The 2004 Friend of Israel Awardee: Dr Bruce Thornton, introduced by Dr Victor Davis Hanson, Fresno

How could a room full of Jewish Republicans invite Evangelical Christians to honor a couple of Democrats? And what were those liberal Jews doing, laughing and enjoying themselves as honored guests of their conservative tribesman?

There was a United States Congressman in attendance, with talented staffers Darren Rose and Debbie Hurley. He seemed to have a great time, sandwiched between an unlikely pair. On the Congressman's right was host of KMJ Radio's #1 show, flaming Libertarian-gone-Neocon Jaz McKay, sharing drink recipes and political theory. On his left was Leeor Alon, at 25 years old a veteran of the Israeli Defense Forces who spent most of his teenaged years volunteering as a medic for “MADA,” the Israeli Red Cross. At one point, I eavesdropped as Leeor corrected the Congressman's Hebrew pronunciation. “It is not le-HI-eem, it's leh-CHA-yim...good, good, you're getting it. ”

Congressman George Radanovich (R-Mariposa) used his Hebrew lesson just moments later when he toasted the evening's honoree with a glass of wine and a hearty, “L'CHAIM!!” (“To life.”) The crowd shared the congratulatory cry, and gave a standing ovation to the honoree. More on him later.

Fresno County Superintendent Pete Mehas wore a patriotic sweater and a huge grin. He chatted with his friend Dewey Slater, Temple Beth Israel's President Elect, and sampled the homemade hummus (that's garbanzo dip, for the uninitiated) and stuffed grape leaves.

Veterans were out in force. The U.S. Marine Corps was proudly represented by Col. John Somerville (USMC, Ret.), and the Navy claimed 20-year Sonar expert Brian Johnson (US Navy, Ret.). Brian shared a table with former Coast Guard Rescue Diver, Doug Halderman. A veteran of the US Army Special Forces, Terry Fox, seemed happy to celebrate peacetime with his beautiful bride, Frankie. Vietnam veterans Jim and Sheila Robinson received a warm round of applause after their astonishing work as the founders of FreeRepublic.com was mentioned. One of the three most visited websites on the Internet, www.FreeRepublic.com is the entity responsible for spearheading the expose of Dan Rather's involvement in the anti-Bush National Guard falsified documents “scandal.” The crowd thought this merited a loud, long round of applause.

Honored guests included Rabbi Levy Zirkind, RJCCC friend and Fresno City Councilmember Jerry Duncan, Superintendent Pete Mehas, Assembly candidate (and friend of the RJCCC) Paul Betancourt, Russell Johnson from Senator Roy Ashburn's office, Mark Arax from the L.A. Times, Herb Boro, M.D., and a special surprise guest from Reno. Beloved longtime KMJ radio host Bill Manders and his wife, Diane, drove six hours from Reno to honor their friend, Bruce Thornton, and reunite with the rest of the “four amigos,” including Col. Somerville and Dr. Hanson.

The legal profession was well represented. Judge Bert Levy chatted with Burton Francis (head of the Career Criminal Division, District Attorney's office), who was joined by Douglas Treisman, also an attorney with the D.A.

Old friends reunited, and new friendships were formed in the warm, lively environment. Before dinner, Ziona Brophy clasped the hand of Leeor Alon with special meaning. As an 18-year-old Israeli girl, Ziona served her country and grieved the loss of her friends as they fought for Israel’s survival. Now a longtime U.S. citizen, she recognizes in Leeor a new generation of soldier, whose unlined young face provides a stark contrast to his fierce commitment to fight terrorism. “It is unacceptable,” he says quietly, sounding far older than his 25 years. “We will not stop until IT is stopped.”

The food was high quality (Pardini's, of course) and complimented well by the bottles of “Two Friends” wine donated by their vintner, Linda Glassman. Glasses of her pure Grenache beverage were lifted again and again during toasts throughout the evening (and frequently refilled).

The “official” part of the evening started with Doug Weil's blessing of the bread, HaMotzi. After dinner, Burton Francis gave a beautiful invocation, the perfect complement to Leia Weil's role in the evening. She led us in saluting the American flag with the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by “Hatikvah” (“The Hope”), the national anthem of Israel.

Stuart Weil, President of the Republican Jewish Coalition of Central California, introduced the RJCCC and its mission as the voice of Jews who, once believed an anomaly, are one of the fastest growing groups of Republicans in the U.S.

