"Yechiel Leiter, appointed as the next Israeli ambassador to the U.S. under President-elect Donald Trump, suffered the tragic loss of his son, Moshe, who died in combat in Gaza in November 2023, as reported by News from the funeral."
Leiter, known in Jewish communities worldwide and a former chief of staff to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, shared his plea in his eulogy: “There are rumors, now, that you’re putting pressure on Israel to hold off, to cease the offensive. If those rumors are true — I hope they’re not — but if they’re true, I respectfully ask of you, here, on my son’s grave, cease and desist! Stand back, Mr. President. Don’t pressure us. Let us do what we know how to do, what we must do: defeat evil.”
According to *The Jewish Insider*, Dr. Yechiel Leiter, appointed to be Israel’s next ambassador to the U.S., has long-standing ties to various conservative organizations in Israel, including the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs and the Kohelet Forum. A resident of the West Bank settlement of Eli, Leiter was born in Pennsylvania but moved to Israel at 18 to serve in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). An ordained rabbi with a doctorate in political philosophy, he has authored several books.
In July, Leiter accompanied Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington, where Netanyahu addressed a joint session of Congress and honored Leiter's son, Moshe, who was killed in combat in Gaza in 2023. Netanyahu’s office has also announced that current Ambassador Mike Herzog has been asked to remain in his position through the U.S. presidential transition, which concludes on January 20.