RABBI ERIC SOLOMON: Walter Jones and the pursuit of peace

EDITOR'S NOTE: Rabbi Eric Solomon is a spiritual leader of Beth Meyer Synagogue in Raleigh and serves on the board of Truah: The Rabbinic Call For Human Rights.

Congressman Walter Jones never served as my representative, but after hearing him a few years ago I almost wished that he had.

On the surface, Jones and I couldn’t have been more different: I am a political progressive; a rabbi and; a transplant to the region. Jones was a conservative; a Catholic; born-and-bred eastern North Carolinian.

I first encountered Jones at a conference in Washington, addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  During one session, several congressional leaders came forward to briefly speak of their support for a “two-state solution”—Israel and a Palestinian state existing side-by-side in security and peace.

Nearly all of the speakers were Democrats.

Jones was introduced by a staffer with a particular lilt in her voice: “And now we welcome House Republican, Congressman Walter Jones of the 3rd District in North Carolina!” The crowd applauded but quickly became quiet, eager to hear what he had to say.

He offered that the greatest regret of his political career - and perhaps his life - was his vote to support the war in Iraq. When he learned that the case for the Iraq War was based on faulty intelligence and he witnessed young men and women returning to his district in flag-laden caskets, he publicly renounced his vote.  One of his quotes: ”I have signed over 12,000 letters to families and extended families who’ve lost loved ones … and that was for me asking God to forgive me for my mistake.”  From that day forward, he committed himself to only vote for war resolutions after every possible avenue for peace had been explored.

As Jones’ staffers began to whisk him to the door, I felt compelled to approach him. “Congressman Jones, my name is Eric Solomon, and I am a rabbi living in Raleigh. I want to let you know how deeply touched I was by your comments today.” He put his hand on my shoulder, looked me in the eye and thanked me for my kind words.

When I heard that Jones had entered hospice, I felt a pang in my heart. Here was a public servant who demonstrated integrity and conviction -- a spiritually-centered, Southern, Republican who bucked his party and spoke from his gut. He was a man who proudly served in the U.S. military and represented one of the most prominent Marine Corps bases in the country -- but was unafraid to speak his conscience when it came to war.  He believed in pursuing peace until his last breath whether in Iraq, Afghanistan, or Israel-Palestine.

It is true that I disagreed with him on just about every other issue under the sun. But I also recognized that this was a congressman who embodied the American value of independence.

The Talmudic Sages once asked why, among all the people of the Earth, God chose Abraham? Their answer: While the whole world stood on one side, Abraham stood on the other.  He went against the grain.  He was, in a word, independent.

Walter Jones was never officially my congressman, but on some spiritual level, he absolutely was.

Rest in Peace, Congressman Jones. May your legacy of independence and your pursuit of peace be an inspiration for us all.