Several years ago, I had the unique blessing of sitting on the pulpit of the Ebenezer Baptist Church on Martin Luther King Day. For some reason, I wound up sitting next to Kerry Kennedy Cuomo, the daughter of the late Senator Robert Kennedy, and had the opportunity to exchange a few pleasantries with her.
As the service was about to begin, there was a moment when Cuomo had a brief, whispered conversation with the son of Reverend Martin Luther King. It was, to be sure, quite a photo op, but not even the most skilled photographer could have captured the poignancy of the moment.
Kerry Kennedy Cuomo and Martin Luther King III both lost their fathers within months of each other, in April and June 1968. Both men were victims of assassins’ bullets. Both men died, in the words of the Hebrew poet Chayim Nachman Bialik, “before their time and before anyone’s time.” Each one had one more song to sing, but those songs had been stilled forever.
Just about everyone knows the circumstances of King’s assassination: He was gunned down by James Earl Ray, presumably for racist and political reasons. But even though we mourn Kennedy no less than we mourn King, and even though we know something about his assassination, and even though many of us cringed at Senator Hillary Clinton’s referring to Kennedy’s assassination to demonstrate the utter unpredictability of presidential races — despite all that, the reasons for Kennedy’s assassination have drifted out of the realm of public consciousness.
That is a shame, and it is almost an insult to his memory, because the reasons for his assassination are instructive. Robert Kennedy was the first American victim of modern Arab terrorism.
Kennedy was assassinated in the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles shortly after midnight on June 5, 1968 — 40 years ago this past week. It was in the wake of his victory in the California presidential primary.
Kennedy’s assassin was a Palestinian resident of Silwan in East Jerusalem, Sirhan Bishara Sirhan. He chose to kill Kennedy on that exact date because it coincided with the first anniversary of Israel’s stunning victory during the Six-Day War. Sirhan hated Kennedy because he had supported Israel; in fact, that was exactly what Sirhan said when he testified at his own trial. He remains in prison, serving a life sentence for the murder.
Why is it important that we remember this barely-remembered historical tidbit about the death of Kennedy? Because one man’s hatred of Israel utterly re-directed American political life and the story of the presidency.
Kennedy’s assassination eliminated the one Democratic candidate who arguably could have unified the party and invigorated it with a new sense of vision. It led to the nomination of Hubert Humphrey and, to our lasting chagrin, ultimately to the victory of Richard Nixon. It would be decades before the emergence of a Democratic candidate whose voice could mobilize young people and point the way to a deeper sense of involvement in the political process.
This, even more than Clinton’s musing about the vagaries of political campaigns, is the enduring lesson of Kennedy’s assassination. In remembering Bobby Kennedy, let us remember not just what he lived for, but also what he died for — namely, the precious nature of the American-Israeli relationship.
Many Americans sense that Israel’s enemies and the enemies of the United States are one and the same. Many Americans also recognize that Israel and the United States are among the only countries in the world today that were founded on ideas. Both countries share fundamental values — democracy, freedom, the rule of law — as well as the struggle to create those values and bring them to fruition. It’s why anti-Israel sentiment and anti-Americanism walk, demonically, hand in hand.
That is why the 40th anniversary of Kennedy’s assassination is a sobering moment in our national history. We not only lost Bobby Kennedy, we lost what had been — and what could have continued to be — a precious voice in our national narrative.
One cannot help but note the parallel between Kennedy’s assassination and the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. In both tragic cases, Arab fanaticism reared its ugly head on American soil, irrevocably changing the course of events in this country.
Note that I did not say “Islamic” terrorism; Sirhan Bishara Sirhan is a Palestinian Christian. But what he shared with his Muslim cousins — the perpetrators of September 11 — was a visceral, irrational hatred of Israel. It drove him to murder a man whom some still believe might have been the greatest hope of an earlier generation.
When I remember Bobby Kennedy in my prayers this week, I will remember that hope. But more than that, I will remember why he died — and hope that his vision of Israeli-American cooperation will long survive him.
Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin, executive director of Kol Echad: Making Judaism Matter in Atlanta, is the editor of “A Dream of Zion: American Jews Reflect On Why Israel Matters To Them” (Jewish Lights, 2007).
