<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<rss version="2.0"
    xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
    xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
    xmlns:admin="http://webns.net/mvcb/"
    xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#"
    xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"> 
    
<channel>
    

    <title>Rosen feels Obama in his kishkes, Foxman says he&#8217;s hearing good things from Israelis</title>
    <link>http://blogs.jta.org/ENTRY_PERMALINK_HERE/rosen-feels-obama-in-his-kishkes-foxman-says-hes-hearing-good-things-from-israelis/</link>
    <description>Before becoming the Orthodox Union&#8217;s man in D.C., Nathan Diament went to Harvard Law School with Barack Obama and used to shoot hoops with the future presidential candidate. But however well Diament knows Obama, he really knows Jews, especially the ones who are likely to have concerns about him. Diament addressed the issue in an article for Real Clear Politics on the day that Obama arrived in Israel:

Recent polling indicates that Barack Obama has less support among American Jews than previous Democratic presidential nominees. This is not merely because an unprecedented campaign has been waged by viral emails and incendiary articles falsely portraying Obama as harboring secret biases for the Palestinian cause and taking advice from persons openly hostile to Israel&#8217;s interests. It is because Obama is seeking to succeed a pair of American presidents who each remain extremely popular in Israel and among her supporters for one basic reason &#45; Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, each in their own way, conveyed a gut level kinship with the Jewish state. Obama has yet to convey convincingly that he is similarly committed to Israel in his kishkes. 

Well at least one high&#45;profile Jewish communal leader who supported both Clinton and Bush is convinced. A day after Diament&#8217;s piece appeared, Jack Rosen &#8211; the chairman of the American Jewish Congress &#8211; announced in a Jerusalem Post opinion piece that he&#8217;s supporting Obama (it&#8217;s a personal endorsement &#8211; the AJCongress itself is non&#45;partisan):

I supported George Bush in 2004 because of his support for Israel, and I support Barack Obama in 2008 because of his. 

As Ben Smith of Politico pointed out, Rosen does not explain why he favors Obama over McCain (doesn&#8217;t even mention the GOP senator&#8217;s name), opting instead to focus his comments on rebutting questions about the Democratic candidate&#8217;s record and experience on Israel:

Unlike Reagan, Clinton, and Bush, Obama can point to many concrete votes on legislation important to Israel. He has gone as far as any candidate in history in innumerable speeches and statements highlighting his commitment to the US&#45;Israel partnership and the security of the Jewish state. Obama&#8217;s strong words of support for Israel, especially in his AIPAC speech, were greeted with a harsh response in the Arab world. The New Republic said, &#8220;Think the whole world loves Barack? Arab opinion&#45;makers don&#8217;t.&#8221;

On Iran, Obama&#8217;s position is firm. He said to AIPAC that &#8220;there is no greater threat to Israel &#45; or to the peace and stability of the region &#45; than Iran&#8230; The danger from Iran is grave, it is real and my goal will be to eliminate this threat&#8230; We will also use all elements of American power to pressure Iran. I will do everything in my power to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.&#8221; He added for emphasis, &#8220;Everything in my power. Everything.&#8221; ...

In sum, we have much more reason to have confidence in Obama than we had at a similar stage in the candidacies of the predecessors who made the greatest contributions to the US&#45;Israel relationship.

Another prominent Jewish leader, maybe the most prominent, tells JTA that Obama&#8217;s trip to Israel seems to be going well:

Obama also held a brief meeting at the King David Hotel with Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti&#45;Defamation League, who also happened to be in Israel. His organization released a report Wednesday on editorial cartoonists in the Arab world using anti&#45;Semitic imagery to portray the presumptive U.S. presidential candidates as pawns of the Jews.

&#8220;In terms of what I&#8217;ve heard from Israelis I&#8217;ve met, they are impressed by the depth of his knowledge and understanding,&#8221; Foxman said of Obama. &#8220;I walk away feeling more comfortable with the words that I hear, that there is a deep understanding and sensitivity to the issues here.&#8221;</description>
    <dc:language>en-us</dc:language>
    <dc:creator>aeden@jta.org</dc:creator>
    <dc:rights>Copyright 2008</dc:rights>
    <dc:date>2008-07-24T;02:32:20-05:00</dc:date>
    <admin:generatorAgent rdf:resource="http://www.pmachine.com/" />
 


    <item>
      <title>Comment by</title>
      <link>cb@hotmail.com</link>
      <description>&#8220;Obama left his hotel this morning, traveling in a bullet&#45;proof limousine that was part of a nine&#45;car motorcade. Upon arrival at Yad Vashem, Obama was greeted by Avner Shalev, chairman of Yad Vashem.

