Ambassador John R. Bolton recently visited members of New York's Sephardic community, at which time he gave a top-level briefing about Iran's nuclear capabilities and the escalating violence between Fatah and Hamas in Gaza.

The event, which was hosted by the Sephardic Community Federation (SCF), was held at the office of prominent Sephardic community leader Joe Cayre and paid tribute to Senator Martin Golden. Nearly 100 Sephardic community leaders were in attendance.

SCF Co-Chairman Haim Dabah was the first to speak, offering greetings to the community. SCF Co-Chairman Ronald Tawil then welcomed Ambassador Bolton to the community. Mr. Tawil discussed Ambassador Bolton’s strong pro-Israel and anti-Iran stance that made him a hero in the Jewish community.

“At a time when the State of Israel was facing attacks from two fronts, one from Hamas terrorists within the state and the other from Hezbollah terrorists outside of the state, Ambassador Bolton was on the front lines at the United Nations advocating the United States' strong support of Israel's right of self-defense,” said Tawil.

“The American Jewish community fully understands that the US needs someone in the UN that it can count on to stand up for what's right and protect not only its interests, but also the interests of its allies, including Israel,” continued Tawil. “Our community was indeed fortunate that time and time again, Ambassador Bolton proved that he is that person.”

“Ambassador Bolton's insights into the current state of the Middle East were unique, and his first-hand account about Israel's political situation was fascinating,” said David G. Greenfield. “He is a true friend of not just the Sephardic community, but of the entire Jewish community, and his unwavering support of the State of Israel in its time of need is something that we will always be grateful for.”

John Bolton became the US Representative to the UN on August 1, 2005, following his nomination by President George W. Bush, and he served until his resignation in December 2006. Before becoming the US Ambassador to the UN, he served as Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security from 2001 to 2005. Prior to that, he was Senior Vice President of the American Enterprise Institute, a well-known and well respected nonprofit public policy center that is dedicated to preserving and strengthening the foundations of freedom through research, education, and open debate.

During his tenure at the United Nations, Ambassador Bolton was a tenacious and outspoken advocate of US efforts to prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons. Ambassador Bolton joined with France's ambassador to lead the Security Council to approve a unanimous resolution to end the Hezbollah war on Israel in summer 2006. He was also a strong advocate for human rights. He arranged the Security Council's first deliberations on Burma's human rights abuses, as well as engineering the Security Council's approval of 22,500 UN peacekeepers in Darfur.

Ambassador Bolton has always been a staunch ally of the State of Israel and a good friend of the Jewish community. When he was first nominated as the US Representative to the UN, Ambassador Bolton received strong support from numerous major pro-Israel organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League, AIPAC, B'nai B'rith International, and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. In fact, the SCF publicly expressed its strong support for Ambassador Bolton and we urged our federal representatives to continue supporting him as well. The overwhelming support that Ambassador Bolton received from Jewish groups and pro-Israel organizations stemmed from his stellar record on issues involving Israel.

Due to the confidential nature of Ambassador Bolton's briefing, his exact remarks cannot be printed in the press, however the topics that he covered and some of the thoughts that he shared are highlighted here.

Ambassador Bolton began by thanking SCF and its leadership for inviting him to the community and he expressed his gratitude to the many members of the Sephardic community who voiced their support for him.

He then spoke in great detail about Iran's nuclear proliferation and the immense threat that Iran poses not just to Israel and the Middle East, but to the entire world, including the US. He noted that diplomatic efforts to resolve the crises have been unsuccessful thus far, and that unless an alternative course of action is explored and pursued, Iran and its President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will inevitably wreak havoc in the international community.

In addition, Ambassador Bolton discussed the rash of violence in Gaza between Hamas and Fatah, and Iran's role in the recent events in Gaza and Lebanon. The Ambassador discussed the effects of the battle and how it would impact the ability of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to govern effectively and to maintain any sort of credibility with Israel and the US.

Following his remarks, he joined with SCF Co-Chairman Ronald Tawil, SCF President Sam Sutton and SCF Executive Director David Greenfield to present Senator Marty Golden with the Jacob Barsimon Award. Jacob Barsimon, a Sephardic Jew, became the first Jewish immigrant to settle in New York when he emigrated from the Dutch colony of Recife in Brazil in 1654.

While introducing Senator Golden, Mr. Sutton noted that since he was first elected to represent Brooklyn in the New York State Senate in 2002, Senator Golden has set himself apart as an individual who views public service not merely as a job, but as a great privilege and a devout responsibility.

Senator Golden had a distinguished 10-year career as a New York City Police Officer, during which time he received numerous awards and accolades for his meritorious service. After suffering a serious injury while making a narcotics arrest in 1983, Senator Golden was forced to retire from the NYPD, but his devotion to the people of New York lived on. He represented the 43rd Council District in the New York City Council from 1998 through 2002. During this time, Senator Golden developed a reputation for being an effective Councilman who was always available whenever and wherever his constituents needed him.

During his first two terms in the State Legislature, Senator Golden has quickly established himself as one of the most influential lawmakers in the City and State of New York. He has authored over 75 laws most notably in the areas of public safety, tax cuts, economic development and senior citizen issues.

Mr. Sutton noted that Senator Golden has been a true champion on an issue that is very important to the community. He was the lead Senate sponsor on legislation calling for education tax credits worth up to $3,500 per child. Working with SCF and TEACH-NYS, Senator Golden helped secure a $600 million tax credit for school-age children. Most recently, Senator Golden is leading the fight for the tax deductibility of tuition by introducing the Lopez-Golden Tuition Tax Deduction Bill in the Senate.

“Marty Golden's emphasis on community and the people he represents makes him unique,” said Mr. Sutton. “He exudes passion and his zealousness is contagious. The SCF and the Sephardic community are blessed to not only have Senator Golden as our voice in Albany, but to also have him as a friend and a partner. He is a public servant par excellence and a mench extraordinaire.”

“It is especially wonderful to be able to pay tribute to Senator Golden and to thank him for his tireless efforts on behalf of our community,” said Haim Dabah. “He is the consummate professional and a unique individual whose deep devotion to his constituents takes public service to the next level.”

“Ambassador Bolton's words of wisdom and Senator Golden's kind remarks were extremely enlightening,” said Mr. Tawil. “We are deeply appreciative of their support of the Sephardic community.”

Written by: Aaron Troodler