Race, anti-Semitism and a campaign

Posted: Tuesday, January 15, 2008 8:02 PM by Domenico Montanaro

From NBC/NJ's Aswini Anburajan
Just when the Democratic candidates for president hoped that they had laid the issue of race to bed, it reared its head again today to cast a potential shadow on the Obama campaign.

A column in the Washington Post this morning by Richard Cohen reported that Trumpet Magazine, founded by Obama's pastor at the Trinity United Church of Christ, Jeremiah Wright had named Louis Farrakhan "Man of the Year" in 2007.

Wright wrote that Farrakhan "truly epitomized greatness."

Obama's campaign released a statement from the senator earlier today.

"I decry racism and anti-Semitism in every form and strongly condemn the anti-Semitic statements made by Minister Farrakhan," Obama said in the statement. "I assume that Trumpet Magazine made its own decision to honor Farrakhan based on his efforts to rehabilitate ex-offenders, but it is not a decision with which I agree."

Cohen reported in the Post that Obama's chief strategist, David Axelrod, had said that Obama and his minister disagree on many issues and Farrakhan was one of them.

When NBC News/National Journal followed up on the statement released by the campaign, spokespeople could not confirm if the statement came as a result of outcries by organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League.

However, the ADL did issue a statement saying that they welcomed Obama's comments on Farrakhan. "We welcome Barack Obama's condemnation of the anti-Semitic rhetoric of Minister Louis Farrakhan, and his making clear that he did not agree with his church's decision to honor Farrakhan with the Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. Trumpeter Award," said Abraham H. Foxman, the ADL's National Director in a statement.

He added, "Issues of racism and anti-Semitism must be beyond the bounds of politics. When someone close to a political figure shows sympathy and support for an individual who makes his name espousing bigotry, that political figure needs to distance himself from that decision. Senator Obama has done just that."

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January 15, 2008

An Open Letter to the Jewish Community:

As leaders of the Jewish community, none of whose organizations will endorse or oppose any candidate for President, we feel compelled to speak out against certain rhetoric and tactics in the current campaign that we find particularly abhorrent. Of particular concern, over the past several weeks, many in our community have received hateful emails that use falsehood and innuendo to mischaracterize Senator Barack Obama’s religious beliefs and who he is as a person.

These tactics attempt to drive a wedge between our community and a presidential candidate based on despicable and false attacks and innuendo based on religion. We reject these efforts to manipulate members of our community into supporting or opposing candidates.

Attempts of this sort to mislead and inflame voters should not be part of our political discourse and should be rebuffed by all who believe in our democracy. Jewish voters, like all voters, should support whichever candidate they believe would make the best president. We urge everyone to make that decision based on the factual records of these candidates, and nothing less.

Sincerely,

William Daroff, Vice President, United Jewish Communities

Nathan J. Diament, Director, Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America

Abraham Foxman, National Director, Anti-Defamation League

Richard S. Gordon, President, American Jewish Congress

David Harris, Executive Director, American Jewish Committee

Rabbi Marvin Hier, Dean, Simon Wiesenthal Center

Rabbi David Saperstein, Director, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism

Phyllis Snyder, President, National Council of Jewish Women

Hadar Susskind, Washington Director, Jewish Council for Public Affairs

Marbw (Sent Wednesday, January 16, 2008 8:03 AM)

Statement or no, this is yet another example of the kind of people Senator Obama surrounds himself with. A Washington lobbyist running his campaign in New Hampshire while he yammers on and on about changing Washington; Jesse Jackson Jr son of the master race baitor and notorious anti-semite Reverend Jesse Jackson; now we find out his minister is an anti-semite. I can only imagine what his cabinet and White House staff would look like. Just another reason to lament Bill Richardson dropping out of the race.

Shtuey (Sent Wednesday, January 16, 2008 2:47 PM)

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