Jerusalem – US Energy Secretary Perry At The Western Wall: ‘We Never Forget That We Are Family’

Jerusalem – US Secretary of Energy Rick Perry visited the Kotel, Western Wall, and on Sunday morning, kick-starting his first official trip to Israel as Secretary of Energy.

Israel’s Minister of Energy, Dr. Yuval Steinitz, Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz and other rabbis accompanied Perry during his visit to the holy site.

Perry read chapter 121 from Psalms with Rabbi Rabinowitz and placed a personal letter in the Western Wall.

Director of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, Mordechai Eliav gave Perry a tour of the Western Wall Tunnels, showing him a verity of ancient Jewish artifacts that demonstrating the yearning of the Jewish people to return to Jerusalem throughout the ages.

The visit was concluded at a model of the Jewish Temple, and Perry expressed his appreciation for the historical meaning of the place to the Jewish people.

Rabbi Rabinowitz told Secretary Perry that his visit during the Fast of 17th of Tammuz, which commences the annual three weeks of mourning over the destruction of the two Temples, is of particular significance. During this time period, Israelis and Jews around the world commemorate their past and pray for a better future, and therefore the visit during this period represents the strong bond between Israel and the US.

Steinitz, Perry’s colleague, welcomed him to Jerusalem, “the eternal capital of the Jewish nation.”

“I am sure that this visit to the Western Wall will fill your important trip with positive energy,” he quipped.

Perry responded to the speakers with a strong affirmation of the partnership between Israel and the US.

“My wife and I are always incredibly honored to come to Israel,” he noted. “This work that you do is a confirmation of who we are as a people, the continual relationship between the United States and Israel. Although we are a young country, our older brother Israel is our partner. We never forget that we are family. May our future be as powerful as our history.”

Perry also paid a visit to Yad Vashem and the Children’s Memorial and laid a wreath in the museum’s Hall of Remembrance. He also signed the museum’s guest book.