The family and family of the late US Senator Joe Lieberman, who passed away in March, gathered on Wednesday at the Washington Hebrew Congregation in Washington, DC, for a national ceremony in his memory.
Among those who addressed the ceremony was Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is in Washington ahead of his address to a joint session of Congress later in the day.
"It was important for me to be here today, to express my deepest affection and respect for our beloved Joe Lieberman," Netanyahu opened
He remarked: "I'm sure that like all of you here, I miss Joe terribly. He left an indelible mark on me, just as he did on everyone who had the good fortune to know him. Joe was exceptional in so many ways. He was unfaltering in his integrity, his decency, his loyalty. He was an exemplary leader who combined clear and forceful convictions with a pragmatic approach to solving problems and to solving conflict. He was an American patriot and a proud Jew who steadfastly stood with Israel and the Jewish people, especially during trying times. And it's precisely during these trying times that I miss him even more."
The Prime Minister recalled: "I met Joe in the early 80s when I was representing Israel in the United Nations and he was Attorney General in Connecticut. When we met he said: 'One day you'll be prime minister,' and I said: 'One day you'll be senator or maybe president…' Well, almost.
"But what struck me first when I met him was his moral clarity and his moral courage. This was apparent during his 24 years as senator and during his vice-presidential candidacy.
He continued: "Over the years we met countless times. I treasured his wise counsel, his wry sense of humor. He had a way of saying it with a smile. At the corner of his lips he had this smile. I valued his unflagging friendship in good times and in bad. He was unwavering in defending Israel and expressed his support literally up to the end of his life. Literally up to the end of his days. Hours before his passing, he was editing the final draft of a statement that he and Alan Dershowitz had co-authored backing Israel's war in Gaza. His last written words, I believe, were the following: 'We believe that Israel must be allowed to achieve its legitimate goal of disabling Hamas.'
"After October 7th, Joe understood that what was at stake in this war was the survival of the Jewish state and hence, the survival of the Jewish people. Throughout his distinguished career he also understood, as few do, how important the alliance between America and Israel was for the future of both countries. He knew that we must stand together against dangers that could threaten our common future. This is why he spent his last years as the head of an organization united against a nuclear Iran. He knew how dangerous our world would become if Iran were ever to develop and acquire nuclear weapons.
"Over the years, we often discussed how Iran was behind the entire axis of terror that threatened both our countries. He told this to Forbes magazine a few days after the October 7th savagery. He said: 'focus on the problem, which is Iran. This was quintessential Joe: focused, clear-eyed, right to the point.'"
Turning to Lieberman's widow, he stated: "Dear Hadassah, you and your family have lost a loving husband, father, and grandfather. America has lost one of its finest public servants. The Jewish people have lost one of its most noble sons. Israel has lost one of its greatest champions. And I have lost a beloved friend and an irreplaceable comrade in arms."
He concluded: "We shall always remember Joe. May his memory be a true blessing."
Also present were former US Vice Presidents Al Gore and Mike Pence, US Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and other US elected officials.