Huckabee Visits Ohel in Preparation for Senate Confirmation as U.S. Ambassador to Israel

NEW YORK – As he prepares for his confirmation as the next U.S. Ambassador to Israel, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee visited the Ohel, the burial site of Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, in Queens, N.Y., on Sunday, March 23. Huckabee, accompanied by his wife Janet, prayed at the site, which attracts nearly a million visitors each year. Located at the Old Montefiore Cemetery, the Ohel is a place of solace and inspiration for both Jews and non-Jews alike.

Huckabee was escorted by Rabbi Dr. Joseph Frager and Rabbi Dovid Katz of the Israel Heritage Foundation. Later in the day, Huckabee attended a reception in his honor hosted by the foundation. His nomination by President Donald Trump to serve as Ambassador to Israel was made public in November, and his confirmation hearings are scheduled to take place this week.

Reflecting on his visit, Huckabee said, “After visiting the Ohel, I’m even more confident it will all work out.” He expressed a deep sense of purpose in serving both his country and strengthening U.S.-Israel relations. Huckabee has had a long-standing relationship with Chabad-Lubavitch, including being the first governor of Arkansas to participate in a public Chanukah menorah lighting in Little Rock in 1996.

Huckabee also reaffirmed his firm beliefs about the Land of Israel, saying, “I’ve never been willing to use the term ‘West Bank.’ There is no such thing. I speak of Judea and Samaria. It’s a land rightfully occupied by the Jewish people for over 3,500 years, since the time of Abraham.”