A Jewish President?

 The most recent op-ed written by Congregation Adas Emuno's president, Lance Strate, for the Jewish Standard, was published in their July 17th issue. And in conjunction with the Jewish Standard's new website, which now is in partnership with the Times of Israel, the op-ed was posted online on his new Times of Israel blog.

The title of the July 17th article is Lieberman's Revenge, and as the title of this post indicates, it's about the question of whether there could ever be a Jewish POTUS (that's not a Yiddish word, by the way, it's a fairly recent acronym, emerging via Twitter, that stands for President Of The United States). And in considering that question, the op-ed points to an unlikely and ironic connection between Joe Lieberman and Bernie Sanders. But of course, you can read it for yourself, on the Times of Israel/Jewish Standard blog by clicking on the title above, or just by continuing on below.

Could there ever be a Jewish president of the United States? That was a question that was raised repeatedly as I was growing up back in the sixties. On the one hand, we were told that here in the USA, anyone could grow up to be president. That idea was emblematic of the egalitarian foundation of American society, the basis of our democratic system of government. On the other hand, there was the practical reality that everyone who had been president came from a very limited demographic, all of them men, all of them white, most of them Anglo-Saxon with the occasional Dutch or German representative (e.g., Martin Van Buren, Dwight Eisenhower), and all of them Protestant.

So when it came to the question of whether we would ever see a Jewish president, the conclusion we typically came to was that it was possible, but unlikely.

This is not to discount the significance of the 1960 election, when John F. Kennedy, a Roman Catholic of Irish ancestry, defeated Richard Nixon. No doubt, the advent of our first Catholic president made the idea of a Jewish president seem at least a little possible, and served as a spur to the discussions that took place within Jewish circles about whether it could happen, and if it did, whether it would be good for the Jews or bad for the Jews. In some ways, we were more comfortable with a figure like Henry Kissinger, who became the 56th U.S. secretary of state, or more recently Rahm Emanuel, who served as the 23rd White House chief of staff. That sort of advisory or ministerial role has a long precedent in our history, reaching all the way back to Mordecai in the Book of Esther, and Joseph in Genesis. By way of contrast, we have the 19th-century example of Benjamin Disraeli, who served as prime minister of the United Kingdom, but only after converting to the Anglican Church as a child.

Rahm Emanuel

And, as is well known, Kennedy tragically was assassinated before completing a full term in office, and while there have been several other Catholics who have seriously vied for the presidency, including his two brothers, the nine presidents who followed all have been affiliated with one or another Protestant sect. It is worth noting that the first Greek Orthodox presidential candidate was nominated by the Democratic Party in 1988, and had former Massachusetts governor Mike Dukakis defeated George H. W. Bush, his wife, Kitty Dukakis, would have become the first Jewish first lady of the United States. Here, too, we could find a precedent in the biblical personage of Esther.

Then came the year 2000, when Al Gore chose the U.S. senator from Connecticut, Joe Lieberman, to be his running mate on the Democratic party ticket. And while Lieberman was the first Jewish vice presidential candidate to win the popular vote (albeit riding Gore’s coattails), the conservative-dominated United States Supreme Court decided the election in favor of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. Gore and others harbored a degree of resentment towards Lieberman for not going all in, and running simultaneously for re-election as senator, a race he won. But in truth, with the economy still going strong under the Clinton-Gore administration, the election was Gore’s to lose. And he did.

Joe Lieberman

Lieberman became a presidential candidate in his own right in 2004, and for a brief moment we came closer to the possibility of a Jewish president than ever before. But he was identified as a centrist at a time when the Democratic party was moving to the left, as the shock of 9/11 began to recede and the reality of Bush’s occupation of Iraq began to take hold. Consequently, Lieberman’s candidacy was not very successful, and the United States senator from Massachusetts, John F. Kerry, a Roman Catholic just like the other JFK, gained the Democratic nomination, only to go down in defeat against Bush’s re-election bid. Whether Lieberman would have done any better or any worse than Kerry is hard to say.

Kerry’s defeat did not slow his party’s leftward tilt, which posed serious problems for Lieberman, especially given his somewhat hawkish stance on foreign policy issues. This came to a head in 2006, when he lost the Democratic primary in Connecticut, and decided to run for re-election to the Senate as an independent. While he won the election, he lost the support of many former colleagues in the Democratic party, including Gore and Hillary Clinton, who abandoned Lieberman and endorsed his rival. And while he remained more or less affiliated with the Democrats during his final term as senator, which ended in 2013, Lieberman in turn endorsed Republican John McCain in the 2008 presidential election, and spoke at the Republican National Convention that year. Rumor had it that he had been considered a potential running mate for McCain as well, and perhaps might have served McCain better than former Alaska governor Sarah Palin.