An Israeli journalist called out to Obama: “Can you ensure that there will be no second Holocaust?”

Obama walked into the museum’s main building without responding. At some point during his tour, away from the media’s fixed gaze, Obama met with the Israeli border police officer who Tuesday shot and killed the Palestinian wreaking havoc and injuring Israelis with a bulldozer outside the King David Hotel. 

&#123;snip&#125;

Once again an Israeli journalist asked the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee how he’d help prevent a second Holocaust. “Senator can you assure Israel that there will be no second Holocaust despite Iran’s threat to wipe us off the map?” he asked.

Obama demurred, saying that it wasn’t appropriate to answer the question there.

“This is Yad Vashem!” the journalist responded.

Obama said he would answer the question at a later press availability.&#8221;


http://jewagainstobama.wordpress.com/</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>&#8220;Obama left his hotel this morning, traveling in a bullet-proof limousine that was part of a nine-car motorcade. Upon arrival at Yad Vashem, Obama was greeted by Avner Shalev, chairman of Yad Vashem.
<br />
An Israeli journalist called out to Obama: “Can you ensure that there will be no second Holocaust?”
<br />
Obama walked into the museum’s main building without responding. At some point during his tour, away from the media’s fixed gaze, Obama met with the Israeli border police officer who Tuesday shot and killed the Palestinian wreaking havoc and injuring Israelis with a bulldozer outside the King David Hotel. 
<br />
&#123;snip&#125;
<br />
Once again an Israeli journalist asked the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee how he’d help prevent a second Holocaust. “Senator can you assure Israel that there will be no second Holocaust despite Iran’s threat to wipe us off the map?” he asked.
<br />
Obama demurred, saying that it wasn’t appropriate to answer the question there.
<br />
“This is Yad Vashem!” the journalist responded.
<br />
Obama said he would answer the question at a later press availability.&#8221;
</p>
<p>
<a href="http://jewagainstobama.wordpress.com/">http://jewagainstobama.wordpress.com/</a>
</p>]]></content:encoded>
    <dc:date>2009-11-20T;15:25:00-05:00</dc:date>
    </item>

    <item>
      <title>Comment by</title>
      <link>cb@hotmail.com</link>
      <description>So Donna you align yourself with friends that have bombed city and federal cities in order to kill people, and you would still call them friends?


Well, I am glad you pointed that out. You just described the type of people that will vote for OB &#45; a bunch of uneducated kooks &#45; I am sure you are a charter member.</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>So Donna you align yourself with friends that have bombed city and federal cities in order to kill people, and you would still call them friends?
</p>
<p>
Well, I am glad you pointed that out. You just described the type of people that will vote for OB - a bunch of uneducated kooks - I am sure you are a charter member.
</p>]]></content:encoded>
    <dc:date>2009-11-20T;15:25:00-05:00</dc:date>
    </item>

    <item>
      <title>Comment by</title>
      <link>cb@hotmail.com</link>
      <description>I being a Jew cannot even fathom for once second why ANY Jewish person would vote for Obama. He is everything about the oppression that as Jews has fought against. Why should we vote for him? Because he&#8217;s black, and as a black man he would be more understanding as to the diversity of people such as Jewish people? Get real &#45; this character is an arrogant SOB elitist bourn from the most corrupt politico system in the country. I myself fought for the US as a member in the USAF for 18 years &#45; am also a law enforcement supporter, having recently retired from the NYPD &#45; which gave me the chance first had to see what these animals did to us on 9/11. Such animals that Hussein here thinks we can build a dialogue. For what, the only dialogue these animals understand is murder. OB has no experience, he is a pompous ass, and his wife comes off as a militant woman who would love a chance to put whitey in his place. If you people can&#8217;t see through all this, you&#8217;re blind and you deserve this cretin to lead you. Especially when he raises your taxes another 15% to support Social programs in the lower income areas. You know the leeches that have be living off a socialist system in order not to work. I could go on and on &#45; this is pitiful.

This guy speaks of change – change in what time frame? It took him 20 years to change from a racist pastor – God knows how long it will for him to implement a national security plan. And how come OB always needs to read from a script – doesn’t want town hall meetings because he wouldn’t know what to say. This KID is a puppy being led on a leash with multi&#45;handlers.

