Baruch Korff

Baruch Korff (; July 4, 1914 – July 26, 1995) was an American Orthodox rabbi, best known for being "Nixon's rabbi." Born in present-day Ukraine, he settled in the United States in 1926. In the 1940s, Korff supported Irgun and Lehi, and would be jailed for plotting terrorist attacks for the latter in 1947. After meeting Richard Nixon in 1967, he would become an ardent supporter and confidant of his. Following the Watergate scandal in 1974, Korff gained most of his notoriety for his defense of Nixon. After fading from the public eye, he worked as a consultant at Brown University before dying in 1995.

Early life Baruch Korff was born on July 4, 1914, in Novohrad-Volynskyi present-day Ukraine (then part of the Russian Empire). His father was suspected of committing treason and fled to Poland. Korff later followed him there, remaining in Poland for seven years while studying in its yeshivas. In 1934 he was ordained a rabbi, following in the footsteps of his ancestors. Held in La Santé Prison, Korff staged a 17-day hunger strike in protest even slipping into a coma, until he was revived. Eventually, all charges against him were dropped and he was released. He defended Nixon during Nixon's growing unpopularity over Watergate. After the president left office, Korff continued to visit him. He also established a trust fund to help pay off Nixon's legal fees, which totaled over $155,000.

Many American Jews were embarrassed at Korff's behavior. However, he did receive support from Yitzhak Rabin and Golda Meir. Korff later admitted that what Nixon did in the Watergate Scandal was wrong, but continued to stand by him. During spring of the same year, Nixon had referred to Korff as his rabbi. In his later years, he appeared as a panelist on the Sunday-morning show Confluence.

Works Flight from Fear (1953) The Personal Nixon: Staying on the Summit (1974) The President and I (1995)