Shalom Chaim and Thank you as always for your hard work and for answering my questions.
I know that you are grateful to the late Senator Jesse Helms for helping you get kosher food when you were in prison, but looking at Jesse Helms's record it appears he started out as a Ron Paul type conservative, and only became somewhat pro-Israel after getting Israel to go along with arm sales to so-called "moderate" Arab countries. Considering the information posted below, what is your opinion of Senator Helms?
According to Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_Helms#Foreign_affairsHelms was not originally a supporter of Israel, proposing in 1973 a resolution demanding Israel return the West Bank to Jordan, and, in 1975, demanding that the Palestinian Arabs receive a "just settlement of their grievances".[55] In 1977, Helms was the sole senator to vote against prohibiting American companies from joining the Arab League boycott of Israel,[56] although this was primarily because the bill also relaxed discrimination against communist countries.[57] In 1982, Helms even called for the U.S. to break diplomatic relations with Israel during the 1982 Lebanon War.[58] He favored prohibiting foreign aid to countries that had recently detonated nuclear weapons: aimed squarely at India, but also affecting Israel should it conduct a nuclear test.[59] He then worked to support the supply of arms to the United States' Arab allies under Carter and Reagan, until his views on Israel shifted significantly in 1984.[55]
Helms positions on Israel changed in 1984 when he apparently almost lost re-election because of his anti-Israel stance
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_Helms#1984_re-election_campaignUnlike in 1978, Helms faced an opponent in the primary, George Wimbish, but won with 90.6% of the vote, while Hunt received 77% in his.[33] During the general election campaign, Hunt accused Helms of having the most "anti-Israel record of any member of the U.S. Senate".[55] Helms pledged during the campaign that he would retain his chairmanship of the Agriculture committee.[202]
In the most expensive Senate campaign up to that time, Helms narrowly defeated Hunt, taking 1,156,768 (51.7%) to Hunt's 1,070,488 (47.8%).[33] Helms might not have won had it not been for Ronald Reagan's popularity in the state; Reagan carried North Carolina by 24 points that year.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Helms only changed his position on Israel when he got Israel to agree to go along with ARM SALES to "MODERATE" Arabs countries
http://online.wsj.com/public/article_print/SB121521073192129407.htmlContrary to his reputation, Helms did change his mind. For his first decade in office he opposed aid to Israel and in 1982, after that nation invaded Lebanon, called for "shutting down" relations. But after learning more about Israel's security fears during a visit there in 1985, and receiving assurances that officials there could support some military sales to moderate Arab nations, he became Israel's stalwart ally."It was a complete switch," recalls Morris Amitay, former executive director of AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobby.
