President Bush is very appreciative of Jewish contributions to America, a White House adviser said.
Jeremy Katz, the adviser on Jewish affairs to the U.S. president, met Monday with the staff of the Jerusalem-based Jewish People Policy Planning Institute, an independent think tank established by the Jewish Agency for Israel and private foundations and donors.
Katz requested the meeting after arriving in Israel as part of Bush’s delegation last week, the institute’s director-general, Avinoam Bar-Yosef, told JTA. Katz attended a regular weekly staff meeting, which featured a presentation on a recent study on the South American Jewish community.
“As someone who advises the president, I can say that he has a great respect for the Jewish people, especially in light of their achievements,” Katz reportedly said during the meeting.
Katz indicated to the institute staff that the president “is very appreciative about the Jewish contributions to America: to American culture, American economics and American planning,” Bar-Yosef said. “This is why he feels so committed to the future of Israel as a Jewish state.”
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