Cory Booker @ Colel Chabad Dinner 2012

it is my pleasure to introduce to you a good friend of Kel kabad the mayor of Newark New Jersey Mr Cory Booker good evening I am very excited to be here on this magical night it's magical for many many reasons I was just sitting here talking to our esteemed Honore uh Len botnik and I found out that tonight is his mother's 80th birthday and that is very very special very very very special I also say for purely self-interested reasons that it's the birthday of a good friend of mine here who's here tonight stery Bak I bring it up because she is single and I want trying to make a sh so if all of the eligible men would you please give me a chance to be to please be the yenta of the evening I I was told if I make a few of these I can get a place safe for me in heaven but besides embarrassing stery I wanted to let you all know that this organization has now truly become a part of my heart when I talk about the magic of this evening last year when I was here I was about to take off to go to Israel when I got there thanks to my truly righteous friend Abe eisenstat I went to a celebration to a celebration for kabad for widows and orphans and it was a tremendous night I ended up with a young man on my shoulders dancing around and I got a chance to to speak to the widows who had such stories from their heart to be recognized not because of their tragedy but because of the Triumph of the Jewish spirit I want to end just by telling you what Abe and I did later you see this was a chance for me to bring my mom and my dad to their first trip to Israel my father whose Health was deteriorating for my mom and him it was truly magical to be in Israel I'll never forget praying at the cotel and seeing my mom stand back and just tears of joy to see me and my father praying together literally someone took a picture it's now the screen saver and one of my most Treasured Memories with my parents but that night something happened when we put my parents to bed at the King David Hotel two of our security guards Israeli special servicemen came up to me and said we will go for a ride and I being the American who left my security detail back in New Jersey looked at them and I said yes we wi they took me on put Abe and I in the car and took us on a long drive down highways but suddenly we went Offroad next thing we know we're going through the desert the cell phone service on my phone went out and I began to think oh my God is this what they do to the goyam when they visit Israel thank God barem we ascended to a Mountaintop and my cell service came back we got out of the car and we lit a fire now I tell you this because as you all know that this Torah portion of this week ismok you all know that yes don't let a here show you up you didn't know this was a darar Tor portion did you well it's also you know it's about Moses going to the mountain top and seeing the burning Bush what I want to tell you now is again the magic of the Torah because actually this week when we stood there on a mountain and lit a fire the week that we did that was the week of the story of Joseph where he was thrown into the well well as the men were explained to me what I was seeing around me we looked across the valley to another mountain and they told me that that was the Mountaintop that was the Mountaintop that Moses came to Mount Nebo that Moses came to and could see into the Promised Land and immediately as I stood there two Americans two Israelis our Jewish guides and me a non-jew I suddenly began to shiver and I asked them would you do me a favor as I look at that Mountaintop where Moses stood would you please give me your iPad and your Torah they pulled their iPad in the Torah this is the modern era you carry both with you don't you understand and they gave me them both and the first thing I did was to pull up a speech by Martin Luther King you all know this speech it was the last words that King speech that king would give hours later he would be murdered but you know the speech which he said I have been to the Mountaintop and I have looked over and I have seen the promised land and today I am fearing no man because mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord it was this great leader in America a leader of Justice a leader of righteous I who called to the consciousness of a people to rise up and understand that God has a vision for us well when these men finished re hearing that speech two non-americans and two Americans I could see at that point their attention had been grabbed but then I asked for their Torah and I had them turn with me to the page of the Torah reading for that week and suddenly I told them to read these words and from the Torah portion it simply said behold here cometh the dreamer let us slay him and see what becomes of his dreams I told these two Israelis that there was a site in Memphis Tennessee called the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King was murdered and there on a plaque at that very sight are the words from the Torah behold here cometh the dreamer let us slay him and see what becomes of his dreams I could see my two Compadres I can see my friend from America we were all touched in that moment and I want to leave you with this sentiment that here we are 200 years later there's no accident by the fact that we are gathered here there is no no chance God's spirit is with us in this room and it is clear that even when a great man like the altar rebi Falls and succumbs to death that the dream still goes on that the vision still endures that the light still radiates warmth that the magic still exists as long as we in our hearts keep that flame keep that light keep that dream alive we are here tonight because the dream still lives the mission is still urgent the cause is still great and we have done well to continue and endure in the greatest calling God has for sadaka that word it comes from sadic which means Justice we are doing that this organization is making it real I have seen it from the United States to Israel and so on this night I would repeat the two words the two words of of of encouragement the two words of gratitude two words words that I may not know from my Christian tradition but that ring in my heart tonight to all who are involved in this great organization who are keeping the dream alive who are igniting a light of Hope and promise for all people I simply say these two words yasher Cola thank you