Richard Sandler, head of the board of trustees of the Jewish Federations of North America on Sunday endorsed President Trump’s nominee for ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, saying, “I think he’ll be a good representative if he’s confirmed.”
Speaking in Tel Aviv during the Jewish Agency Board of Governors meeting, Sandler said, “I believe he’s a very intelligent individual, and I think he’ll be a good representative if he is confirmed. My expectations of him are very positive.”
Sandler apparently admired the way Friedman handled his confirmation hearing, when the Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hammered at his “Kapo” comment in an article condemning liberal American Jews who supported President Obama’s Iran nuclear deal. Friedman apologized and abandoned his earlier point of view, as he has done regarding many of his other former views, such as his now abandoned objection to the two-state solution.
“Obviously he made certain comments before he knew he was going to be vetted for the position of ambassador, but I thought he explained himself very well during the Senate hearings,” Sandler said.
The Senate committee has not yet voted on Friedman’s nomination, incidentally, close to two weeks after the hearing.
Richard Sandler is also Executive Vice President and Trustee Milken Family Foundation since its formation in 1982. He oversees grantmaking in education and medical research.