PODCAST: Yes, Anthony Lake is Jewish (Now)
By Ben Harris on Jan 31, 2008 in Podcast, Presidential Race |
Obama’s foreign policy adviser, Tony Lake, was at NYU today, talking to students at the Bronfman Center about why he thinks the Democratic presidential hopeful is so great. But before he got into details, Lake, who served as national security adviser in the Clinton administration, described his own history of first being mistaken for, and then actually becoming, a Jew.
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Most amusing and clever! Lake has quite a sense of humor.
Hermeine Shapiro | Feb 1, 2008 | Reply
Lake fails to mention that one of the reasons that he converted to Judaism was his marriage to Julie Katzman.
Larry Kletter | Feb 7, 2008 | Reply
So what? Conversion for the sake of convenience? The more important point is that someone who was such a Clinton loyalist and with so much influence over a president’s course of action, has deserted his former proteges. It begs questions about the Clintons, to be sure, but begs more probing questions over the character and integrity of Anthony Lake.
Lowell Blackman | Feb 7, 2008 | Reply
We are eager to welcome bright, sensible, and assertive men like Lake into the Jewish people. He identifies with our way of arguing and joking and eating. He is happy to be a Hanuka observer and a Jewish leader. He likes his rabbi. His choice of Judaism and a Jewish wife make a positive contribution to the self-image of American Jews. Hurrah for Tony Lake!
Jerrold Goldstein | Feb 7, 2008 | Reply
Blackman is right to question Lake’s integrity of course, if one is clannish.
But on another, deeper level, it shows the artificiality of both the Gentile template and the Jewish template. Of course there is no such thing as a Gentile, that being not a measure of any valid real quality, but simply a term devised by Jews to make clear that they wish to not be a part of the general humanity.
But it is not a true test of goodness to distinguish by tribe, religion, or football team, but the degree of adherence of the humanity within us and the honesty and integrity we carry toward others and within ourselves is the evidence upon that point.
Rex | Feb 7, 2008 | Reply
Its amazing how people some can look into another’s heart and tell “why” they would convert! As Jew we’re not supposed to question a converts reasoning or sincerity…a Jew is a Jew, born a Jew or properly converted.
Steven Yisrael | Feb 7, 2008 | Reply
Steven,
If you believe that non questioning idea, then I have a bridge to sell you.
Besides the idea that “a Jew is a Jew” is not rational. How can a Jew who is an atheist but born into a ‘Jewish’ family, and a so called ‘Gentile’ who converts to being a Jew(?) be the same thing? They have absolutely nothing in common. (Unless it would be some political program. That is how Goldstein above makes it sound with the good publicity talk.)
Is the convert more kosher than the born Jew?
There is a vast difference between the convert to Christianity and to Judaism. The Christian’s source of validity comes entirely from an outside spiritual power, that of Jesus, and so there is no need to worry about whether he is a real Christian or not; that is solely between him and Jesus, regardless of any man’s opinion.
The conversion to Judaism however, is not from God, but solely from man, (try calling oneself a Jew when one is neither born a Jew nor having gone through some approval process by an official Jewish authority stamping a man made kosher label on you and see how far you get) for it is only a ‘we are a People’ standpoint that being a Jew has any real meaning, since there is absolutely no other real commonality amongst Jews other than the political possibility I already mentioned.
This is proven by the vast effort made in the past and constantly bewailed in the present to keep people straying from the fold; almost as if Jews were really likely just to be regular human beings if their own folks didn’t keep up the effort to keep them a separate ‘People’.
Rex | Feb 7, 2008 | Reply
rex, you have it all wrong. The word ‘gentile’ is from Latin & is therefore gentile. It is almostalways used as a positive by gentiles as in the derived words ‘gentle’ and ‘gentleman.’ ‘Gentile’ also is often used in the mis -translation of the Hebrew word ‘goy,’ a word which would better be translated as ‘nation.’ It is unfortunate that you had poor and anti-Jewish education, otherwise you might not have become a bigot.
Stuart Goldbarg, PPS, St Paul, MN | Feb 12, 2008 | Reply
Converting from what to what? To achieve what?
If am a Catholic and I convert to being a Moslem, what would I be prove? That the Almighty God of the Moslems has better ears than that of the Catholics? Or that Allah is more merciful.
A grown up person converting from one religion to another is simply doing it to facilitate his journey here on Earth. It has nothing to do with his/her spiritual connection. Why? Because he/she has got none of it.
Mariam | Mar 2, 2008 | Reply
With regards to Mariam’s comment, and with respect, I find that a really quite rude and specious argument.
It’s strange point of view to consider conversion as means to “achieving” something and a as a signifier in adults of not “having” a “spiritual connection.”
Firstly, conversion is a very spiritual, communal, and personal matter, not really appropriately held up for judgment by outsiders. Secondly, most people consider conversion a more-or-less adult choice, one that should typically be held off until maturity. Finally, to proclaim that one can “have” no “spiritual connection” is to maintain that “spiritual connections” are to had and are not a reality for all already.
Besides, of course, not all converts are converting from another religion–many have been areligious.
T.L. | Mar 14, 2008 | Reply