Donna, it’s not HOW many times someone goes to church, it’s the context of the church they go to.


Where has Obama voted in favor (I suspect you’re English since we do not use a “u” in favor) for the Jews? He carries himself along a pastor who praised Louis Farrakhan – and then associates himself with a terrorist who bombed Police Headquarters. Get your facts – trust me more of this cretin will be exposed in around a month.

Stay tuned!


VOTE McCAIN and get experience, as well as someone who knows how to work other sides of the aisle, and actually knows that we have 50 states.</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I being a Jew cannot even fathom for once second why ANY Jewish person would vote for Obama. He is everything about the oppression that as Jews has fought against. Why should we vote for him? Because he&#8217;s black, and as a black man he would be more understanding as to the diversity of people such as Jewish people? Get real - this character is an arrogant SOB elitist bourn from the most corrupt politico system in the country. I myself fought for the US as a member in the USAF for 18 years - am also a law enforcement supporter, having recently retired from the NYPD - which gave me the chance first had to see what these animals did to us on 9/11. Such animals that Hussein here thinks we can build a dialogue. For what, the only dialogue these animals understand is murder. OB has no experience, he is a pompous ass, and his wife comes off as a militant woman who would love a chance to put whitey in his place. If you people can&#8217;t see through all this, you&#8217;re blind and you deserve this cretin to lead you. Especially when he raises your taxes another 15% to support Social programs in the lower income areas. You know the leeches that have be living off a socialist system in order not to work. I could go on and on - this is pitiful.
<br />
This guy speaks of change – change in what time frame? It took him 20 years to change from a racist pastor – God knows how long it will for him to implement a national security plan. And how come OB always needs to read from a script – doesn’t want town hall meetings because he wouldn’t know what to say. This KID is a puppy being led on a leash with multi-handlers.
<br />
Donna, it’s not HOW many times someone goes to church, it’s the context of the church they go to.
</p>
<p>
Where has Obama voted in favor (I suspect you’re English since we do not use a “u” in favor) for the Jews? He carries himself along a pastor who praised Louis Farrakhan – and then associates himself with a terrorist who bombed Police Headquarters. Get your facts – trust me more of this cretin will be exposed in around a month.
<br />
Stay tuned!
</p>
<p>
VOTE McCAIN and get experience, as well as someone who knows how to work other sides of the aisle, and actually knows that we have 50 states.
</p>]]></content:encoded>
    <dc:date>2009-11-20T;15:25:00-05:00</dc:date>
    </item>

    <item>
      <title>Comment by</title>
      <link>dlh@donnahalper.com</link>
      <description>More right wing talking points.&amp;nbsp; Obama sits on a board with Bill Ayers but they are not exactly close pals.&amp;nbsp; And again, what if they were? I have friends I don&#8217;t entirely agree with.&amp;nbsp; Obama was not a friend of Ayers way back when the guy was breaknig the law; and I for one am tired of hearing that same tired accusation that Obama has friends who are radicals.&amp;nbsp; Shall we analyse some of McCain&#8217;s friends an supporters? Some of them have not got the best of reputations either&#8230; but again, so what?&amp;nbsp; It&#8217;s not about who they know. It&#8217;s about how they act and how they vote. 


As for Rev, Wright, Obama himself admits he does not go to church all the time, and it&#8217;s very possible he didn&#8217;t hear Wright at his worst.&amp;nbsp; Shall we ask Mr McCain how often HE goes to church and what HIS pastor says?&amp;nbsp; Seriously, don&#8217;t you guys have anything else to offer other than guilt by association?&amp;nbsp; Obama has a long history of voting in favour of Jewish causes.&amp;nbsp; You can look it up.</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>More right wing talking points.&nbsp; Obama sits on a board with Bill Ayers but they are not exactly close pals.&nbsp; And again, what if they were? I have friends I don&#8217;t entirely agree with.&nbsp; Obama was not a friend of Ayers way back when the guy was breaknig the law; and I for one am tired of hearing that same tired accusation that Obama has friends who are radicals.&nbsp; Shall we analyse some of McCain&#8217;s friends an supporters? Some of them have not got the best of reputations either&#8230; but again, so what?&nbsp; It&#8217;s not about who they know. It&#8217;s about how they act and how they vote. 
</p>
<p>
As for Rev, Wright, Obama himself admits he does not go to church all the time, and it&#8217;s very possible he didn&#8217;t hear Wright at his worst.&nbsp; Shall we ask Mr McCain how often HE goes to church and what HIS pastor says?&nbsp; Seriously, don&#8217;t you guys have anything else to offer other than guilt by association?&nbsp; Obama has a long history of voting in favour of Jewish causes.&nbsp; You can look it up.
</p>]]></content:encoded>
    <dc:date>2009-11-20T;15:25:00-05:00</dc:date>
    </item>

