Remembering Joe Flom

By Dr. Arye Carmon

An honorable man has been gathered to his ancestors, and I am proud to say that he was my friend. Commitment, care, exceptional analytical ability, and involvement—all heavily draped in a noble humility that is rarely found in today's culture—these were some of Joe Flom's personal attributes; these, among other traits, made him such an extraordinary human being.

We first met some 26 years ago; almost a generation has passed since. Our friendship grew and deepened, like the fine wine that Joe treasured in the wine cellar of his former home. When Gershon Kekst, a mutual friend, introduced me to Joe in July 1985, when the Israel Democracy Institute was still a vision and a far-off dream, he hinted that there was potential for a true, long-lasting and meaningful relationship. Indeed, the road blocks that dotted the evolving path of my friendship with Joe all burst into bloom. His coach-like approach, his wisdom, involvement and care were evident in each and every milestone: the inaugural conference of IDI at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Princeton, a second conference in Israel for the founders that he recruited, the enlistment of Secretary of State George Shultz, who has served as Honorary Chairman of IDI since the late 1980's, and Joe's ongoing exposure of his friends to the cause of Democracy in Israel. These efforts were always accompanied by significant material contributions, which always carried strict instructions to maintain his anonymity.

Two particular incidents are worth noting. A short while after the assassination of Prime Minister Rabin in 1996, when Joe and his first wife Claire crossed the Jordan River to Israel, I shared with him the idea of initiating a dialogue between intellectuals from Israel and several Arab countries. The hurdle that had to be surmounted was the inability of an Israeli body to initiate and host such an enterprise. As a result, an umbrella organization that would sponsor the process was necessary for its successes. Joe, who had previously been appointed Chairman of the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington by President Clinton, immediately proposed that the Wilson Center sponsor the endeavor, and committed to support the process financially. As a result, for almost three years, a group of 7-9 IDI associates met with leading intellectuals from the West Bank and countries such as Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, Tunisia, Lebanon and Syria. Together, we formed a cohort of about two dozen people, which included prominent journalists, advisors to heads of states, and leaders of the constitution-building process in Iraq. We will never be able to measure the impact of these meetings, but they could never have happened without the support of a man of vision like Joe.

In addition, I thank God that Joe was able to be present at the single most important event in the life of IDI—the ceremony in which we received the highest award of the State of Israel: The Israel Prize. When President Shimon Peres presented the prize to IDI, in the presence of the Prime Minister, the speaker of the Knesset, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the Minister of Education, and the Mayor of Jerusalem, Joe and his wife Judi were among the distinguished guests in the audience.

Joe's deeds will be engraved in the evolving legacy of the Israel Democracy Institute forever. And I will forever miss a dear friend.

Read the New York Times obituary for Joseph Flom