Rep. Steve Cohen Rejects David Friedman — Says He’s No ‘Fiddler’

Rep. Steve Cohen Image by getty images

By Nathan Guttman December 20, 2016

Memphis Congressman Steve Cohen has a uniquely Jewish put-down for Donald Trump’s pick to be Israel ambassador: “You’re no Tevye the milkman.”

Of the 18 Jewish Democrats in the House of Representatives, four have already spoken out against the appointment of Friedman, a right-wing Orthodox bankruptcy lawyer best known for his unswerving support for West Bank settlements.

But none twisted the knife like Cohen, who took to Twitter to explain why Friedman is not the right choice for the job.

“Israeli ambassador must be a diplomat as he is like a fiddler on the roof,” Cohen tweeted. “Reject #Friedman! Dangerous for 2-state solution & peace for #Israel”

The three other liberal Jewish lawmakers who have already spoken out Friedman’s appointment include Jerry Nadler, John Yarmuth and Jan Schakowsky.

But while voices rejecting Friedman keep on coming from the House, opponents of Friedman, who are seeking to derail his confirmation, are still lacking any support from Democrats in the Senate, where the confirmation hearing will be held.

Contact Nathan Guttman at [email protected] or on Twitter @nathanguttman

Nathan Guttman, staff writer, was the Forward’s Washington bureau chief. He joined the staff in 2006 after serving for five years as Washington correspondent for the Israeli dailies Haaretz and The Jerusalem Post. In Israel, he was the features editor for Ha’aretz and chief editor of Channel 1 TV evening news. He was born in Canada and grew up in Israel. He is a graduate of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO