Lester Crown - Revision history

Matthew Pringle: Israeli Think Tanker category added

2012-11-13T13:18:56Z

Israeli Think Tanker category added

David: /* Affiliations */

2012-08-06T12:33:14Z

Affiliations

Melissa Jones: typo/itals

2010-11-28T16:34:42Z

typo/itals

Melissa Jones: tyoos

2010-11-28T16:29:36Z

tyoos

Idrees: /* Resources */

2010-11-28T00:39:16Z

Resources

Idrees: /* Resources */

2010-11-28T00:27:12Z

Resources

Idrees: /* Affiliations */

2010-11-28T00:14:20Z

Affiliations

Idrees: /* Crowning Obama */

2010-11-28T00:07:40Z

Crowning Obama

Idrees: /* Affiliations */

2010-11-28T00:00:36Z

Affiliations

Idrees: /* Resources */

2010-11-27T23:40:06Z

Resources

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:18, 13 November 2012
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−	[[category:Israel Lobby\|Crown, Lester]]	+	[[category:Israel Lobby\|Crown, Lester]][[category:Target Iran\|Crown, Lester]][[Category:Israeli Think Tanker\|Crown, Lester]]
−	[[category:Target Iran\|Crown, Lester]]

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 *[[Aspen Institute]] - Senior Mentor
 *[[Herzliya Conference]] - participant (2008)
 ==Resources==

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 <youtube align="right" size="tiny" caption="Lester Crown on his emotional attachment with Israel">sYn_kVPgpuw</youtube>
-'''Lester Crown''' (born 7 June 1925) is a Chicago tycoon who has been on the Forbes 400 list since 1982. He is one of leading donors to pro-Israel causes, and a key backer of Barack Obama. He is a member of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science and of the Tel Aviv University's Board of Governors. He established the Crown Center for Middle East Studies at Brandeis University with an initial gift of $10 million in 2005. He and is family also fund the Crown Fellows program in American History at Brandeis. His foundation funds [[Counterterrorism & Security Education and Research Foundation]], a front for [[Steven Emerson]]'s [[Investigative Project on Terrorism]].<ref>Eli Clifton, [http://www.lobelog.com/more-insights-into-steven-emersons-tangled-funding-web/ More Insights Into Steven Emerson’s Tangled Funding Web], ''Lobelog.com'', 4 November 2010</ref> Political Scientist has listed Crown as one of what he calls the 'new Afrikaners', Jews 'who will support Israel even if it is an apartheid state.'<ref>John J. Mearsheimer, [http://www.thejerusalemfund.org/ht/display/ContentDetails/i/10418 The Future of Palestine: Righteous Jews vs. the New Afrikaners], The Jerusalem Fund, 29 April 2010</ref>
+'''Lester Crown''' (born 7 June 1925) is a Chicago tycoon who has been on the Forbes 400 list since 1982. He is one of leading donors to pro-Israel causes, and a key backer of Barack Obama. He is a member of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science and of the Tel Aviv University's Board of Governors. He established the Crown Center for Middle East Studies at Brandeis University with an initial gift of $10 million in 2005. He and his family also fund the Crown Fellows program in American History at Brandeis. His foundation funds [[Counterterrorism & Security Education and Research Foundation]], a front for [[Steven Emerson]]'s [[Investigative Project on Terrorism]].<ref>Eli Clifton, [http://www.lobelog.com/more-insights-into-steven-emersons-tangled-funding-web/ More Insights Into Steven Emerson’s Tangled Funding Web], ''Lobelog.com'', 4 November 2010</ref> ''Political Scientist'' has listed Crown as one of what he calls the 'new Afrikaners', Jews 'who will support Israel even if it is an apartheid state.'<ref>John J. Mearsheimer, [http://www.thejerusalemfund.org/ht/display/ContentDetails/i/10418 The Future of Palestine: Righteous Jews vs. the New Afrikaners], The Jerusalem Fund, 29 April 2010</ref>
 ==Crowning Obama==
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 ===Hidden Pressure===
-On 8 July, Ari Shavit of Haaretz reported how Netanyahu was able to bring Obama, who had been trying to restrain Israel, to heel. He notes:
+On 8 July, Ari Shavit of ''Haaretz'' reported how Netanyahu was able to bring Obama, who had been trying to restrain Israel, to heel. He notes:
 :After 18 wasted months during which Obama was the president who exerted pressure, he has become the president who embraces. Obama is embracing the State of Israel and the prime minister of Israel. What happened?
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 ===Target Iran===
-According to [[Jeffrey Goldberg]] of the Atlantic, Israel tried to use Crown's influence with Obama to press the US toward a more aggressive posture. Goldberg writes:
+According to [[Jeffrey Goldberg]] of the ''Atlantic'', Israel tried to use Crown's influence with Obama to press the US toward a more aggressive posture. Goldberg writes:
 :Not long ago, the chief of Israeli military intelligence, Major General Amos Yadlin, paid a secret visit to Chicago to meet with Lester Crown, the billionaire whose family owns a significant portion of General Dynamics, the military contractor. Crown is one of Israel’s most prominent backers in the American Jewish community, and was one of Barack Obama’s earliest and most steadfast supporters. According to sources in America and Israel, General Yadlin asked Crown to communicate Israel’s existential worries directly to President Obama. When I reached Crown by phone, he confirmed that he had met with Yadlin, but denied that the general traveled to Chicago to deliver this message. “Maybe he has a cousin in Chicago or something,” Crown said. But he did say that Yadlin discussed with him the “Iranian clock”—the time remaining before Iran reached nuclear capability—and that he agreed with Yadlin that the United States must stop Iran before it goes nuclear. “I share with the Israelis the feeling that we certainly have the military capability and that we have to have the will to use it. The rise of Iran is not in the best interest of the U.S.

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 ===Defending Obama's record on Israel===
 In 2008, when Barack Obama was under attack from Zionist Jews for being insufficiently supportive of Israel, Lester Crown sent out a mass email defending Obama. The contents of the email were obtained by Brent Gardner-Smith of the Aspen Daily News:
-:"While my involvement in politics is motivated by a variety of issues,there is one issue that is fundamental: My deep commitment to Israel and to a strong U.S.-Israel relationship that strengthens both Israel'ssecurity and its efforts to seek peace," Crown wrote. "I am writing toshare with you my confidence that Senator Barack Obama's stellar record on Israel gives me great comfort that, as President, he will be the friend to Israel that we all want to see in the White House - stalwartin his defense of Israel's security, and committed to helping Israel achieve peace with its neighbors."
+:"While my involvement in politics is motivated by a variety of issues,there is one issue that is fundamental: My deep commitment to Israel and to a strong U.S.-Israel relationship that strengthens both Israel's security and its efforts to seek peace," Crown wrote. "I am writing to share with you my confidence that Senator Barack Obama's stellar record on Israel gives me great comfort that, as President, he will be the friend to Israel that we all want to see in the White House - stalwart in his defense of Israel's security, and committed to helping Israel achieve peace with its neighbors."
-:"I have been honored to know Barack Obama for years, and I am proud tosay that he is unyielding in defending Israel's security," Crown wrote."His conviction holds fast whether the threat comes from Gaza or Tehran.
+:"I have been honored to know Barack Obama for years, and I am proud to say that he is unyielding in defending Israel's security," Crown wrote."His conviction holds fast whether the threat comes from Gaza or Tehran.
-:"He has been a leader in calling for toughening sanctions against Iran as part of a comprehensive diplomatic effort to prevent the developmentand deployment of Iranian nuclear weapons. And he has stated clearlythat, as President, he will make a personal commitment to help achievea two-state solution, with Israel and a Palestinian state livingside-by-side in peace and security - with the full understanding thatIsrael's security cannot be compromised." [...]
+:"He has been a leader in calling for toughening sanctions against Iran as part of a comprehensive diplomatic effort to prevent the development and deployment of Iranian nuclear weapons. And he has stated clearly that, as President, he will make a personal commitment to help achieve a two-state solution, with Israel and a Palestinian state living side-by-side in peace and security - with the full understanding that Israel's security cannot be compromised." [...]
 :"I have every confidence that, as you get to know Barack Obama's record on Israel, you will share my excitement about the possibility his candidacy represents and my comfort that he will advocate and support a solution in the Middle East that is consistent with values which we hold dear."

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 *Jane Ammeson, [http://www.chicagolife.net/content/interview/The_Busy_Life_of_Billionaire_Lester_Crown The Busy Life of Billionaire Lester Crown], ''Chicago Life Magazine'', 8 February 2008
 *Pauline Dubkin Yearwood, [http://www.chicagojewishnews.com/story.htm?id=252218&sid=212226 Obama and the Jews], ''Chicago Jewish News'', 24 October 2008
 ===Notes===
 <references/>

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 *[[Institute for National Security Studies]] - board of trustees
 *[[Chicago Council of Global Affairs]] - chairman<ref>Jane Ammeson, [http://www.chicagolife.net/content/interview/The_Busy_Life_of_Billionaire_Lester_Crown The Busy Life of Billionaire Lester Crown], ''Chicago Life Magazine'', 8 February 2008</ref>
 ==Resources==