Political positions of Ted Kennedy called Kennedy, "a great friend of Israel", and he continued by saying that Kennedy would be missed. Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky, who was a prisoner of Zion in the Soviet Union, told "The Jerusalem Post", "When we were in prison - when I was in prison - Senator Kennedy was one of the most important contacts for our wives and families. He helped bring down the iron curtain and he helped Soviet Jews immigrate to Israel." "Kennedy was clearly a friend of Israel all the way, and in every place that he could help us he did," said Israeli
Eli Sadan During his studies, he was asked by Rabbi Kook to assist in establishing Moshav Keshet in the Golan Heights and in establishing a core of Torah scholars in Eilat. Together with Rabbi Tzvi Tau, he was delegated by Rabbi Zvi Yehuda with regarding to prisoners of Zion, among them Natan Sharansky. They even held a secret telephone conversation before Sharansky entered the Russian prison. Afterwards, Sadan held several meetings with US officials in order to secure Sharansky's release. In 1988, Sadan established the first pre-military preparatory program (mechina), together with Rabbi Yigal Levinstein. The mechina is named "Bnei David" and