Opinion

OTHER VIEWS

Obama Vs. McCain On The Middle East

Philadelphia

H

ow do the two leading candi-
dates for president of the United
States differ in their approach
to Israel and related topics? Parallel inter-
views with journalist Jeffrey Goldberg of
the Atlantic, who spoke in early May with
Democrat Barack Obama and in late May
with Republican John McCain, offer some
important insights.
Asked roughly the same set of questions,
they went off in opposite directions. Obama
used the interview to convince readers of
his pro-Israel and pro-Jewish bona fides. He
thrice reiterated his support for Israel:
"The idea of a secure Jewish state is a
fundamentally just idea, and a necessary
idea"; "the need to preserve a Jewish state
that is secure is ... a just idea and one that
should be supported here in the United
States and around the world"; and "You will
not see, under my presidency, any slacken-
ing in commitment to Israel's security."
Obama then detailed his support within
four specifically Jewish contexts.
•Personal development: "When I think
about the Zionist idea, I think about how
my feelings about Israel were shaped as a
young man — as a child, in fact. I had a
camp counselor when I was in sixth grade
who was Jewish American, but who had

spent time in Israel."
the ideals of democracy and social justice
•Political career: "When I started orga-
and human rights:' then went on:
nizing, the two fellow organizers in Chicago
"I think that the State of Israel remains
were Jews, and I was attacked for associat-
under significant threat from terrorist orga-
ing with them. So I've been
nizations as well as the continued
in the foxhole with my Jewish
advocacy of the Iranians to wipe
friends."
Israel off the map."
•Ideas: "I always joke that
Again referring to Iran, McCain
my intellectual formation was
committed himself "to never
through Jewish scholars and
allowing another Holocaust." He
writers, even though I didn't
referred to the threatened destruc-
know it at the time. Whether it
tion of Israel as having "profound
was theologians or Philip Roth,
national security consequences"
who helped shape my sensibil-
for the United States and he
ity, or some of the more popu-
stressed that Tehran sponsors ter-
Daniel Pipes
lar writers like Leon Uris."
rorist organizations intent "on the
Spec ia I
•Philosophy: "My staff teases
destruction of the United States of
Comme ntary
me sometimes about anguish-
America."
ing over moral questions. I
A second difference concerns
think I learned that partly from Jewish
the importance of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
thought, that your actions have conse-
Obama presented it as an "open wound"
quences and that they matter and that we
and an "open sore" that infects "all of our
have moral imperatives."
foreign policy" In particular, he said, its lack
In contrast, McCain felt no need to
of resolution "provides an excuse for anti-
establish his Zionism or his pro-Jewish
American militant jihadists to engage in
credentials. Taking them as a given, he used inexcusable actions."
his interview to raise practical policy issues,
Asked about Obama's statement, McCain
particularly the threat from Iran.
slammed the idea that radical Islam results
For example, asked about the justness
mainly from the Arab-Israeli confrontation:
of Zionism, he replied that "it's remarkable
"I don't think the conflict is a sore. I think
that Zionism has been in the middle of
it's a national security challenge." Were the
wars and great trials and it has held fast to
Israeli-Palestinian issue resolved tomor-

row, he pointedly continued, "we would still
face the enormous threat of radical Islamic
extremism."
Finally, the two disagree on the import
of Israelis continuing to live on the West
Bank. Obama places great emphasis on the
topic, commenting that if their numbers
continue to grow,"we're going to be stuck in
the same status quo that we've been stuck
in for decades now."
McCain acknowledged this as a major
issue but quickly changed the topic to the
Hamas campaign of shelling Sderot, the
besieged Israeli town that he visited in
March and whose predicament he explicitly
compares to the mainland United States
coming under attack from one of its bor-
ders.
Goldberg's twin interviews underscore
two facts. First, major-party candidates for
the U.S. presidency must still pay homage
to warm American ties to Israel, no matter
how, as in Obama's case, dramatically this
may contradict their previously-held views.
Second, whereas McCain is secure on the
topic, Obama worries about winning the
pro-Israel vote. ❑

Daniel Pipes (www.DanielPipes.org) is director of
the Middle East Forum. © 2008 by Daniel Pipes.
All rights reserved.

The Jewish Child's Birthright

New York

A

s Jews, we always have been
taught that a parent's greatest
responsibility is the education
of his or her child. The obligation is clearly
stated in the Torah and in a prayer that
we recite twice each day: "You shall teach
them unto your children." That our ances-
tors fulfilled that mitzvah diligently is, in
fact, greatly responsible for the continued
vibrancy of Judaism over thousands of
years.
In North American society, most Jewish
children who receive a religious education
do not receive it from their parents but
from a synagogue-based supplementary
school.
Although we have continually improved
the way we deliver Jewish education to our
children through the religious school, we
understand that we are not entirely effec-
tive. We accept that truth as a given — as
if it's a fact of life. But it is not immutable.
As we accept the fact that there is still
room for improving the quality of the
education that our children receive, we
must also accept our own responsibility

A32

June 19 • 2008

iN

for improving it.
of children's extracurricular activities; to
I want to suggest a four-step agenda
avoid the inconvenience of carpooling. We
that will help us assume that responsi-
must help parents choose that which is
bility. Synagogues and religious schools
counterintuitive in order to make certain
must transform parents into
that their children learn about
partners.
their heritage and how to live as
There are no guarantees
Jews. Their birthright really is
in Jewish life, but we owe it
their Jewish education. We have
to parents to make certain
to be honest with parents and
that they understand that
tell them the truth: We cannot
if they want their children
do more with less. We must find
(and future grandchildren)
ways to increase their children's
to be Jewishly committed,
engagement with Jewish learning.
they need to take a share of
We must reorient parents' think-
responsibility for their chil-
ing to understand that learning
Rabbi Jerome
dren's learning. Children do
opportunities begin in preschool,
Epstein
not learn to be Jewish through
with early childhood education,
Special
osmosis. We spend signifi-
and continue at least through
Commentary
cant energy and resources on
high school.
educating children. Unless
We must make certain that
and until we also educate (and convince)
Jewish education is a worthwhile and
parents to transmit the priority of Jewish
meaningful experience. It must be more
education for their children, we will not be than a preparatory course for bar or
maximally successful.
bat mitzvah. We cheat the student if the
It is intuitive for parents to avoid fight-
primary result of five years of religious
ing with their children, who may not
school is just the ability to lead Shabbat
want to attend religious school; to avoid
services and chant the haftorah. Our stu-
struggling with balancing the priorities
dents are entitled to gain knowledge that

will enable them to live their lives as com-
mitted Jews.
As important as the bar or bat mitzvah
ceremony is, we must understand it as just
one day, albeit a big one, in the life of a
young Jew. If we focus our education pri-
marily on preparing for that one day, we
shortchange the student. We must prepare
the student for living as a Jew. We need to
attract and retain the best educators, even
though that will require increased fund-
ing and support. Without great educators,
we are cheating our youth. We do not
tolerate mediocrity when it comes to our
children's secular education. Why should
we accept it in connection with their reli-
gious education? For us, the phrase "and
you shall teach them unto your children"
must be more than a goal or an ideal. It
must be the core value shared by parents
and synagogues as we commit ourselves
to strengthening Jewish life. ❑

Rabbi Jerome M. Epstein is executive vice
president of the United Synagogue of

Conservative Judaism. This commentary first
appeared in the spring issue of the magazine

CJ: Voices of Conservative/Masorti Judaism.