Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Rabbi Shmuley vows to fight Kaddafi’s Ambassador taking up residence next door to him

Rabbi Shmuley vows to fight Kaddafi’s Ambassador taking up residence next door to him, announced today as taking place effective immediately.

“I am currently in Zambia where I am volunteering with my daughter Chana for an outstanding Christian organization called ROCK of Africa which provides relief for African orphans, street children, and destitute families.

“I am shocked and saddened that on this important trip and on the eve of Thanksgiving I have just been informed by Englewood’s Chief of Police, Arthur O’ Keefe, that Kaddafi’s ambassador to the United Nations plans to take up permanent residence with his entire family as my immediate next door neighbor, effective immediately. I was given one night’s notice for this outrageous deed. It is clear that the Libyan government has once again acted deceitfully.  They assured the State Department and other elected officials that Kaddafi would not be taking up residence in Englewood upon the opening of the United Nations General Assembly this past September and that the Libyan compound next door to me would not be used as a permanent residence by diplomatic staff.

“That Kaddafi, an international sponsor of terror, will have his personal representative living next door to me with all the very serious security implications for me and my family, as well as all other residents of Englewood, is shocking and troubling in the extreme.  I am dumbfounded that the State Department and our City is allowing this and if we the residents of Englewood, NJ, along with our esteemed Mayor Michael Wildes, are forced to once again come out publicly and oppose this outrage, we pledge do so by every legal means necessary. It is unconscionable that a small army of Libyan security men should take up residence in our city.

“Englewood is a residential community of upright American citizens whose only desire is to raise their children in safety and with proper values. Having the representative of a terrorist government, and one who has just welcomed the Lockerbie killer into their midst with great jubilation, is a non-starter. We will simply not allow this.  I call upon all the people who supported our campaign to keep Kaddafi out for what would have been at most a week or two, to please join us once again to keep his ambassador out, with his plans to live in our midst on a full-time basis and permanently.

“I am hoping that I will not have to cut my visit to Zambia to assist African families in need short in order to combat this threat to my family. But if forced to do so I will and it is a mark of the Libyans utter lack of decency that we would be informed - with only one day’s notice - that the Ambassador is moving in and that they would do this all the week of Thanksgiving. This move will utterly disrupt the plans of countless families who will be sickened by this news especially during this time of year.

I apologize for any flaws in this statement, but I have poor communications where I am at present.

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach