Lindsey Graham: Our True Guardian
The tributes pouring in for Lindsey Graham rightly praise his many qualities, especially his deep love for and tireless service to the United States.
As a Jew and a steadfast supporter of Israel, I join those who are especially saddened by the loss of one of Israel’s greatest friends and champions.
In addition to all the wonderful things being said about him, we should not forget his wonderful sense of humor and the fact that he never took himself too seriously.
One of my fondest memories is hearing him speak last year at the Christians United for Israel (CUFI) Conference in Washington, D.C. As always, he was at the top of his game. He criticized Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for not bringing the Antisemitism Awareness Act to a vote. Graham then noted that Schumer often reminds people that “Schumer” comes from the Hebrew word shomer, meaning a watchman or guardian—and that he likes to describe himself as a shomer of the Jewish people.
Without missing a beat, Graham quipped, “And Lindsey means ‘Watch Schumer!'”
It was classic Lindsey Graham: standing up for what he believed in, standing up for the Jewish people, and doing it with wit, irony, and perfect comic timing.
There was only one Lindsey Graham. He truly watched out for us, all of us. At a time when Israel and the Jewish people needed steadfast friends, Lindsey Graham never wavered. In the truest sense of the word, he was a shomer—a watchman and guardian for the Jewish people and the State of Israel.
May his memory be for a blessing.