The Forward welcomes reader comments in order to promote thoughtful discussion on issues of importance to the Jewish community. In the interest of maintaining a civil forum, the Forward requires that all commenters be appropriately respectful toward our writers, other commenters and the subjects of the articles. Vigorous debate and reasoned critique are welcome; name-calling and personal invective are not. While we generally do not seek to edit or actively moderate comments, the Forward reserves the right to remove comments for any reason.
Copyright © 2013, Forward Association, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Cleveland Kidnapping, Elizabeth Smart and Us
Tracing the Jewish Origins of the Holy Ghost
Ethical Kosher Seal Stalls Amid Orthodox Opposition
'War' With Ultra-Orthodox at Kotel? Bring It On
Baby Boomers’ Rocky Road to Jewish Love
You've successfully signed up!
"what robert kennedy died for"? this statement jars the conscience, since robert didn't want to die by a bullet. he had, i deduce, no intention to die for any cause. he may have become prez. so what? most likely he would have his war like any other prez before him. he would have like all other prezs represented US longstanding policy of expansion. domestic policy would have not changed either. obama too will have his war(s). it makes no diff who gets elected/selected for prez' position. each has been a mere hired gun/mouth of the plutocrats. for now these support israel; most likely for own reasons. w'jewry supports israel for own reasons. thank u
Problem is that there are nagging questions as to the actual involvement of Sirhan. After all, he was standing in FRONT of RFK, but the Senator was shot from behind. Thus, there is still much to be examined beyond the politically correct perspective!
The Rabbi's schmaltzy musings fail to address what has really been forgotten about RFK's murder. David Sabatene has touched upon the problem. The forensic evidence now has found 11 bulletholes and those are backed up by sophisticated audio analysis of tapes that covered the period of time the shots were fired. Since Sirhan's handgun held a lot fewer than 11 round and he had no time to reload, so we still don't know what really happened that evening, after all these years.
So what about a nice Iranian girl in a polka-dot dress?
Thank you Rabbi Salkin for reminding me why this peace-loving, "light unto the nations" was assasinated. At the time of Robert Kennedy's assasination I was a resident of L.A. County living in a suburb when the news reverberated throughout the county. We were all in a state of shock, after first watching Senator Kennedy thank and greet his many supporters, to see him struck down by a crazed individual who could not know how his action would change the course of history. No matter the fate of the Ambassador Hotel, that singular event will be remembered by Angelenos forever. I too will keep Senator Kennedy in my prayers tonight as well as the presumptive Democratic candidate who seeks to awaken all Americans to the possbility of change (for the better).
If I remember correctly Sirhan moved to the US at the age of 12, and has stated since his trial that he does not know why he killed Kennedy. But if he did kill Kennedy over the Israel/Palestine issue then that is certainly a good reason to reevaluate our entirely uncritical support for a country that is violation of countless UN resolutions and international law. Far too many Americans have died for the same reason, and all for an ideology of ethnic nationalism and separation that we ourselves rejected decades ago, would be appalled to see return, and would refuse to live under ourselves.
Terrorist victim, yes. Sad and tragic, yes. What Bobby Kennedy stood for was the botched 'bay of pigs' operation when he advised his President brother (A much better man and the ONLY reason Bobby got as far as he did - Much Like Hillary). Pray for the end of terrorists and terrorism, but move on.
Rabbi Salkin speaks of the "visceral, irrational hatred of Israel." Prof. George DeVos, who interpreted for Sirhan Sirhan, quoted the murderer as saying that, as a three year old during Israel's War of Independence, he REMEMBERED the Israel soldiers coming armed with their swords and cutting of the breasts of the women in his village! Most certainly irrational.
However, the Democrats of today are not the same as the Democrats back then.
I think Rabbi Salkin was right on the money - as he usually is. Although I was only 8 yrs old when these terrible events happened, the fact remains that people consumed by hate will do anything - murder, mislead, obsess on nothing but their hatred. It's why people like Grif still think Israel is the main culprit for the situation in the Middle East, because hate is a very persuasive motivator and liar. They forget that the original UN resolution called for most of the disputed land to be given to the Arabs, while only a sliver would be called Israel. They forget that the refugee situation wasn't caused by expulsion of Arabs by Israel, but rather from the urging of the Saudi and other governments that they leave - so the Jews could be driven into the sea, giving all the land to Arabic countries. They ignore the fact that those "poor Hamas folks" are being provided weapons by Syria, Iran & other extremist governments. They ignore that Israel is the only real democracy in the region, & that the citizens of Israel include people of all faiths, races & political stripes. There are no restrictions on religious practice there, unlike some Muslim-ruled countries which can arrest you for possessing a Bible. Israel is our best ally & only real friend in the Middle East. To those who have been misled by people motivated by hatred, it's time you opened your eyes & did your homework on the real facts! Thanks again, Rabbi!
