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Last update - 15:27 27/02/2009
Did Abraham Lincoln support the creation of a Jewish state?
By Tom Segev
Tags: Abraham Lincoln, Shimon Peres 

America has had 11 presidents in the period from the founding of the State of Israel up to Barack Obama's election: Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush Sr. Clinton and Bush Jr. But in his speech in honor of the swearing-in of the new Knesset, President Shimon Peres determined that Israel owes thanks to only seven. It is unlikely that he wanted to insult the other four. He probably just made a mistake. Perhaps he consulted with the historian Benjamin Netanyahu.

In his speech, Peres also said that president Abraham Lincoln once promised his Jewish "doctor," Isachar Zacharie, to support the establishment of a Jewish state. Peres did not invent Zacharie, but ? how shall we put this gently ? there are several versions of this story. It seems that one of Lincoln's acquaintances did indeed tell him about an idea to establish a state for the Jews in the Land of Israel, and Lincoln replied that the option was worthy of consideration. He added incidentally that he had respect for the Jews, since his podiatrist was Jewish.

In actuality, Zacharie was not a medical doctor. In England and the U.S. you can treat foot problems without being a physician, and Zacharie was in fact an English Jew. His reputation as a miracle worker preceded him when he settled in Washington, D.C., in 1862. One of his patients was the secretary of war, Edwin Stanton, who recommended Zacharie's services to the president, and the two subsequently became friends.
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Lincoln entrusted Zacharie with various tasks and Zacharie used his connections with him to improve the Jews' lot, but it is doubtful he spoke to Lincoln about establishing a Jewish state. During the Civil War, Zacharie was sent on a secret mission to the South and set up a spy network there. Afterward, he harbored fantasies about all kinds of peace plans, of the sort that would one day haunt Shimon Peres' mind.

Zacharie's ties to Lincoln led to the cancellation of General Ulysses S. Grant's order to expel Jews from Tennessee, Mississippi and Kentuckey. Apparently, Zacharie also acted to secure "the Jewish vote" for Lincoln. The president's assassination left his podiatrist without any pull, and he got himself entangled in an embarrassing scandal: He demanded $45,000 from the U.S. government as payment for treating the feet of 15,000 soldiers in Lincoln' army. A Congressional committee tossed him out unceremoniously, and he went home.
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  1.   A Myth 15:46  |  Mark Lincoln 27/02/09
  2.   Grant was a Anti Semite 15:53  |  Ralph levy 27/02/09
  3.   fascinating piece 15:53  |  barfat krubible 27/02/09
  4.   Wouldn`t be a surprise 16:11  |  Giora Me`ir 27/02/09
  5.   I`ll Accept Peres` Characterization... 16:34  |  Brendan 27/02/09
  6.   THIS IS SOOO FUNNY! 17:16  |  HA HA 27/02/09
  7.   Apparently, Shimon spoke with the actual doctor 17:20  |  El Hombre 27/02/09
  8.   WAS HE A JEW? 17:28  |  indrajaya 27/02/09
  9.   Lincoln was gay 17:34  |  MarkC 27/02/09
  10.   #2 and , go on 17:42  |  Abecassis 27/02/09
  11.   Lincoln freed the slaves 17:46  |  Abe 27/02/09
  12.   Grand Island NY 18:07  |  ben 27/02/09
  13.   The Correct Abraham to ask 18:39  |  Shimon Cleopas 27/02/09
  14.   Segev offers no evidence 18:44  |  Jeffrey 27/02/09
  15.   No evidence, Segev 18:47  |  Jeff DIsraeli 27/02/09
  16.   Leave Abraham Lincloln out of it Peres 18:56  |  gus 27/02/09
  17.   lincoln`s podiatrist 19:52  |  Mike L 27/02/09
  18.   Did Peres forget Eisenhauer? Carter? No way! 21:41  |  Avnera 27/02/09
  19.   This story is like..... 22:22  |  Harry 27/02/09
  20.   Honest Abe and Curious George 23:08  |  Bill 27/02/09
  21.   never would Abraham Lincoln do that!! 01:24  |  Abe 28/02/09
  22.   "owes thanks to only seven" 01:56  |  flimflam 28/02/09
  23.   how ? 02:32  |  flimflam 28/02/09
  24.   Source: American Jewish Historical Society 04:06  |  Samuel Prime 28/02/09
  25.   #1 Mark Lincoln 05:04  |  Jim 28/02/09
  26.   lincoln 07:38  |  yoynasin 28/02/09
  27.   # 4 "liberia" was founded well before lincoln, giora 09:57  |  eric 28/02/09
  28.   # 9 so was ben gurion, markc 09:59  |  eric 28/02/09
  29.   # 25 no way, jim! 10:19  |  eric 28/02/09
  30.   Lincoln 11:53  |  Jen 28/02/09
  31.   Fighting for a Jewish State 13:27  |  K Stone 28/02/09
  32.   By some reports Lincoln was of Jewish ancestry from England 15:46  |  Jacob 28/02/09
  33.   yoynasin - Liberia 15:57  |  Mark Lincoln 28/02/09
  34.   #29 Eric - NM 17:15  |  *BEN JABO 28/02/09
  35.   #31 Ord Wingate was the salvation of the nascent Israel. 22:22  |  Kathy 28/02/09
  36.   #16 23:27  |  Knightarm 28/02/09
  37.   #1 Everything Mark Lincoln Says is Mythology 00:43  |  Baruch Gold 01/03/09
  38.   # 34 you`re right ben; about the "republic" of liberia 04:25  |  eric 01/03/09
  39.   # 34 you`re right ben; about the "republic" of liberia 09:53  |  eric 01/03/09
  40.   Abraham Lincoln 18:02  |  Kenneth Del Bianco 19/10/09
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