By Leyna Krow, Assistant Editor, JTNews
There is little doubt in Rahm Emanuel’s mind that presumptive Democratic candidate Barack Obama is ‘good for the Jews.’
“He’s someone who has it in his bones, a sense for Israel,” Emanuel (D–Ill.) told a group of about 100 local Jews who gathered at the Stroum Jewish Community Center on Mon., Aug. 4 to hear him speak.
But then, the Jewish congressman from Chicago’s North Side is the first to admit that he’s not exactly an unbiased source on the matter.
“He’s my senator, but he’s also a very dear friend of mine,” Emanuel said of Obama.
Emanuel took time away from a personal vacation to speak at the Stroum JCC event, which was hosted by the Jewish Community Leadership Committee, a newly formed organization aimed at garnering support for Obama in Jewish communities throughout the country as well as debunking myths about the candidate that have made him unpopular in some Jewish circles.
Karen Treiger, a founding member of the JCLC leadership team, kicked off the meeting by asking audience members to share some of the negative statements about Obama they had heard from their fellow Jews.
Participants recounted stories of friends who insisted that Obama was a Muslim, a fundamentalist Christian, and an enemy of Israel. One woman said she had been told that supporting Obama was tantamount to supporting terrorism.
The JCLC is a national effort on the part of the Obama campaign, with branches in Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Locally, this was the group’s first public event.
Cynthia Stroum, co-chair of the JCLC, emphasized that the goal of the organization is education.
“Our primary goal is really just to combat the smear campaigns against Obama,” Stroum said. “Our hope is that people will go back into their own communities with this information.”
During Monday’s event, Emanuel fielded question from audience members on a wide range of topics, including Obama’s voting record, what to say to friends who insist upon voting Republican (“get new friends,” the congressman quipped), and Obama’s stance on the separation of Church and State, as well as Emanuel’s own Jewish identity and personal background.
Although Emanuel did not provide specific information about Obama’s goals concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he did say that with Obama as president, the U.S. would take a more direct role in facilitating negotiations between Israel and its neighbors, a task that, for the last several years, has been relegated to third parties.
Emanuel also stressed that much of the United States’ ability to help Israel lies in the nation’s own strength and regard among other countries, something he feels was squandered during both Bush administrations but would return under Obama’s leadership.
He acknowledged that Republicans are often considered better friends of Israel than Democrats because of their support for Israel’s national security requirements and their minimal demands for concession in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. However, in Emanuel’s opinion, this in not necessarily the kind of friendship Israel needs.
“I say this as a strong supporter of Israel: There are things Israel needs to be challenged on,” he said. “Part of being a friend is being able to speak up.”
Emanuel challenged the audience to find three things McCain has done in support of Israel. Neither McCain’s campaign Web site nor the Republican Jewish Coalition’s Web site trumpet the Republican candidate’s proposed policies in relation to Israel — many Jews’ discomfort with Obama on Israel has been in relation to Iran’s nuclear program. McCain favors taking a more militant stance against the Islamic republic, though Obama’s recent speeches have taken a harder line.
The AIPAC pro-Israel lobbying organization has given both candidates 100 percent ratings based on their voting records.
Emanuel also noted that most Jews vote on more than just Israel policy: It was the work of Democratic presidents who laid the foundation for Jewish immigrants to America to succeed in their adopted country through strong educational opportunities and social services, he said.
“Which party has allowed our community to succeed on those values?” Emanuel asked. “We didn’t just do it because of something we brought from the old country.”
He also blasted the Republican Party’s track record in bringing minority groups into the fold.
“As a Jew, I will never be welcome in a party that has isolated blacks, gays and others,” he said. “We’re not a part of that, and we should know that.”
When asked about Obama’s position on the separation of church and state, Emanuel acknowledged that Obama has shown support for government funding for faith-based initiatives. It’s a stance that doesn’t always sit well with members of the Jewish community, given that the bulk of the funding goes to Christian agencies.
Ken Weinberg, CEO of Jewish Family Service, which receives federal funding for its refugee and resettlement programs that assist “not just Jews — refugees,” attended the event and said he was conflicted about Obama’s position on the issue.
“I am a very strong believer in the separation of church and state. When I hear folks talk about anything that feels like a compromise of that it makes me uncomfortable,” Weinberg said. “On the other hand…our community and other communities really do a good job in many things and the money we get to do that, it’s really money well spent.”