Carter Asks Jews To Forgive His Sins
Shouldn’t he be fasting, too?
December 21, 2009
Jimmy Carter, who has been an outspoken critic of the Israeli government’s policies vis-à-vis the Palestinians, has asked the American Jewish community for an “al Het”—the ritualistic forgiveness that Jews request of and receive from God on Yom Kippur.
We must recognize Israel’s achievements under difficult circumstances, even as we strive in a positive way to help Israel continue to improve its relations with its Arab populations, but we must not permit criticisms for improvement to stigmatize Israel. As I would have noted at Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, but which is appropriate at any time of the year, I offer an Al Het for any words or deeds of mine that may have done so.
Abraham Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League called the seasonal message the “beginning of reconciliation.” Unrelatedly—maybe—Carter’s grandson, Jason, is running to represent a significantly Jewish suburb of Atlanta in the Georgia State Senate.
Marc Tracy is a staff writer at The New Republic, and was previously a staff writer at Tablet. He tweets @marcatracy.
