Bobby
Kennedy and Abe |
“Kennedy is
America’s royal family. Camelot is nobility. Your magazine
should cover the Kennedy legacy, and also royalty all over
the world – England, Spain, and so on. This is a niche no
other publication has claimed.”
Hirschfeld reports
that Kennedy loved it. “He wanted me to work with him in
redirecting the magazine.”
Hirschfeld said
he was thrilled to be invited to join in the enterprise as
he considers himself royalty, too.
As a Levite,
Hirschfeld traces his royal lineage 3,300 years back to
Moses and the tribe of Levi. The descendants of the house of
Levi served in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, assisting the
Kohens, the descendants of Aaron, in the sacrificial duties
before the Ark of the Covenant.
Hirschfeld has
been a longtime admirer of the Kennedy family. Indeed, a
photo taken with Ted Kennedy bears the legend: “To my good
friend Abe, a good supporter of all the Kennedy brothers.”
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Abe and Zipora
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Hirschfeld first
met Robert Kennedy on the golf course. “We always
talked,” Hirschfeld said.
“Then I left for
Israel. When I came back, I had urgent calls from Bobby. I
called him back. He was very busy, but he took me on his
private plane to Buffalo. The state convention of the New
York Democratic Party was in session.
“The state
treasurer, Lou Beck, was resigning. The vacancy had to be
filled immediately. Bobby gets up and starts to talk about
me, praising me, and saying I’m the right candidate for
the position.
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A
LETTER FROM ETHEL KENNEDY
Mrs.
Robert F. Kennedy
Hyannis
Port
October 23, 1992
Dear
Abe:
Thanks
so much for being a part of the golf Tournament. You
parred the course without even taking a swing.
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(Click on
letter to
view an actual copy
of the original)
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I
remember that Bobby was captivated by you from the
start, meeting you for the first time in the
unlikely surroundings of a golf course.
To
him you epitomized the diversity, strength and
vitality that is America.
He
loved that you were smart, funny and always there
for him.
He
found you frank with your advice, giving of your
time and thoughtful about the future of our nation.
Like
Bobby, you are devoted to your family, loyal to your
friends and committed to your country.
I
will always remember what you meant to Bobby and
appreciate what you’ve done for his memorial and
me.
With
love,
Ethel
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“They elected
me treasurer of the Democratic Party in New York state. They
didn’t know it, but I was a registered Republican!
“Next day I
changed to Democrat.”
Hirschfeld says
that in six months he was able to resuscitate the party. The
party went on to win the gubernatorial slot with Mario Cuomo
and the U.S. Senate seat with Daniel Patrick Moynihan.
Hirschfeld
claims a warm close relationship with Bobby Kennedy. “He
was my mentor,” Hirschfeld says.
Four months before
he was assassinated, Bobby posed with Abe for a photo.
Hirschfeld’s wife Zipora said, “Why didn’t you have
Bobby autograph the picture?” So he brought it back.
Kennedy told him to leave it and he’ll sign it and mail it
back.
“I
came home,” Hirschfeld relates, “and told Zipora that
Bobby was extremely busy but assured me that he’ll
autograph it and send it back. Zipora was highly skeptical
– didn’t think Bobby would take the trouble to do it.
“In 1993, some 25
years after he was gunned down, the picture finally arrived
in the mail. Apparently he did sign it, but never got around
to mailing it. Someone found it among his papers and sent it
on to me.
“I
told Zipora that Bobby had kept his word.”
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