushner, Berkowitz, Friedman nominated for Nobel Peace Prize". The Jerusalem Post. February 1, 2021. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
- ^ "Ex-U.S. envoy Friedman sees Muslim tourism to Jerusalem as way to end conflict". YNetnews. October 11, 2021. Retrieved 2022-04-04.
- ^ Kahana, Ariel (October 12, 2021). "Friedman Center for Peace Through Strength opens in Jerusalem". Israel Hayom. Retrieved 2022-04-04.
- ^ "TJS S5 Interlude: Interview with Ambassador David Friedman". The Jewish Story. 2022-04-03. Retrieved 2022-04-04.
- ^ "David Friedman's book 'Sledgehammer' hits record sales in first week out". The Jerusalem Post. 17 February 2022. Retrieved 2022-04-04.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-02-17.
- ^ Magid, Jacob (13 June 2023). "Former US envoy to Israel David Friedman endorses former boss Trump for 2024". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
- ^ Jaffe-Hoffman, Maayan (21 September 2023). "Route 60: Biblical Highway breaks box office expectations". The Jerusalem Post.
- ^ Friedman, David M. (February 16, 2017). "Statement of David M. Friedman, of New York, Nominee to be Ambassador to Israel" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
- ^ "Daughter of US Ambassador David Friedman immigrates to Israel". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 2017-09-29.
- ^ Cannon, Lou (October 27, 1984). "Reagan Courts Jews, Environmentalists". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
- ^ Gruson, Lindsey (October 27, 1984). "Reagan Woos Jewish Voters on L.I. Visit". The New York Times. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
Further reading
- Friedman, David (2022). Sledgehammer: How Breaking with the Past Brought Peace to the Middle East. Broadside ISBN 9780063098114[1]
External links
- OCLC 1264174882.)
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