Yehiel Leiter was born in the U.S. and immigrated to Israel four decades ago. He lives in Eli, East of the city of Ariel. His son Moshe was killed in combat in northern Gaza about a year ago.
The post of ambassador to the U.S. is Leiter's first diplomatic job, after working for decades writing and researching in the Shalem Institute and Herzl Institute. He also served as a senior fellow at the Kohelet Policy forum.
In his youth, Leiter was active in the Jewish Defense League, an organization founded in the U.S. by Rabbi Meir Kahane and later designated as a terrorist organization by U.S. authorities. He was part of a group of activists within the organization who eventually moved to live in settlements in the West Bank.
Kahana's name and ideas were tabu in Israel under the socialist regime. I hesitated even to write his name for fear of losing my job. He was a soft-spoken New York Orthodox rabbi, fighting for the emigration of Soviet Jews.
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