Hostile reaction to Lew at Jewish conference “I would only ask that you listen to me as we listen to you."

Treasury Secretary Jack Lew was repeatedly booed and heckled Sunday as he spoke in New York City at a Jewish-themed conference sponsored by The Jerusalem Post.

Haaretz, an Israeli news organization, characterized the reaction to Lew’s remarks “as one of the surliest reactions ever accorded to such a high-ranking administration official by a Jewish audience in the United States.”


Cries of "nonsense" were heard during his talk.

“I would only ask that you listen to me as we listen to you,” Lew said to the crowd at one point amid the heckling.

Lew’s address was intended to affirm the Obama administration’s support for Israel’s security, especially in regards to efforts to guarantee that Iran, which has repeatedly vowed to destroy Israel, never builds a nuclear weapon. He discussed various aspects of the Iran deal.

“In these difficult times,” Lew told the audience, “the president has reaffirmed for the world time and time again that the United States of America stands with the state of Israel. This commitment began with a promise at Israel’s founding that has been continued by every president and every Congress since. And like those American leaders before us, protecting the homeland of the Jewish people is something we are proud to honor and uphold.”

Lew added: “The simple fact is this: No administration has done more for Israel’s security than this one.”

Various participants subsequently spoke up for Lew, including Jerusalem Post Editor Steve Linde, Israeli Cabinet Minister Yuval Steinitz and Jewish agency chairman Natan Sharansky, a once-prominent Soviet dissident who became an Israeli government official. “We should remember how pro-Israel speakers are treated on college campuses, treat speakers better,” Sharansky said, according to the Post’s Gil Hoffman.

The Obama administration has faced ongoing skepticism among some American Jews about its commitment to the safety of Israel, particularly in light of the recent Iran nuclear deal. That has created an unusual schism in the American Jewish community, which tends to vote overwhelmingly Democrat.

In the meantime, tensions have escalated in Israel over the past few days amid new rocket attacks from Gaza.

The fourth annual conference was held Sunday at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in midtown Manhattan. Among those who spoke were Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. “I never want us to take our eye off of Iran,” Giuliani said.

Also addressing the audience, by video, was Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who affirmed the enduring strength of the U.S.-Israel alliance while also pushing for a better deal with Iran.

“Israel has no better friend in the world than the United States, and the United States has no better friend than Israel,” Netanyahu said.