Of course, the 2008 election was extraordinary, in that we elected the first African American president. And back in the sixties, conversation about whether there would ever be a Jewish president would sometimes also turn to the question of what would be more likely, that there would be a Jewish president or an African American president? The answer was far from clear, as both possibilities seemed altogether improbable. The fact that Barack Obama was elected and then re-elected is a great testament to the progress we have made as a society, and also a reflection of significant demographic changes within the population of the United States.

The 2008 primaries were also significant in regard to some of the other primary candidates. For example, for the Republican party, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani had been a contender, and could have been the first Italian-American elected to the White House (many urged Democratic New York State Governor Mario Cuomo to run back in the 80s, but to no avail). Mitt Romney came close to taking the nomination away from McCain, and then became the Republican candidate in 2012, making him the first Mormon to come close to winning the presidency (whether Mormons are considered Protestants, or even Christians, is open to debate). Back in 2008, former United States senator from New York Hillary Clinton was considered the front-runner for the Democratic nomination, and had Obama not overtaken her in the primaries, she might have been the first woman to serve as president.

And so we come to the present moment, and the impressively diverse set of major party candidates set to run in the 2016 primaries. On the Republican side, this includes New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a Roman Catholic; former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, a Roman Catholic convert; United States senator from Florida Marco Rubio, a Roman Catholic of Cuban descent; United States senator from Texas Ted Cruz, whose father also was Cuban; retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, an African American; and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, whose parents immigrated to the U.S. from India.

On the Democratic side, we have former first lady, senator, and secretary of state Hillary Clinton once again running as the heir apparent; former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley, a Roman Catholic; and the United States senator from Vermont, Bernie Sanders, born and raised, and bar mitzvahed, in Brooklyn, New York.

Although their politics are quite distinct, in tossing his hat into the ring to compete in the Democratic primaries, Sanders is following in Lieberman’s footsteps as a Jewish candidate for president. And the amazing thing is that Sanders is suddenly mounting a credible challenge to Hillary Clinton. I find this somehow ironic, given that Clinton and others turned their backs on Lieberman when he was down on his luck, because Lieberman was seen as too conservative. Now, along comes Sanders, who like Lieberman has independent party affiliations while remaining associated with the Democrats, but whose politics is significantly to the left of Clinton, to the extent that he identifies himself as a democratic socialist. So now it is Clinton who is losing ground among the party faithful because she is seen as too conservative.

Bernie Sanders

I imagine that the success Sanders is achieving in the polls and in the all-important activity of fundraising is starting to give Clinton some cause for concern, maybe even an upset stomach? That’s why I would call what’s happening right now, with apologies to Montezuma, Lieberman’s revenge.

Could Sanders win the Democratic nomination next year? And if he did, could he beat whomever the Republicans pick out of their extremely crowded field, thereby becoming the first Jewish president of the United States of America?

It’s possible, but unlikely. But the really nice thing about all this is, it’s unlikely because of his politics, and not because he’s Jewish.

The Rabbi’s Top 10 Zionists

On May 8th, following the celebration of Yom HaAtzma'ut, Israel's Independence Day on May 6th, Rabbi Schwartz devoted his  online column for the Times of Israel to the ten most important individuals in the history of Zionism.  Here now is The Rabbi’s Top 10 Zionists:

Having just celebrated Israel’s 66th birthday this week, here is my list of the greatest Zionists. among so many deserving:

  1. Theodore Herzl—Visionary and a genius for political advocacy and organizing.

  2. Eliezer Ben Yehudah—Reviver of Hebrew as a spoken language.

  3. Chaim Weitzmann—Finest Zionist diplomat and first president of Israel.

  4. David Ben Gurion—The Israeli George Washington.

  5. Yigael Yadin—Soldier, scholar, archeologist: Masada, Dead Sea Scrolls.

  6. Golda Meir—Prodigious fundraiser and diplomat before Prime Minister.

  7. Moshe Dayan—Swashbuckling general and epitome of the new Israeli.

  8. Menachem Begin—Right-wing Prime Minster who made peace with Egypt.

  9. Abba Eban—Urbane diplomat and voice of Israel to the world.

10. Yitzhak Rabin—Soldier-turned-Prime Minster who shook Arafat’s hand.

Previous posts in this series include:
  
The Rabbi’s Top Ten: The Best of Everything Jewish

The Rabbi’s Top 10 Jewish Foods

The Rabbi’s Top 10 Jewish Modern Events 

The Rabbi's Top Ten Israeli History Events 

The Rabbi’s Top 10 Jewish Modern Events

This past Monday, April 28th, was Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, this coming Monday, May 5th, tomorrow that is, will be Yom HaZikaron, Israel's Memorial Day, and the day after that, Tuesday, May 6th, will be Yom HaAtzma'ut, Israel's Independence Day.

