Chicago Jews on Wright, Obama
As I noted in my story today, Sen. Barack Obama's (D-Ill.) relationship with Rev. Jeremiah Wright has raised the ire of many conservative Jewish groups, including the Republican Jewish Coalition and the Jewish Defense League. Their argument will likely get a jump start later today, when Wright begins an all out media blitz on the "Bill Moyers Journal" tonight, a speech at the NAACP annual dinner and another at the National Press Club Monday.
As these groups continue to contend that Wright (and Obama by association) is anti-Semitic and/or anti-Israel, a couple recent conversations I had with leaders of the Chicago Jewish community painted a far different picture.
While Melanie Maron was working as the associate director of the American Jewish Committee's (AJC) Chicago chapter, she took international delegations to Wright's Trinity Church. "We would call and make it very clear we were from AJC and that we had a large delegation," Maron, who is now the executive director of the AJC Washington D.C. chapter and spoke only for her personal experiences and not for AJC. "We were always very warmly welcomed. There was never any hesitation and they were happy to have us. We were even acknowledged by Reverand Wright from the lectern."
On one occasion, Wright met with the Maron and a German delegation for 30 minutes before the service. Wright, who speaks German, laid out the history of the black church in America and took questions. In the service, "Wright announced that we were there and the choir sang a song in German," Maron said. "It was a powerful and warm welcoming experience."
"My experience with Trinity and Rev. Wright personally was always very positive," added Maron.
When Obama was in the Illinois State Senate, he worked during the summers at Judson Miner's firm, Miner, Barnhill and Galland. During that time, Miner, who is Jewish, became very close with Obama. "I have never seen a hint that he has had any issues with the Jewish community," Miner said. "He is an incredibly fair person. I have known of no prejudice of any sort."
"As long as I have known Barack," Miner said, "he has counted Jews among his friends - people he socialized closely with and were naturally his supporters."
Comments:
Posted 04/25/2008 10:16pm with
It is very sad to see how easily people seem to be manipulated by a single-minded press that focuses on trivial issues like comments by Rev. Wright in order to paint a distorted picture of the candidate. Sensing the public’s vulnerability like a pickpocket senses where you keep your wallet, the media finds the fuel to feed fires of irrational fears in the public and pours on the gas. Where are the discussions about serious issues, like the collapsing economy, the forclosure crisis, gasoline hitting four bucks a gallon, and that it’s impossible for a middle-class family to send multiple children to college? What about the disaster that is about to explode in Zimbabwe? What about the gaping wound of Iraq that is bleeding millions of dollars daily?
I wish that the Jewish community could speak up on Sen. Obama’s behalf in order to help quell some of these fears about him. If we can’t do that, well, then we get what we deserve—a president who cannot heal this country as Sen. Obama has the ability to do. There is a new website, www.jews4barack.com—I hope it’s not too late to help bring some cool heads with cold facts about Obama’s commitment to the Jewish community and Israel to the defense of the candidate.
Posted 04/26/2008 01:23am with
First and foremost in this contest, I am concerned with issues such as the economy, health care, restoration of our Constitutional Rights, ending the war, relieving the disadvantaged, ....
As in at least a few other cases, it can not be blamed on media interference or political machinations, that the issue comes up again. Further, interest is not confined to particular social, religious, or ethnic groups. Most people seem to understand that the church clergy and congregation are not [Fill in the Blank]. And, the sermons reflect particular views and experiences and are not [Fill in the Blank].
The concern seems to be as much about Obama’s handling of it as the content of the sermons. At first he inferred he was not present, then he stated he heard things that made him uneasy (‘cringe’), and more recently he says that if Reverend Wright had not retired, he would have left the church or said something to the Reverend. The misdirection and equivocation matter to me.