On Sunday, former U.S President, Jimmy Carter passed away at the age of 100 after being in hospice care since February 2023.
Carter is widely recognized for his many foreign and domestic policy accomplishments during his time in office from 1977-1981. Some of the most notable foreign policy events during his time in office include the fall of Iran’s Shah and the Camp David Accords in 1979 which created normalization between Israel and Egypt.
As part of the treaty, Egypt agreed to demilitarize the Sinai Peninsula as well as providing for free movement of Israeli ships through the Suez Canal and acknowledgment of the Strait of Tiran and the Gulf of Aqaba as international waterways allowing any country to enjoy the space, which were under blockade by Egypt in 1967.
The peace treaty made Egypt the first country in the Middle East to officially recognize Israel.
President Jimmy Carter formed the President’s Commission on the Holocaust on November 1, 1978, and it was chaired by Holocaust survivor, author, and activist Elie Wiesel. It was tasked with looking into the establishment and upkeep of a Holocaust memorial and a suitable yearly remembrance of the victims.
Some of the statements he gave in interviews regarding Israel-Palestine after his presidency were problematic to some Jewish communities, including publishing a book in 2006, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid. However, other Jewish organizations including the American Jewish Committee (AJC) praised his efforts in the Israel-Egypt peace treaties that took place during his time in office.
On Sunday, the AJC released a statement on their website on the passing of Jimmy Carter saying, “While AJC had some profound disagreements with President Carter about the Middle East, especially in the decades after he left the White House, his key role in creating the historic 1979 Egypt-Israel peace treaty will always be remembered with appreciation”, adding, “Relations with the Jewish community were strained after Carter published his book Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid in November 2006. AJC considered the work a distorted account of the Middle East, especially the history of the Israeli-Arab peace process.”
Some Democratic organizations mentioned the strained relations with Jewish organizations while also highlighting Carter’s record of public service.
“While we had some profound differences of opinion on important issues, President Carter’s devotion to service and charitable work should be an inspiration to all of us,” Democratic Majority for Israel issued a statement. “Whether it was raising money for good causes or building homes for the homeless well into his 90s, President Carter set an example of tikkun olam, repairing the world, few will ever rival.”
Meanwhile, the Jewish Democratic Council of America issued a statement that did not condemn Carter, instead focusing on the Camp David Accords.
“For this historic diplomatic achievement of the first peace agreement between Israel and its neighbors, we and all Americans who value Israel’s safety and security are grateful,” the group said. “We will remember President Carter as an honest, principled leader who loved America.”
J Street, a liberal Jewish Middle East policy organization, stated that Carter’s dedication to two states should be replicated by the American Jewish community.
Jeremy Ben-Ami, its president, said in a statement: “President Carter never gave up the hope that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can and must be brought to a just and peaceful end. “We can’t give up hope either. Today, we grieve the loss of a giant. Tomorrow, we continue our work atop the foundation he built.”
Carter had a strong dedication to evangelical Christianity since he was young. Despite this, he used his time in office to advocate for Jews around the world. Under his administration, immigration to the United States by Soviet Jews increased significantly.
He was convinced by his chief domestic policy advisor, Stuart Eizenstat and White House Counsel Robert Lipschutz, to allow for a (temporary) visa that allowed 50,000 Iranian Jews to come to the United States after the fall of the Shah.
In 1979, Carter became the first U.S president to light a menorah at the White House to commemorate Hanukkah, and every president since then has continued the tradition of celebrating Hanukkah at the White House. On display at the Capital Jewish Museum, is the box of matches Carter used to light the first menorah.
The Prime Minister’s office of Israel posted a statement on X, formerly Twitter, sending their condolences to the former President and praising him for his efforts in the peace treaty with Egypt.
President Biden, who has been a dear friend to Carter for over 60 years, praised him for his work to “eradicate disease, forge peace, advance civil rights and human rights, promote free and fair elections, house the homeless, and always advocate for the least among us” he said in a statement on Sunday.