Lovely article but i wish you and all the other people who foolishly, to be kind, or deliberately, misunderstood Sen. Clinton's comment about Bobby Kennedy would remember she said that he also ran in June as did her husband. That is what she said & not what was twisted to change the meaning. I got it, my friends got it and people who were for Obama got it. Get over it and stick to what she said and not what you like to make ti sound like she said.
40th Anniversary of Robert Kennedy's Assassination by Palestinian terrorist Sirhan Sirhan: Notations in Sirhan Sirhan’s notebook read, "RFK must die," "Robert F. Kennedy must be assassinated before June 5, 1968," [1st anniversary Six Day war. Between Israel and all Arab nations that began on June 5, 1967] Through witness interviewed testify Sirhan had attended two previous Kennedy assemblies. One fellow remembered seeing Sirhan at one, looking "completely out of character…very intense and sinister." And another person placed him at a June 2 speech, two days before the assassination. …………. Robert Kennedy was running for president, his platform included lifting the long-standing United States arms embargo against Israel [lifted by President Nixon] …………………. <a href="http://www.jcpa.org/JCPA/Templates/ShowPage.asp?DRIT=1&DBID=1&LNGID=1&TMID=111&FID=376&PID=0&IID=2165&TTL=Robert_Kennedy%27s_1948_Reports_from_Palestine">http://www.jcpa.org/JCPA/Templates/ShowPage.asp?DRIT=1&DBID=1&LNGID=1&TMID=111&FID=376&PID=0&IID=2165&TTL=Robert_Kennedy%27s_1948_Reports_from_Palestine</a> See the webpage for interesting pictures as well!
"The killer, Sirhan Sirhan, seemed at the time to fit the pattern of the wild-eyed lunatic that is often associated with political assassins. James Reston, the eminent New York Times columnist, called the murder "a wholly irrational act". Most Americans saw it that way. Only now is it clear how wrong this view was. Far from being a "maniacally absurd" crime, as Newsweek concluded, the Robert Kennedy assassination was in fact an eminently political act. It was the first "blowback" attack the United States suffered as a result of its Middle East policies. Sirhan was the first in a line of Arab terrorists that would later produce the bombers of the US Marine barracks in Beirut, American embassies in East Africa, the USS Cole and the World Trade Center in New York. "I can explain!" Sirhan cried out as he was arrested. "I did it for my country!" At the time, that seemed to be no more than the raving of what one American newspaper called "a mad man". Now that the word understands much more about the upheaval that produced Sirhan, it sounds quite different. Sirhan was not simply a "Jordanian citizen", as he was called at the time. He was an embittered Palestinian who had been born in 1944 to a Christian family in Jerusalem. During the war that broke out when he was four years old, Jewish insurgents seized his house, and his family was forced to flee. He was nearly killed in an Irgun bombing at the Damascus Gate, and witnessed other violent attacks that deeply traumatised him. As a young refugee, Sirhan attended a school where teachers exhorted students to struggle for Palestinian rights. Later his family moved to California, and he was there when Israel seized East Jerusalem and other Arab territories in the Six-Day War of 1967. He told at a friend that he believed Fatah was justified in using terror to oppose Israeli rule. During the 1968 presidential campaign, Sirhan came to identify Robert Kennedy, who he had originally supported, as a friend of Israel. Three weeks before committing his crime, he watched a documentary about Kennedy's involvement with Israel on CBS television. Soon afterward he heard a radio tape of Kennedy telling an audience at a Los Angeles synagogue that he would maintain "clear and compelling" support for Israel. After hearing it, a relative later testified, Sirhan ran from the room with "his hands on his ears, and almost weeping". Stephan Kinzer in the Guardian June 13, 2008
I certainly remember the life and death of Bobby Kennedy, who lived and died while I was a teenager, and I was a delegate for Bobby Kennedy. The DEATH IS STILL FISHY (in a kitchen of a restaurant of all places) We need to have courage, even if those who don't like the truth always try to kill those who tell the truth and try to encourage others to live a better life.