In his first address since leaving the White House, Jason Greenblatt, a former assistant to President Donald Trump and White House special envoy to the Middle East, said that what he saw in his travels gave him hope.
Greenblatt practiced his religion freely during his visits to Middle Eastern countries. And after the shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018 that killed 11 worshipers, he said, he was heartened by the condemnation of the attack he heard from leaders of countries throughout the region.
“There were so many moments that gave me hope, that, despite the very serious challenges we now face, there is hope ahead,” said Greenblatt, a Teaneck resident. “In government and diplomacy, it is essential to be an optimist, a pessimist and a realist all at the same time. It is essential to avoid cynicism and to find the good despite the uncertainty, ugliness and, in some cases, evil that exists."
The event, at Congregation Keter Torah in Teaneck, was held to raise funds for a Holocaust memorial and education center, one of two memorials that will be built on the township's municipal green.
(Excerpts from northjersey.com 1/13/2020)Copyright © Northern New Jersey Holocaust Memorial