American Turning Point

"From everything I
know, I think he's a
good choice. He's a
moral person, a good
politician, he has lead-
ership abilities; he's well liked in
Connecticut.
"How will religion play out? I
don't know."

Landmark Selection

Leaders say choice means Jews
in U.S. have come of age.

— Harvey Wax, Ann Arbor

MICHAEL J. JORDAN
Jewish Telegraphic Agency

"We've always won-
dered if there would be
a Jewish candidate, and
when there would be a
Jewish candidate. Now
we have one, and he's
probably as fine as could be pro-
duced. Now we'll find out what
.America is all about.
"Also, think about the votes he
can bring — California, New
York, New Jersey, Florida,
Pennsylvania, Illinois."

New York

merican Jewish leaders are
rejoicing that a Jew has
reached a new height in
U.S. politics, citing it as a
milestone not only for the Jewish
community, but for all minorities and
America itself
Senator Joseph Lieberman (D-
Conn.), among the most visibly reli-
gious members of the U.S. Senate
and widely respected on both sides
of the aisle, has accepted Al Gore's
offer to serve as his vice presidential
running mate.
Some Jewish leaders spoke of great
pride in America itself, where a Jew
can rise to the front and center of the
political scene. Meanwhile, some lay
Jews were uneasy about the reaction
of the American public at large.
Mostly, though, Jewish leaders and
activists heaped praise on the
Connecticut senator for his honesty
and integrity, and a sterling sense of
morality they say is derived from his
faith as an Orthodox Jew.
"His value construct is so solid, his
moral compass so defined, that it res-
onates with anyone who shares that
definition," said Ethan Felson, direc-
tor of the Jewish Community
Relations Council in Hartford.

— Irving Tukeh West Bloomfield

"I'm thrilled. I have
always been crazy about
him. During the
Clinton witch-hunt he
was outspoken and
honest, but when the
people said they were tired of the
issue tearing the country apart, he
said, let's do what the people
want.'
"I hope they win!"

.Mary Spindler, Plymouth

"I'm very excited. I never thought
I'd see somebody Jewish in that
position in my lifetime."

— Susan Orbach, Royal Oak

"I'm happy there's a possibility
there will be a Jewish vice presi-
dent. I hope it wasn't just a politi-
cal move."

Growing Up

— Mordechai Klainberg, Oak Park

"I believe the Republicans need to
expand their horizons. I think Al
Gore is brave to take a step like
this, and I hope it will lead to a
new generation of high-status
Jews.
"Even if they don't win, just
the fact that somebody Jewish is
the candidate is amazing. It's like,
If you don't believe in me and
my party, who do you believe in?'
"Hopefully, now they'll start
with women."

Vnt ,

— Shira Zirulnik, 12,
visiting from California

Many said the fact that Gore and his
advisers were confident enough to tab

a Jew for the No. 2 spot is a sign of
the country's political maturity.
As recently as 1984, Walter
Mondale reportedly decided against
Dianne Feinstein, now a U.S. senator
from California, because her
Jewishness was considered a detriment.
"It's taken a while, but America has
finally come of age," said Abraham
Foxman, national director of the Anti-
Defamation League.
"I think people now recognize that
these are public servants who happen
to be Jews, not Jews who happen to be
public servants," Foxman said.
And in the process, the glass ceiling
may have cracked, said Malcolm
Hoenlein, executive vice chairman of
the Conference of Presidents of Major
American Jewish Organizations. "We're
seeing another barrier come down."

Against The Grain

Jewish leaders noted, however, that the
same strong convictions that enabled
Lieberman to cross party lines on cru-
cial legislation also means he will not
always agree with mainstream Jewish
consensus on crucial issues.
Nor will every American Jew vote for
him. Lieberman runs against the grain
with his support for school vouchers,
while resisting the U.S. release of con-
victed spy for Israel Jonathan Pollard.
"This is no slam dunk for the
Jewish community," said Mandell
Ganchrow, president of the Orthodox
Union, for whom Lieberman serves as
a member of the board of directors.
"Joe Lieberman has a wonderful

7.;

J

D

I

)

i< A f I 0 ",

0

By Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, in an
Atlanta Jewish Times advertisement
placed by the American Jewish
Committee Nov. 5, 1999:

p(}1

o me, being Jewish means having
help in answering life's most fun-
damental questions, such as, "How
did I come to this place?" and, "Now
that I am here, how should I live?"
My faith, which has anchored my

record to stand on, people love him
and admire him, but it's not automat-
ic that Jews will vote for him. People
will judge him on the issues. And
that's the way it should be."
Conversely, Lieberman is expected
to continue to judge issues on their
merit, regardless of what the majority
of Jews think.

Are Jews Ready?

While Jewish leaders, accustomed to
the limelight and the struggle to enter
the mainstream, cheered the news
Monday, they acknowledged the initial
trepidation felt by some lay members
of the community.
Indeed, some wondered privately
whether Lieberman's nomination "is
good for the Jews." So the question for
some was not so much, "Is America
ready for a Jewish VP?" but "Are Jews
ready for a Jewish VP?"
"There is a schizophrenia in the
Jewish community where, on the one
hand, we want to exert influence, while
on the other hand, we're sensitive to
the question of Jewish power," said
Foxman. "I think there's still a remnant
of this schizophrenia, this discomfort."
Anxiety about the potential for such
a high-profile Jewish politician — for
example, if crisis strikes America, will
Jews be blamed? — touches on a deep-
er pathology, one ingrained over cen-
turies, if not millennia, say observers.
"There is a predisposition to create
Jewish identity based on fear of 'the
other,"' said Rabbi Irwin Kula, presi-
dent of CLAL, the National Jewish
Center for Learning and Leadership.
"There has been a lot of trauma,
and the trauma is real. But this should
be part of the process of healing that
trauma. America is a qualitatively dif-
ferent place than any in which Jews
have ever lived.
"We should stop worrying about
who's an antisemite, and let's be who
we are."

❑

life, begins with a joyful gratitude that
there is a God who created the uni-
verse and then, because He continued
to care for what He created, gave us
laws and values to order and improve
our lives. God also gave us a purpose
and a destiny — to do justice and to
protect, indeed to perfect, the human
community and natural environment.
In trying to live according to these
principles, I am helped by daily prayer
and religious rituals such as observance
of the Sabbath — a time to stop and

:AA

8/11

2000

10

Lieberman addresses Federation's Young Adult Division in
West Bloomfield last December. AIPAC co-hosted the talk.

