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Lubavitch Center in Washington, DC, played host to aprivate dinner for a visiting foreign dignitary – until the guest tweeted.Feb 19, (collive) — One a recent snowy evening, guests arrivedat the Lubavitch Center in Washington, DC, home of AmericanFriends of Lubavitch, which played host to a private dinner meetingfor a visiting foreign dignitary.“Heading to dinner with a prominent Jewish Ambassador to theUnited States – will say more after I see if it’s on-the-record,” WilliamDaroff, Vice President for Public Policy for the Jewish Federations ofNorth America, tweeted on his account.He was referring to Houda Nonoo, Bahrain’s Ambassadorto the U.S. – believed to be the Arab world’s first Jewishenvoy, who attends services at The Shul of the Nation’sCapital at Lubavitch Center.Joining him were senior representatives of AIPAC, AmericanJewish Committee, B’nai B’rith International, Anti-DefamationLeague and other prominent members of the Washington Jewishcommunity.Daroff’s message on the micro-blogging site sparkedinterest, and COLlive.com immediately inquired about it.But Chabad Rabbi Levi Shemtov declined to elaborate.Soon enough, at 8:45 PM, the dinner’s special guest leakedit himself – through Twitter.Bahraini Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifatweeted: “Was invited by my friend rabbi shimtov 2 a dinner w/leaders of the American Jewish community. gr8 discussion abtpeace in ME (Middle East).”“It was supposed to be hush-hush, but, nu, it was tweeted,” Ron Kampeas, Washington reporter for JTA, wrote on his blog.After learning of the tweet, Rabbi Shemtov told COLlive that the minister said: “People must understand that Israel has a historical presence in the region of the Middle East, belongs there and is a permanent presence in the region.”The minister added: “Once others will accept these facts, it will be easier to make peace” – a point he was said publicly in the past, but reiterated to the Jewish leaders.Shemtov told JTA that, especially around Purim time, it’s worth singling out for praise non-Jews who speak truth to power to regional leaders threatening Jewish annihilation.“There are those, unfortunately too few as yet in the region, who say there is virtue to the Jewish people and if we discover it and explore it we may find the need for conflict is not really there,” Shemtov said.“His excellency King Hamad and his excellency Shaikh Khalid are such people.”
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