Toscani Grill On The Bookshelf `Jews In American Politics' From changed names to Orthodoxy, book traces Jews' rise in U.S. ranks. 1 SHARON SAMBER Jewish Telegraphic Agency B Washington Toscani Grill's main dining room captures the elegance of fine dining, while murals reflect the sensation of back packing through Europe and dining at a small local bistro creating the perfect ambiance experience. elle Moskowitz, Solomon Hirsch and Edward Levi were Jews involved in U.S. political life. Moskowitz was the trusted adviser to the gover- nor of New York in the 1920s. Hirsch was the U.S. ambassador to Turkey in 1889. Levi served as President Gerald Ford's attorney general in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal. Previously confined to the footnotes of political science course guides or familiar only to political junkies, these figures and others are part of a new book charting Jews' impact on American political life. All three are among some 400 profiled in Jews in American Politics (Rowman & Littlefield, $39.95). The book isn't sim- ply a "locate the landsman" exercise — it's an attempt to address a number of issues, such as Jewish political behavior, Jewish advocacy and the relationship between politics and Jewish identity. It also provides important demographic infor- mation and biographical profiles. Today, as politics is seen as just another profession toward which Jews gravitate, the changes in the level of Jewish politi- cal involvement through the decades are interesting to follow. Jewish involvement ranges from hiding one's Judaism in order to enter politics, all the way to last year's watershed event — when Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., became the first Jewish vice-presidential candidate of a major party. The leaps make for good reading. The story of Oscar Straus, the first Jew chosen for a presi- dential cabinet position, illustrates the trajectory of Jewish Hours: Mon-Thurs 10 am-11 pm Sat 4-11 pm • Sun 4-9 pm 248-853-7344 2086 Crooks • Rochester Lieberman Impact Models for today's young Jews, include observant Jews such as Lieberman, Jack Lew, the former director of the Office of Management and Budget, and Stuart Eizenstat, the former deputy treasury secretary, Forman said. Lieberman said his experience in the 2000 presidential campaign only deepened his feelings about public service. "It has also convinced me as never before that American Jews have an important and special role to play in the civic life of this great_country,” he wrote in the book's introduction. But American Jews still face a choice between ghettoizing or assimilating, says Ira Forman, the book's co-editor. The challenge is to create a different paradigm, said Forman, who also is the executive director of the National ve.lomArereAke., r. of Utah 1917- rnorig. A courteous wait staff and service oriented managers provide a personal touch for your dining experience. •Bar Mitzvah • Bat Mitzvah •Anniversaries •Showers • Weddings political involvement in the 20th century. When Straus was appointed by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906, he told how Roosevelt had said that Strauss had character, judgment and ability, but his appointment also would serve to show Russia that the United States "thinks of Jews." At a public dinner several years later, however, Roosevelt claimed that Strauss was chosen on merit and ability alone. The next speaker, the prominent Jewish Republican Jacob Schiff, did not hear Roosevelt's remarks and told the audience how, years before, Roosevelt had sought his advice on a suit- able Jew to appoint to his cabinet. Some of the old challenges Jews faced in politics have not entirely disappeared. While it is possible today to balance one's Judaism with a political life — and it is much more legitimate for a candidate today to have a strong religious identity — having it all remains a conundrum. 6 Jewish pots just to name a few. ii:.,..:ti ;:i4gainst r-444- . ili 'Utah vot- ormo. . 0. ;... m,,,,ott.41:-A- ,,, „..iisidered - .•'''. aithe.:.rrOe .:.... 4t,i. •:.-. . 43 tf Israel, er, to his amazement, a "damn ts , American:. 4.r6..teij Jews that Mast people havens heard of— or are surprised by \ iichinann, son of the yeast and their Jewish background or political affilia- g company's founder-, ran the compa- trans. ny and a bank and was a patron of the arts in One of the more famous and infamous is Cincinnad. He owned the city's baseball team Judah Philip Benjamin, a U.S. senator prior and served two terms as mayor, 1901-1909 to the Civil War and then attorney general and secretary of war and stare for Confederate President Jefferson Davis. A brilliant statesman and lawyer, Benjamin advocated emancipation in 1865 but owned slaves and had little inter- est in Judaism. He was ultimately disliked by both Northern Jews and Southern whites. Simon Bamberger was both the first non-Mormon and the Simon Julius first Democrat to be elected gov- Judah Philip Benjamin Bomberger Fleischmann