A Champion We Were Proud to Call a Friend: Remembering Senator Lindsey Graham

By Trudy Stern, NORPAC NY President

NORPAC LI President Stanley Stern meets with Senator Lindsey Graham

The sudden passing of Senator Lindsey Graham is a tremendous loss—not only for the United States Senate, but for America, Israel, and the Jewish people. Few public servants have left such an indelible mark on the U.S.-Israel relationship, and even fewer have done so with the unwavering conviction, warmth, and personal loyalty that defined Lindsey Graham.

For those of us at NORPAC, this loss is especially personal.

Over the course of many years, NORPAC developed a deep and enduring relationship with Senator Graham. He was not simply a featured speaker at our events or a reliable vote in the Senate. He was a trusted friend whose commitment to our mission never wavered. Time and again, he stood before our members—not because it was politically expedient, but because he genuinely believed that America’s alliance with Israel was both a moral imperative and a strategic necessity.

Just a few months ago, NORPAC welcomed Senator Graham to a packed gathering in Englewood, New Jersey. As always, he was candid, insightful, and deeply engaging. He spoke with the same clarity and conviction that had defined his public life, reminding us once again why he had earned the respect and admiration of so many in our community.

For decades, Senator Graham was one of Israel’s strongest and most effective advocates in the United States Senate. He understood a truth that he often repeated: ‘Israel’s security is America’s security.” Those words were not a slogan; they were the guiding principle behind his work.

He championed critical security assistance for Israel, fought tirelessly to ensure that Iran never obtained a nuclear weapon, led efforts to impose meaningful sanctions on the Iranian regime and its terrorist proxies, and opposed policies he believed endangered America’s closest ally in the Middle East. He was instrumental in advancing the Taylor Force Act and anti-BDS legislation, and he strongly supported some of the most consequential achievements in the history of the U.S.-Israel relationship, including the relocation of the American Embassy to Jerusalem, U.S. recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, and the Abraham Accords.

His support for Israel was never merely political—it was deeply personal. Senator Graham visited Israel dozens of times over the course of his career. He stood with the Jewish state during moments of triumph and during moments of profound tragedy, including traveling there just days after the horrific attacks of October 7. He understood that standing with Israel meant standing with democracy, freedom, and the values shared by both nations.

But perhaps what distinguished Lindsey Graham most was not simply the legislation he championed or the speeches he delivered. It was his character.

Despite serving at the highest levels of government and wielding enormous influence in Washington, he remained remarkably approachable. He possessed a rare combination of toughness and warmth, moral clarity, and humility. Whether addressing thousands of supporters or speaking one-on-one with a NORPAC member, he had an extraordinary ability to make people feel heard, respected, and valued. Relationships mattered to him, and loyalty was not merely something he expected—it was something he lived every day.

His own life reflected the very best of the American story. Raised in modest circumstances in rural South Carolina, he overcame profound personal hardship after losing both of his parents while still a young man, raising his younger sister while putting himself through law school, and serving his country in the Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps. Those experiences shaped a leader whose resilience, patriotism, and sense of duty never left him.

Throughout more than two decades in the United States Senate, Lindsey Graham became one of the nation’s foremost voices on national security, foreign policy, and judicial affairs. He served with distinction on the Senate Judiciary Committee, the Senate Appropriations Committee, and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, always guided by the belief that American strength was essential to preserving peace and protecting freedom around the world.

The Jewish community has lost one of its greatest friends. Israel has lost one of its fiercest defenders. America has lost a statesman whose courage, patriotism, and moral clarity will be difficult to replace.

At NORPAC, we will remember Senator Lindsey Graham not only for the battles he fought on behalf of Israel and the Jewish people, but for the friendship he extended to our community over so many years. His legacy will live on in the stronger U.S.-Israel relationship he helped build and in the countless lives he touched through his service.

May his memory forever be a blessing.