"When Rabbis Bless Congress: The Great American Story of Jewish Prayers on Capitol Hill" .. buy the new book here:
[ Ссылка ]
[ Ссылка ]
Statement by Rahm Emanuel Nominee for U.S. Ambassador to Japan Senate Foreign Relations Committee
10/20/2021
Over 23 years in public service, there has been one constant: Amy, my wife of 27 years. Six elections, two White House appointments, and one nomination later, she is the reason I am here today. Amy is living proof of the timeless truth that behind every successful person is an astonished spouse.
Together, we’ve raised three great children. Zach graduated from UCLA and is serving as an Intelligence Officer in the Navy. Ilana, a Brown graduate, joined a cable news network. Leah is a junior at Princeton.
This post has been held by distinguished Americans – Vice President Walter Mondale, Speaker Tom Foley, Senate Majority Leaders Mike Mansfield and Howard Baker, and Ambassador Caroline Kennedy. This long list also includes a Member of this Committee – Senator Hagerty. If confirmed, I will continue the example he and his predecessors set, and ensure America’s interests in the region remain paramount.
An Ambassador is only as effective as the Civil and Foreign Service Professionals, and U.S. Armed Forces who surround them. In Japan, these Americans have advanced our nation’s ideals without an appointed ambassador for two years. I want to take this opportunity to thank them for their patriotism and professionalism to our Mission in Japan, and I hope to soon serve our country alongside them.
We are at a critical juncture in American foreign policy in this region. What we build in partnership with Japan over the next three years will determine America’s posture for the next 30. The challenges and opportunities we face underscore the imperative of strengthening our bonds with our closest ally, Japan.
For more than 60 years, the partnership between the United States and Japan has been the cornerstone of peace and prosperity in a free and open Indo-Pacific. Our alliance advances our shared interests and shared values. If confirmed, my top priority will be to deepen these ties while we confront our common challenges.
China aims to conquer through division. America’s strategy is security through unity. That regional unity is built on the U.S.-Japan alliance.
If confirmed, I will draw on my two-and-a-half decades of public service.
As Mayor, my administration made it a priority to bring the world to Chicago, and Chicago to the world. During my tenure, Chicago led the nation in corporate relocations and foreign direct investment for seven consecutive years. I also presided over the most active sister cities organization in America.
As Mayor, I traveled to Japan to meet with public and private sector leaders and signed The Japan-Chicago Partnership Agreement with the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the eight additional ministries, marking the first time the Japanese government entered into a formal agreement with a North American city. In addition, the Governor of Tokyo signed the Chicago Climate Charter – a first-of-its-kind municipal agreement.
Two people inspired me to enter public service nearly 30 years ago. My mother, Marsha Emanuel, has spent her entire life serving others as a nurse, a social worker, and head of CORE – the Congress of Racial Equality – in Chicago, where she was instrumental in the integration of Chicago’s beaches and housing in the early 1960s.
October 3rd marked the two-year anniversary of my father’s passing. Dr. Benjamin Emanuel immigrated to this country in 1953 with just $13 in his pocket after fighting in Israel’s War of Independence. He campaigned for national health care during the early 1960s and quit the American Medical Association in protest over its opposition. He then sued the City of Chicago for lead in household paint and started a pediatric practice based on one rule: No child was rejected because their parents could not pay. Through his years, he built his practice into one of the largest in Chicago.
If confirmed, this will be the first professional pursuit I will undertake without my best friend – my father – by my side. The drive and values I have come from my parents, who always loved and supported me – even though I didn’t become a doctor like my older brother.
For my father and mother, America was a place of possibility. In his wallet, my father carried a picture of the boat that brought him to the United States. That photo represents what he instilled in me and my two brothers: the beacon of hope, opportunity, and endless possibility this great country is to the world.
I wish he was here today. First, while my mother is proud, he would be shocked and amazed that I was sitting here. Second, it would reaffirm his belief in that special place we love – America.
