W.J. & Lillian Kemler 3K/5K Community Walk It's Ryan For VP step out and support our Older Adults RAIN or SHINE located on the Eugene & Marcia Applebaum Jewish Community Campus A friend of Israel, but will Jewish voters support his economic views? Hilary Leila Krieger and Gil Hoffman Jerusalem Post G OP presidential candidate Mitt Romney chose Rep. Paul Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican who shot to national prominence with a plan to sharply reduce government spending, as his running mate on Saturday. "With energy and vision, Paul Ryan has become an intellectual leader of the Republican Party:' Romney said in announcing his choice at a Virginian campaign stop held at the battleship USS Wisconsin. In 2005, Ryan came to Israel as part of a large Republican Congressional delegation hosted by the American Israel Education Foundation, a chari- table organization affiliated with AIPAC. Rep. Paul He met with a wide Ryan array of Israeli politi- cal leaders, including then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, and visited strategic sites in Jerusalem and on the borders with Syria and Lebanon. An official who took part in the visit said Ryan gave the impression that he is a good friend of Israel. Republicans Abroad in Israel co- chairman Kory Bardash, who had breakfast with Ryan at a Republican summit in Park City, Utah, in June, called him "very enthusiastically pro- Israel and a political `superstar:" Bardash added, "He has co-sponsored pro-Israel legislation, he is very strong against pressuring Israel to make conces- sions to the Palestinians and he is very critical of Hamas, which he called can Islamic terrorist organization7 On his website, Ryan wrote, "Reasonable people — including those who live in the Middle East — differ about how the conflict between Israel and Palestine can be resolved. However, I believe at least one thing is clear: We cannot advocate for a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that jeopar- dizes Israel's safety or legitimizes ter- rorism. Hamas, which is one of the two major Palestinian political factions, is an Islamist terrorist group whose char- ter calls for Israel's destruction, refuses to recognize Israel's existence, and calls Osama Bin Laden a `martyr.' "While I do not have a role in the diplomatic discussions over the resolu- tion of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, America should not pressure Israel to agree to a peace deal that is unlikely to result in peace and security. Real peace will require Palestinians to recognize that Israel has a right to exist, even as it will require two states for the two peoples." Registration Warm-up & Program 3K/5K Walk Concerns Over Medicare Ryan, who chairs the U.S. House Budget Committee, is seen as potentially vul- nerable on the issue of entitlement spending, particularly Medicare. His plan calls for broad reform on the popular program that subsidizes the healthcare of senior citizens — a key voting bloc. Republicans have sought to present his plan as an act of political courage. But it was an issue that Democrats immediately jumped on to criticize the choice. "His very vocal, very well-defined record on healthcare and particularly as relates to seniors and to women is antithetical to almost what the entire Jewish community thinks, and this gets America nowhere with Jews," said Democratic media strategist Steve Rabinowitz. He particularly pointed to the elderly Jewish population in Florida and parts of Ohio and Pennsylvania, all crucial swing states. "This is not a game-changing choice he said. But Jeff Berkowitz, a Republican strategist and White House Jewish liai- son under George W. Bush, argued that Ryan's fiscal policies won't be a handi- cap. Instead, he said, Jewish voters are concerned that "you spend within your means, and Paul Ryan understands how to balance the budget without impacting programs that government provides for those who need a safety nee' According to Berkowitz, Ryan's inter- est in reining in spending doesn't mean he wants to cut aid to Israel. "He would never let that impact the support we give our friend and ally Israel:' Politico website reports that Dan Senor, a Romney campaign foreign policy adviser and co-author of the book Startup Nation about Israeli techno- logical innovation, will serve as Ryan's senior adviser, helping with his conven- tion speech and debate prep, among other things. ❑ JTA contributed to this report. SUNDAY, AUGUST 26, 2012 JN 9:00 AM 9:30 AM 10:00 AM Train Rides, Carnival, Games, Face Painting Petting Zoo, Prizes & more... 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