Isaiah Leo "Si" Kenen(March 7, 1905 – March 23, 1988) was a Canadian-born American journalist, lawyer and philanthropist. He was the founder of the American Zionist Committee for Public Affairs (AZCPA), the forerunner of theAmerican Israel Public Affairs Committee(AIPAC).[2][3]
Isaiah Leo Kenen | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 7, 1905 St. Stephen,New Brunswick,Canada |
| Died | March 23, 1988(aged 83)[1] Washington, D.C.,U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, lawyer, philanthropist |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Peter Kenen |
| Relatives | Lloyd Bochner(nephew) Hart Bochner(great-nephew) |
Life and career
editKenen was born on March 7, 1905, in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada, the son of Rebecca (néeFreedberg) and Emmanuel Kenen. His father, born inKievinRussian Empire(nowKyiv,Ukraine), was aninsurance agent.His family was active in theZionist movement,and his father established the firstBnei Zionclub inTorontoand attended the first meetings of theWorld Zionist Congress.Kenen studied at theUniversity of Torontoand majored inphilosophy.
Career
editKenen started working as a journalist at theToronto Starand moved toCleveland,Ohioin 1926.[4]He studied law and was admitted to the OhioBar Associationin 1933. He became active in the Zionist movement and in 1941 became president of the Cleveland Zionist District. In the 1940s, he served as the information director of theJewish Agency,and following the establishment of theState of Israelin 1948, he served on the Israeli delegation to theUnited Nations.Regarding this period, he wrote in his bookIsrael's Defense Line:
Our Jewish community faced a challenge in 1942. Numbed and helpless bystanders asAdolf Hitlerwaged his demoniacal war against the Jewish people, embittered by our failure to rouse the democracies to deter Hitler, to rescue and open doors to those who might be saved,American Jewsassumed their responsibility duringWorld War II.Despite the opposition of theDepartment of State,they made a commitment to establish an independent Jewish state where Jews could live in freedom and security.
Kenen started AIPAC in 1944, running it mostly alone for its first three decades. At the time this was sufficient, as Israel was approached as a humanitarian cause in Washington at the time, not yet the high-stakes game they would later become during theCold War.In keeping with the more relaxed environment on Israel, journalistJ.J. Goldbergin 1996 describes Kenen's style of lobbying as "friendly, collegial". Kenen determined his goals through discussion with the leaders of American Zionist and pro-Israel organizations. When he required extra fire-power on Capitol Hill, he could open his rolodex of hundreds of Jewish community leaders who could reach out to their representatives.[5]
Regarding the establishment of AIPAC he wrote:
Thelobbyfor Israel, known as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) since 1959, came into existence in 1951. It was established at that time because Israel needed American economic assistance to enable her to absorb the huge influx ofrefugeeswho poured into the country soon after statehood.[citation needed]
Until 1951, Isaiah Kenen was a registered foreign agent for theIsraeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs' "Israel Office of Information" according toDepartment of Justicedocuments.[6]
In his biography "Israel's Defense Line", Kenen revealed his transition to an unregistered lobbyist for Israel: "Israelis began looking for a lobbyist to promote the necessarylegislation... would I leave the Israeli delegation for six months to lobby onCapitol Hill?There were other questions. Should I continue my registration as an agent of the Israel government? Was it appropriate for an embassy to lobby? Embassies talked to the State Department, and American voters talked to their congressmen. "[citation needed]
The Justice Department'sForeign Agents Registration Actsection ordered Kenen to continue registering as aforeign agentfor Israel if he continued lobbying on its behalf.[7]Kenen never complied with the order, but instead began working onpublic relationsfor theAmerican Zionist Council(AZC).
Kennen retired in 1974 shortly prior to the passage of theJackson-Vanik amendment.Morris Amitay,one of the sculptors of the amendment, succeeded him. Amitay would go on to transition AIPAC into a more aggressive organization, suited for the post-Watergate world.[5]
Personal life
editKenen married Beatrice Bain, who was also a student at the University of Toronto. They had one son,Peter Kenen,who was a professor ofeconomicsatPrinceton University.
His nephew was actorLloyd Bochnerand his great-nephew is actorHart Bochner.[8]
Death
editKenen died in 1988.[citation needed]
References
edit- ^Bart Barnes (1988-03-24)."I.L. KENEN DIES AT AGE 83".The Washington Post.Washington, D.C.ISSN0190-8286.OCLC1330888409.
- ^"The Israeli and Arab Lobbies",Mitchell Bard,Jewish Virtual Library,published 2006, accessed August 26, 2006.
- ^Barda, Kobby (2020-09-23)."Isaiah Kenen, President Eisenhower, and Aid to Israel During the Suez Crisis".doi:10.33774/coe-2020-pwp4n.S2CID224843927.
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^How Important Is the Israel Lobby?by David Verbeeten, Middle East Quarterly, Fall 2006, pp. 37-44.
- ^abGoldberg, J. J. (1996).Jewish power: inside the American Jewish establishment.Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley. pp.202–203.ISBN9780201622423.
- ^"Israel Lobby Archive
- ^"Israel Lobby Archive
- ^Kenen, Isaiah L. (October 15, 1985)."All my causes: an 80-year life span in many lands and for many causes, some we won and some we lost but we never gave up".Near East Research – via Google Books.
Bibliography
edit- Isaiah L Kenen,Israel's Defense Line: Her Friends and Foes in Washington,Prometheus Books, 1981.
- Isaiah L Kenen,All my causes: An 80-year life span in many lands and for many causes, some we won and some we lost but we never gave up,Near East Research, 1985.
External links
edit- Guide to the Papers of Isaiah Leo Kenen (1905-1988)at theAmerican Jewish Historical Society,New York.
- Kobby Barda,AIPAC’s Grassroots Path to Congress: How Isaiah Kenen Built AIPAC to Be A Powerhouse,Simple story, 2020.
- Podcast"Balagan" The Conductor. The story of Isaiah 'Si' Kenen