Five Towns Native is Trump's Pick for Ambassador to Israel

David Friedman, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for ambassador to Israel, is a lifelong Five Towns resident.

Friedman grew up in Woodmere and still lives in the Five Towns with his family. He is a bankruptcy lawyer with a practice in Manhattan. He was officially selected by Trump Thursday night.

"As the United States’ Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman will maintain the special relationship between our two countries," Trump said in a release. "He has been a long-time friend and trusted advisor to me. His strong relationships in Israel will form the foundation of his diplomatic mission and be a tremendous asset to our country as we strengthen the ties with our allies and strive for peace in the Middle East. Nothing is more critical than protecting the security of our citizens at home and abroad."

Friedman, who has residences in the Five Towns and in Israel, said he was honored to accept the nomination.
"I am deeply honored and humbled by the confidence placed in me by President-elect Trump to represent the United States as its Ambassador to Israel,” said Friedman in a release. “I intend to work tirelessly to strengthen the unbreakable bond between our two countries and advance the cause of peace within the region, and look forward to doing this from the U.S. embassy in Israel’s eternal capital, Jerusalem.”

"The Town of Hempstead is proud that one of our neighbors has been nominated as United States Ambassador to Israel by the President-Elect," Town Supervisor Anthony Santino said in a release. "David Friedman and his family have a long history supporting and strengthening the U.S.-Israel relationship both at home and abroad."

Friedman's father, Rabbi Morris Friedman of Temple Hillel in North Woodmere, served as president of the New York Board of Rabbis. Rabbi Friedman had welcomed President Ronald Reagan to his synagogue in 1984 and then to his home for lunch. It was the first time a United States president was received by an American synagogue since George Washington visited Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island in 1791.

But like many of Trump's picks, Friedman has come under fire for his lack of diplomatic experience, statements he has made and policies he has supported.

According to the New York Times, Friedman has supported Israeli settlement of the West Bank and said soldiers should refuse orders to pull settlers out of the area. He compared liberal American Jews to "kapos" who cooperated with the Nazis in occupied countries. And he is a staunch opponent of the two-state solution to ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He has also said he wants to move the U.S. embassy in Israel from its current location in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which would upturn decades of American foreign policy in the area.

He also supports an emergency medical group that uses both Arab and Druze volunteers and helped build a home for disabled children, both Jewish and Bedouin.

Photo: Gage Skidmore