    <item>
      <title>Comment by</title>
      <link>abe13@earthlink.net</link>
      <description>A candidate who had as his 20&#45;year &#8220;spiritual adviser&#8221; Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and as political mentors bomber Bill Ayers and anti&#45;Israel Rashid Khalidi, cannot get my vote.</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A candidate who had as his 20-year &#8220;spiritual adviser&#8221; Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and as political mentors bomber Bill Ayers and anti-Israel Rashid Khalidi, cannot get my vote.
</p>]]></content:encoded>
    <dc:date>2009-11-20T;15:25:00-05:00</dc:date>
    </item>

    <item>
      <title>Comment by</title>
      <link>dlh@donnahalper.com</link>
      <description>Umm, this guilt by association is nonsense.&amp;nbsp; McCain has hung out with pastors who want to convert the Jews.&amp;nbsp; Does that mean McCain wants to convert the Jews?&amp;nbsp; Obama has two high&#45;level advisors who are Jewish, has numerous friends in the Jewish community, and his voting record is pro&#45;Israel.&amp;nbsp; So he talked to Said&#45;&#45; so what?&amp;nbsp; Like him or not (and I didn&#8217;t like his attitude about Israel at all), Said was a respected professor whose book &#8220;Orientalism&#8221; made some important points about stereotypes of Arabs and Muslims.&amp;nbsp; I would hope that any candidate would want to engage people of ALL belief systems in dialogue; but just because you talk to somebody or are friends with somebody, that doesn&#8217;t mean you share their views.&amp;nbsp; My dearest friend was a nun, but I am Jewish and proud of it, and my friendship with a nun didn&#8217;t change my religious views one iota.&amp;nbsp; I strongly doubt that Obama, a man with a long history of being willing to support Jewish causes, and someone with friends of ALL religions, would suddenly change into (gasp) Jimmy Carter, no matter what my friends on the right insist.</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Umm, this guilt by association is nonsense.&nbsp; McCain has hung out with pastors who want to convert the Jews.&nbsp; Does that mean McCain wants to convert the Jews?&nbsp; Obama has two high-level advisors who are Jewish, has numerous friends in the Jewish community, and his voting record is pro-Israel.&nbsp; So he talked to Said-- so what?&nbsp; Like him or not (and I didn&#8217;t like his attitude about Israel at all), Said was a respected professor whose book &#8220;Orientalism&#8221; made some important points about stereotypes of Arabs and Muslims.&nbsp; I would hope that any candidate would want to engage people of ALL belief systems in dialogue; but just because you talk to somebody or are friends with somebody, that doesn&#8217;t mean you share their views.&nbsp; My dearest friend was a nun, but I am Jewish and proud of it, and my friendship with a nun didn&#8217;t change my religious views one iota.&nbsp; I strongly doubt that Obama, a man with a long history of being willing to support Jewish causes, and someone with friends of ALL religions, would suddenly change into (gasp) Jimmy Carter, no matter what my friends on the right insist.
</p>]]></content:encoded>
    <dc:date>2009-11-20T;15:25:00-05:00</dc:date>
    </item>

    <item>
      <title>Comment by</title>
      <link>wizenberg@gmail.com</link>
      <description>No one comments on Obama&#8217;s proven, (and photographed) associations and sympathies with the late Edward Said and other Palestinian enemies of Israel while he was an IL State Senator. There is no reason whatsoever to not think that Obama will do a &#8220;Jimmy Carter&#8221; to supporters of Israel.</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>No one comments on Obama&#8217;s proven, (and photographed) associations and sympathies with the late Edward Said and other Palestinian enemies of Israel while he was an IL State Senator. There is no reason whatsoever to not think that Obama will do a &#8220;Jimmy Carter&#8221; to supporters of Israel.
</p>]]></content:encoded>
    <dc:date>2009-11-20T;15:25:00-05:00</dc:date>
    </item>

 
</channel>
</rss>