World
Rabbis For Obama
Group of 400 Jewish clergy jump into the campaign.
Eric Fingerhut
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Washington
S
aying it is their duty to "fight
for the truth and against lashon
hara [evil gossip]," more than
400 rabbis have joined Barack Obama's
presidential bid in what is believed to be a
first-of-its-kind effort.
Rabbis for Obama, officially unveiled
last week, is a grass-roots organization
formed when two Chicago-area rabbis
came to the Democratic candidate's cam-
paign wanting to help counter the many
false rumors that have been spread about
him.
"What makes this unique is the lies
and smears" were "targeted to the Jewish
community" said Rabbi Sam Gordon of
Congregation Sukkat Shalom of Wilmette,
Ill., citing the e-mails that falsely claimed
Obama was a secret Muslim and educated
at a madrassa."Those of us who knew him
felt we had to respond!'
"These attacks that he's not supportive
of Israel are just not true said Rabbi
Steve Bob of Congregation Etz Chaim in
Lombard, Ill.
Jonathan Sarna, professor of American
Jewish history at Brandeis University,
believes Rabbis for Obama is a first in the
Jewish community.
"I certainly can remember many news-
paper ads that rabbis would sign" back-
ing a candidate, Sarna said, but "I can't
remember another organization with this
kind of title."
Given the increased mix of religion and
politics that the United States has seen
in the past 20 to 30 years, he added, it
is much more likely for such a group to
spring up now than it would have been
early in the 20th century.
Bob said that he and other members of
the organization are interested in publicly
speaking — under the Rabbis for Obama
banner — on behalf of the Democratic
candidate across the country and are cur-
rently discussing how to become more
involved in key swing states.
The letter the rabbis signed, available
on the Web site www.rabbisforobama.
corn, states that the group backs Obama
because "he will best support the issues
important to us in the Jewish community."
A52
September 25 • 2008m
In addition to writing that the
Democrat is "inspired by Jewish values
such as tikkun olam and the pursuit of
justice it states that Obama's "long-
standing, stalwart support for Israel is
a testament to his own principles" and
that "attempts by some to use Israel as a
wedge issue against him — unjustifiably
— is dangerous in that it politicizes the
pro-Israel position" and has "completely
distorted Senator Obama's record!'
"We are fully aware that a smear cam-
paign against Senator Obama has been
waged in the Jewish community, and we
feel it is our duty as Jewish leaders to fight
for the truth and against lashon hara,"
reads the missive.
"Senator Obama has been viciously
attacked using innu-
endoes, rumors, and
guilt by association,
and we urge our fel-
low American Jews to
judge Senator Obama
based on his own
record and the clear
statements he has made about his per-
sonal beliefs and principles!"
from the pulpit or writ-
ing about it in their
synagogue bulletins.
"We're not doing
this as rabbis of syna-
gogues," he said. "We're
doing this as private
citizens" who are rabbis.
Rabbi Gordon
"I would never pre-
sume to tell congregants
how to vote," Gordon said, adding that he
simply wants everyone to make their deci-
sions "based on fact, not on lies!'
Membership includes rabbis from every
denomination, although one indepen-
dent observer noticed only a couple of
Orthodox rabbis on the list.
Bob and Gordon happen to be old
friends from the
Reform movement's
rabbinical school, but
had approached the
campaign independently
with their idea and were
matched up. While the
campaign did provide
advice and pass along the names of inter-
ested rabbis, the rabbis said they did vir-
tually all of the work on their own.
More than 300 rabbis were part of the
group initially, and Bob said another 125
signed on since it became public last week
— including Michelle Obama's rabbi
cousin, Capers Funnye.
The Democratic Party and the Obama
campaign have made a special effort dur-
ing the campaign to reach out to faith
groups, but Jewish Democratic operative
Matt Dorf said the rabbis' organization
and its missive is better seen as part of
another strategy.
The Democratic goal is to reach per-
suadable Jewish voters through the
testimony of people in "positions of influ-
ence" in the Jewish community — rabbis,
Jewish members of Congress and other
well-known Jewish figures, such as former
New York Mayor Ed Koch.
Dan Shapiro, the Jewish outreach direc-
tor for the Obama campaign, said his
team is "delighted to have leaders with
credibility" in the Jewish community come
forward to "make a difference!'
One rabbi familiar with politics wel-
comed the rabbinical group. "I endorse
Rabbis for Obama and I endorse Rabbis
for McCain:' said Rabbi Steve Gutow, the
Rabbis for Obama
is a first in the
Jewish corn munity.
GOP Rebuttal
A Republican Jewish leader found that
passage of the letter particularly objec-
tionable. "It's irresponsible and unpro-
fessional as rabbis to give a hechsher in
accusing us of lashon hara," said Matt
Brooks, the executive director of the
Republican Jewish Coalition.
Brooks said the reference to "guilt by
association" seemed to be referring to
the RJC's criticism of Obama's links to
his longtime pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah
Wright, and some who have been listed as
the Democrat's foreign
policy advisers — two
topics that Brooks
believes are fair game in
the debate over Obama's
record.
Rabbis are listed by
their hometowns rather
Rabbi Bob
than their synagogue
affiliation because, Bob
said, the signatories
wanted to make it clear they were speak-
ing for themselves and not their institu-
tions. He said none of the rabbis had any
intention of discussing their endorsement
executive director of the Jewish Council
for Public Affairs. "I believe religious
people ought to be engaged in the public
world!'
Anti-Defamation League National
Director Abraham Foxman, who has been
critical of mixing religion and politics,
said he was OK with the group. Rabbis
don't have to give up their rights, he said.
As long as they're not endorsing can-
didates from the pulpit, Foxman said, "I
don't have a problem with it!'
Staying Private
Not all rabbis feel comfortable with pub-
licly endorsing a candidate. "I feel my
personal political views are personal:
said Rabbi Steve Wernick of Adath Israel
in Merion Station, Pa., a suburb of
Philadelphia.
Wernick said he is happy to discuss his
views with congregants privately because
he already has a relationship with them,
but he doesn't feel it necessary to broad-
cast his views to those who don't know
him. He stressed, though, that he has no
problem with colleagues who signed the
letter.
"It's the way our system is supposed to
work," he said.
One Republican was critical of the rab-
bis for what he believed was a blurring of
the church-state barrier.
"By linking their rabbinical position to
a political campaign, they risk the charge
of politicizing their positions and erasing
the boundaries between church and state,
which they typically seek to defend:' said
Noam Neusner, a communications con-
sultant who served as liaison to the Jewish
community during part of the Bush
administration. He is also a former Detroit
Jewish News reporter.
Neusner said the Bush campaign did
not encourage such a letter or organiza-
tion of rabbis "because of the sensitivity
of the church-state issue."
Rabbis for Obama may be the first but
not the last rabbinical effort backing a
presidential candidate this election cycle.
Fred Zeidman, co-chair of the
Republican Victory Jewish Coalition, said
he spoke to some rabbis earlier this month
— and a few days before the unveiling of
Rabbis for Obama — who were interested
in putting together a similar effort back-
ing GOP candidate Sen. John McCain. ❑