In honor of this sequence of highly significant commemorations, we are pleased to repost here on our blog Rabbi Schwartz's list of the ten most important modern Jewish events, which originally was published on April 24th in his online column for the Times of Israel, under the heading of The Rabbi’s Top 10 Jewish Modern Events:

As we approach Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, I offer a history list – my compilation of the most consequential events of modern Jewish history. As always, I welcome your comments.

1. Spinoza’s Excommunication—Launched thinker’s epic contribution to “modernity” and the notion of the secular Jew.

2. Mendelssohn’s “Jerusalem”—First modern attempt to reconcile faith and reason.

3. Rise of Hasidism—Kabbalistic spirit becomes energizing movement.

4. Parisian Sanhedrin—Challenges of citizenship become evident.

5. Frankfort Rabbinical Conference—Reform of Judaism finds its place even as a backlash ensues that helps create Conservative and Modern Orthodox denominations.

6. Emigration to America—Demographic shift begins to the new world.

7. Dreyfuss Trial—Persistence of anti-Semitism shook Herzl and Europe.

8. First Zionist Congress—Herzl’s reply and the first achievement of modern Zionism.

9. Holocaust—Tragedy on an unimaginable scale.

10. Birth of Modern Israel—Triumph on an unimaginable scale.

Previous posts in this series include The Rabbi’s Top Ten: The Best of Everything Jewish, and The Rabbi’s Top 10 Jewish Foods. 

The Rabbi’s Top 10 Jewish Foods

As we mentioned in a previous post, The Rabbi’s Top Ten: The Best of Everything Jewish, Rabbi Schwartz has been recruited to write a weekly online column (aka blog) for the Times of Israel. Here now is his first top ten list, The Rabbi’s Top 10 Jewish Foods, originally published on their website on April 17th. You can click on the title to read it over there, or continue on to read it here:

Since food is especially on our minds during this week of Pesach, and matzah ranks #2 on my list, I thought this would be a good (and tasty) way to kick off my weekly list.

1. Challah—Synonymous with the Jewish Sabbath, and round ones with raisins for the New Year are extra-special.

2. Matzah—Eating this rather than regular bread dramatizes the Exodus experience.

3. Bagel—Now one of our culinary gifts to America and the world.

4. Latka—The true miracle of Hanukah when made well.

5. Humentashen—As much a part of Purim as the megillah.

6. Felafel—Israel’s culinary gift to the world.

7. Chicken Soup—Jewish home remedy and all-purpose starter.

8. Kugel—Durability and varieties make it an enduring staple.

9. Knish—Even sold in some stadiums, evokes Old Country legacy.

10. Gefilta fish—Nobody’s favorite, but remarkable generational staying power.

Feel free to leave a comment if you disagree, or agree, with this list, or if you otherwise have anything you would want to add, or subtract, from it, or would change the order in any way.

The Rabbi’s Top Ten: The Best of Everything Jewish

Did you know that our own Rabbi Schwartz is now writing an online column, in other words a blog, for the Times of Israel? His first entry, dated April 13, is entitled The Rabbi’s Top Ten: The Best of Everything Jewish.  You can see it over on their site by clicking on the title, or read it here:

With apologies to (the retiring) David Letterman, I love top ten lists. 

Maybe it’s genetic….  I’ve been making lists all my life. So does my mother. I’m one of those people who have a daily to-do list. I write out a fresh one every day. I have short range lists and medium range lists and long range lists. I have lists of books to read and books I have already read. Sometimes I even make a list of my lists.

Maybe it’s religious…. I am a rabbi and have been for a long time. As a rabbi I deal with lists of people and lists of prayers and lists of Torah portions. I read the Bible quite a bit and there sure are lots of lists in Scripture. Take the Ten Commandments for example. Now that may be the ultimate Top Ten!

Maybe it’s because I’m a teacher….  I like to use lists in the classroom. They are a practical and useful way to organize and prioritize information. Lists, for example, naturally lend themselves to ranking. My wife says that I am obsessed with rankings; both useful and not-so-useful… like the greatest tennis players of all time, the greatest basketball players of all time, the greatest movies of all time, the greatest television shows of all time, the greatest presidents of all time…you get the point.

So this new blog (my first) is a labor of love. It’s just plain fun. At the same time it’s harder than you think, because being a perfectionist and a list maker can be a dangerous combination. I had to justify all my lists and rankings to myself. Only you will judge if I got it right. This collection is entirely personal and subjective. Now l invite you to lend a hand in making them better. I’m happy to hear your comments. Believe it or not I already have 52 top ten lists covering units like: books, movers and shakers, thinkers and dreamers, the arts, history, geography, celebration, vocabulary… even a whole section called Jewish macho that deals with soldiers, spies, rebels, criminals and athletes. So, yes, if all goes well, I plan to share one list a week… for a year (starting next week). That is, unless you send me a suggestion for a new top ten list… that makes my top ten.