Harry Truman’s loyal Jewish pal

The 78th birthday of the State of Israel precedes my own 78th birthday by 13 days.

While I’ve never been a devoutly observant Jew, the proximity of our birth dates has always made me a longtime supporter of the nation.

Israel’s successes during its early years — as a doughty underdog overcoming apparently impossible odds — have been inspiring, especially when the United States seemed to be an ineffectual giant at times in the 1960s and ’70s. The War for Independence in 1948, the Six-Day War in 1967, the Yom Kippur War in 1973, the raid on Entebbe in 1976: all examples of Jewish resilience and ingenuity.

But they were half a century ago, and somehow in the intervening years the world has come to see Israel as the bully, not as the young nation at risk in an unfriendly neighborhood. By historical standards, Israel is still a young nation, and the unfriendly neighborhood seems to be growing.

But back to 1948.

President Harry Truman was facing long odds against retaining office in the upcoming election. The status of the British mandate in Palestine was a hot-button issue. If the United Nations granted statehood to a Jewish nation, the State Department included a strong faction of pro-Arabists and oil industry backers opposing recognition.

But Truman had a longtime Jewish friend back home in Kansas City. His name was Eddie Jacobson. As chronicled in the book “Heroes With Chutzpah: 101 True Tales of Jewish Trailblazers, Changemakers & Rebels” by Kerry Olitzky and Deborah Bodin Cohen, Truman and Jacobson grew up as friends, served in combat together in World War I, and became partners in a short-lived haberdashery. While Truman went into politics, became vice president, and met with sudden and shocking elevation in April 1945 when President Franklin Roosevelt died, Jacobson sold clothes for a living.

Dave Lieberfarb was born 13 days after the state of Israel.The authors write: “Eddie had one cardinal rule for friendship, especially when it came to Harry. He never requested favors. Friends would ask Eddie to press Harry for special treatment. Eddie told them, ‘In my 37 years of friendship with President Truman, I have never asked a favor of him.’”

In the spring of 1948 Truman hadn’t indicated his views on possible recognition of the Jewish state. Jewish leaders urged Jacobson to speak to Truman. So the Missourian had a choice: He could adhere to his cardinal rule of friendship, or he could try to help the fledgling Jewish state.

He went to Washington, but as soon as he arrived at the White House, Truman said, “I know what you are here for. The answer is no.” Not ready to give up, Jacobson told Truman all the reasons why Israel needed to exist, but he extracted no promises.

On May 14, when Israel declared its independence, Jacobson sat by his radio, waiting to hear what Truman would say. The authors concluded: “Eleven minutes passed. The wait was excruciating. Finally, Harry announced, ‘As President of the United States, I hereby recognize the new Jewish state of Israel.’”

Thirteen days later, another friend of Israel was born.

In 1998, as our 50th birthdays neared, I visited Israel for the first time. My touristy travelogue, published on April 26, 1998, in The Star-Ledger, included a photo of me on the back of a camel. My tale concluded with the following plea: “As we approach the half-century mark — middle age in human terms, but a young nation in an ancient setting — my birthday wish for the state of Israel is that it outlives me, my children and my children’s children in eternal peace, prosperity and, most of all, tolerance.”

Dave Lieberfarb of Edison is a proofreader for the Jewish Standard and the New Jersey Jewish News.