One of the many honors bestowed on Dr. Bruce Thornton that evening included a tribute to the Holon, Israel branch of Magen David Adom (MADA Holon, the 85% volunteer Israeli version of the Red Cross). Linda Halderman, a surgeon and U.S. supporter of the group, highlighted the commitment and achievements of the extraordinary MADA Holon staff and volunteers. In an especially poignant presentation, Leeor Alon spoke of his work as a MADA Holon volunteer. This special young man brought to life the true meaning of terrorism and its impact on human lives. His 36-hour visit to Fresno was solely to make this presentation, an act of selfless service typical of those who give their time and their hearts to saving lives in the aftermath of homicide bombings.

Next, an honor from the United States Congress was presented to the recipient of the 2004 Friend of Israel Award, Bruce Thornton, PhD. This was followed by the presentation of a beautiful engraved plaque from the Republican Jewish Coalition of Central California. Michael Goldring read the inscription, and the standing ovation that followed was one of many for Dr. Thornton that evening.

A petite lady with a warm heart and strong convictions handled the next introduction. Sunny Abarbanell described to the crowd the extraordinary work of Victor Davis Hanson, PhD. Dr. Hanson, an expert in military history and modern terrorism, has been an advisor to Vice President Cheney. The farmer and Fresno State Professor is a local and national treasure and a proud son of Selma, California for five generations. Dr. Hanson is frequently found on C-Span and the History Channel; to hear him lecture at Pardini’s was a rare treat for the captivated crowd.

Dr. Hanson had nothing to say about himself, however. He gave his time that evening to honoring his longtime friend and colleague, Dr. Bruce Thornton. It was at once poignant and comical to learn that Dr. Thornton had long fought a lonely battle as one of the few voices of reason at Fresno State regarding the State of Israel. In a sea of anti-Zionism and pro-terrorist appeasement “educators,” Dr. Thornton proudly and openly declared what was right. Though Dr. Hanson joked that Dr. Thornton stubbornly LIKED being ostracized, it was painfully clear that he had chosen a more difficult road than simply espousing the pabulum fed to CSUF students by most of his (left-leaning) colleagues. ; Dr. Hanson’s respect and admiration for Dr. Thornton was obvious. The crowd had no trouble sharing it.

The crown jewel in this spectacular evening came when Dr. Bruce Thornton stood at the podium. Without a trace of academic elitism or arrogance, the renowned author and Professor of Classics accepted his honor with grace and humility. He seemed awed by the work of the volunteers of MADA Holon, and had more to say about their contribution to “tikkun olam” (“repairing the world”) than his own.

Several guests in attendance shared a personal connection to the speaker. There was understandable pride on the faces of Mrs. Jacalyn Thornton, Bruce’s wife, and an equally special guest—Dr. Thornton’s mother!

It was a powerful and moving experience to hear this brilliant man speak clearly and emphatically (without notes) about why his commitment to the State of Israel should be a foregone conclusion. “If you love democracy, what other choice is there? It’s so simple.” Simple, yes…but devastatingly absent from factions within the academic world which find it somehow more “politically correct” to espouse hatred of the United States’ most staunch ally in the Middle East, the seat of Christianity in the region which has been home to Jews for over 5,700 years.

Bruce Thornton, PhD has willingly and consistently served as a tireless supporter of a nation founded on freedom despite the cauldron of dictatorship which surrounds her. He is more impressed with volunteer First Responders than his own astonishing credentials. Dr. Thornton has chosen repeatedly to do the right thing rather than the popular thing. Dr. Bruce Thornton has earned the 2004 Friend of Israel Award and the gratitude of those who bestowed it.

It was a great honor and extreme pleasure to attend this gathering of patriotic Americans. Bruce Thornton and Victor Davis Hanson are great authors and brilliant speakers. Wish I had thought to bring a camera.

FReeper Stuart Weil is President of the Central Valley Chapter of the Republican Jewish Coalition. He and Linda and Doug Halderman along with Jaz McKay and several others of this wonderful group joined us for our series of rallies at Shaw and Blackstone this weekend.

A little error in introducing both Sheila and I as Vietnam veterans and naming FR as one of the three most visited sites on the Internet (LOL), but great fun anyway.

Excellent post. Support for Israel is a touchstone of conservative good sense. I have never met a conservative of sound views who was not resolutely pro-Israel, nor one who was anti-Israel who was not badly out of kilter in other important respects.

How embarrassed I am to have not checked the facts more carefully. Please forgive me and refer to me as "Dan Rather" for the rest of the week. (The event was hugely fun, though! So glad to have the Robinsons in attendance.)

4 posted on 11/02/2004 4:32:34 PM PST by Sabra 4 Bush (From the 2004 Friend of Israel Award committee)

Woo hoo! No problem and welcome to FR! We may not be one of the top three websites on the entire Internet, but we ARE the number one conservative discussion site! Glad to see you onboard!

What a great organization!

The only link to pictures that worked for me was the yahoo one at the bottom but there are lots of pictures there.

Michael presenting the plaque to Dr. Thorton

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