Chicago, IL – Ask about Barack Obama’s natural constituencies, and you might hear that he’s the first black with a viable shot at the White House; or about his Kenyan father and his childhood in Indonesia; or the youthfulness of his followers; or the millions of Oprah junkies swooning over his candidacy.
Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
What you might not hear is that the Illinois senator, who made history Thursday by winning the Democratic caucus in Iowa, has made Jewish leaders an early stop at every stage in his political career.
In his first run for the Illinois Senate in 1996, he sought the backing of Alan Solow, a top Chicago lawyer. Eight years later, running for the U.S. Senate — long before he became the shoo-in, when he was running in a Democratic field packed with a dozen candidates, including some Jews — one of his first meetings was with Robert Schrayer, a top Jewish philanthropist in Chicago.
When he launched his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in late 2006, he named as his fund-raising chief Alan Solomont, the Boston Jewish philanthropist who helped shepherd Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) to the Democratic candidacy in 2004.
And he chose a gathering of the pro-Israel lobby, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, last March to deliver his presidential candidacy’s first foreign policy speech.
“Some of my earliest and most ardent supporters came from the Jewish community in Chicago,” Obama told JTA in 2004, after his keynote speech galvanized the Democratic convention in Boston.
Three years later, addressing the National Jewish Democratic Council’s candidate’s forum, he made the same point when he was asked about his ties with Arab Americans and Muslim Americans in Chicago.
“My support within in the Jewish community has been much more significant than my support within the Muslim community,” Obama said at the April forum, adding: “I welcome and seek the support of the Muslim and Arab communities.”
His Jewish followers are fervent, distributing “Obama ’08” yarmulkes early in his campaign. [jta]
To 10:18 am. Bravo! Kudos to you for reminding people of this. The majority of America voted for Bush and his father and most of them knew of that disclosure.
To Anon 9:44: (1/7)
Are you being deliberately moronic?
OF COURSE Rudy was always kissing up to us when he was mayor and of course back then he was running for senate. He has a long history of making the jews in brooklyn feel important with photo-ops and pampering.
As for your other comments, you are just being ignorant and embarassing the rest of us. Do you even know his middkle name whicnh one it is? And even if it is SO WHAT? His father was from Kenya.
Would it surprise you to know that Gerge Herbert Walker
(the namesake of Both George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush) was one of the biggest american supporters of Hitler and nazi sympathizers?
So What, right?
anon 12:31 – you have bno idea of what you are talking about! ANd why would you elect obama – who has a middle name like hussein or mohammed
well sir, using your asinine lgic then we simply MUST infer by some of rudys friends and backers that he would be simply terrible on all fronts (and im not just talking about his support from mamzerim like pat ronertson and bernard kerik)
lets call a spade a spade – barack obama is a tam, simple person with nothing possible to have against him, especially since he is so busy proving himself all the time.
and to the bigot eho made the dinkins comment, thats just plain stupid. whats the same other than their skin tone?
To January 5, 9:30 pm. I think what you said is not a fair statement to make concerning Obama. Solomont can support anyone he wants to, that does NOT make that candidate anti-semitic or “bad” for the Jewish people. Racist and anti-semitic people can vote for whomever they please for whatever reason, it doesnt’ render that candidate analogous.
Dinkins all over again!
The Gemorah says if we dont know if a bird is Kosher or not we look at its friends. I live near Boston. Allen Solomont is a notorious Leftist who could care less about Jews and Israel. If he supports Obama, then Obama is NOT good for the Jews.
never gonhapen
You know, whatever the political motivation, I am still very grateful to Rudy for throwing out de bum–er, ARAFAt!!!! That said…HAVE A GUT SHABBOS!!!
OK then Obama is just starting to kiss up
he was kissing up to the jews of brooklyn. he spent years doing it. remember back then he was also running for senator.
(and has always had higher ambitions according to his own words)
When Rudy threw Arafat out , it was years ago and I don’t think he planned his presidency run then to start kissing up already then. This is far fetched.
I think that Obama will be good for America, the Jews and people of color. As I wrote in an earlier post concerning Obama, let’s elect people based on the content of their character and NOT the color of their skin. Gut Shabbos.
h please. if the UN were in wyoming and not in frum new york, you think rudy would have still done it?
please.
giuliani is the ultimate kiss up and brings it to a whole new level.
It’s fine that jews are supporting him, but that is from the liberal side of the jewish community.
Just the opposite. I think he is a big kiss-up. Remember, Rudy threw Arafat out when he was mayor (I wouldn’t call this kiss-up)
at least he is not a jewish kiss-up like rudy and hillary