Following publication of this Open Letter, the author received an email from AIPAC clarifying that the meeting and its purpose had been misrepresented, and AIPAC would not take a partisan stance on this or any similar matter.

AIPAC deserves the wholehearted support of every Jew. As we enter the Three Weeks, during which traditional Jews observe acts of mourning to remember the destruction of the Temple, I am reminded of an incident that occurred 56 years ago at this time. Rabbi Moshe Sherer, the legendary leader of Agudath Israel of America, was invited to meet with president John F. Kennedy regarding an upcoming vote in the United Nations that was unfavorable to Israel.

The meeting was scheduled for the Ninth of Av, a day of mourning when Jewish law prohibits shaving or wearing leather shoes. Faced with the prospect of meeting with the president looking disheveled, he turned for guidance to the leader of the generation, Rabbi Aharon Kotler.

Rabbi Kotler told him in no uncertain terms that he was required to shave and wear his best when meeting the president, because the security of the Jewish nation was on the line.

Hundreds of thousands of active Orthodox Jews refrain from supporting their local Jewish Federations and other Jewish organizations that vocally support nontraditional religious values. AIPAC has historically, and commendably, chosen a very different route.

Thus AIPAC’s protest to Prime Minister Netanyahu, opposing his decision regarding nontraditional egalitarian prayers at the Kotel, was astonishing. AIPAC leaders strayed from their mission and involved themselves in a hotly debated area of religious concern.

To be certain, AIPAC’s leaders are entitled to have a voice and opinion just like anyone else. But to take a stand as an organization pushes away Orthodox support.

Read the full article at the Jerusalem Post.