New York, NY – Republican presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann may not be Jewish — despite a misperception among some political donors — but that didn’t stop her from making a campaign stop at a Broadway office building for a small, private sit-down with Orthodox Jewish leaders.
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Bachmann spent about an hour discussing issues ranging from same-sex marriage to security for the Jewish state. She reminded the group she worked on a kibbutz in Israel 40 years ago.
“She introduced herself,” said Rabbi David Zwiebel, executive vice president of the Orthodox Jewish organization Agudath Israel. “A similar group has gotten together with Governor Romney and will get together with other candidates as well.”
Bachmann, an evangelical Christian, offered brief opening remarks yesterday and then took questions. She portrayed herself as “a person of faith,” Zwiebel said, but he added that “cuts both ways” for Jewish voters because of his community’s strong belief in the need for religion and government to be separate.
The timing of yesterday’s session had nothing to do with Bachmann’s comments on the earthquake and hurricane that hit the East Coast in the last week, Zwiebel said.
During events in Florida, Bachmann suggested God was issuing a wakeup call for the federal government to curtail spending. Following some controversy, Bachmann’s campaign said the remarks were made in “jest.”
According to many experts, including myself, she has no chance of winning so why would Agudah sit down with a candidate that’s unellectable?
She did not work on a kibbutz 40 years ago; It was in the Summer of 1974, which was 37 years ago.
Agudah is squandering its little remaining political clout by meeting with such a clown who seeks to reshape America as a X’ristian nation patterned after her extreme evangelical views. They should have given her the telephone number of Rav Levin, who more closely conforms to here bizarre views of public policy.
# 2, don’t write-off bachmann so fast.If the republicans want a new face with
good social and fiscal ideas she is the one.I’m tired of same old romney although he just may get it because of $.She may land up as V.P. on the ticket ,in that case.
the main thing is to get the blood-sucking state spending democrats out !
#2 and #5 , what nonsense. She is a leading candidate of the Republican party and even though you or I may disagree with some of her positions, she is a much better friend of the Jews and Israel than Obama and his cohorts. The latest polls give her an excellent chance of being elected either President or VP and certainly a power figure in her party.
to #7 -Big Wheel- The reason that I pointed out the discrepancy, is because the news media constantly prints the wrong dates, and times of events (historical and otherwise), and also makes additional errors pertaining to geography. Hence, I felt that it was important to correct when Ms. Bachmann worked on a Kibbutz. Since she is 54 years old, she would have been 17 years old in 1974. However, I’ve found that you constantly look to pick apart various postings, at the drop of a hat.
can you read the face of the person in the back-round ? “what does she know”
The above comments that she has a right to work with the Agudh Israel is all good and fine. Perhaps they can help her in ways she can not help herself. But don’t delude yourself that her message is a True Orthodox message that our people should adopt.
The comment making that her message is not orthodox does not imply that is it an Orthodox Jewish message. There is an orthodoxy about this world that is not only reference to a jewish point of view. Orthodoxy means proper and I am saying that the Bachmann message is not orthodox at a grand scale of human activity and relationships. Get it?