Obama and the Jews

One Hillary Supporter Switches
Jennifer Rubin - 06.17.2008 - 1:00 PM

Barack Obama and his supporters deny that they have anything to worry about when it comes to Jewish voters. Still, evidence is mounting that some Jews, even traditional Democratic supporters and activists, can’t bring themselves to support Obama.The pundits pooh-pooh the notion that Jewish Democrats would ever support McCain. But some are not just voting for him but working for his campaign.I interviewed by phone today Rabbi Cheryl Jacobs, who was listed by Citizens for McCain as one of the prominent Democrats and Independents now supporting McCain. Rabbi Jacobs is an unlikely McCain supporter. She described her years of work on pro-choice issues and her longtime support for Hillary Clinton going back to her work as First Lady, through her Senate campaign and during her tenure as Senator. Rabbi Jacobs and her husband were likewise very active in John Kerry’s campaign. She says that when she heard the final returns in 2004, “I sat in my car and cried. I thought ‘What will become of us?’”I asked how she made the transition from Clinton to McCain. She said “I’ve always been confident of Hillary’s support for Israel.” She says she recalls the Lebanon war when Israel was receiving criticism and McCain said “Look, if someone came into your house, into the U.S. and started shooting what would you do?” Rabbi Jacobs continued that she lived in an apartment overlooking the Hudson River and on September 11th saw a low-flying plane go past her window as she was tending to a colicky baby and heard the resulting “boom.” She says “I live through it. I saw what can happen. I lost friends in bombings in Israel. My priorities have changed. I’m a mother. I’m concerned about security and the security of Israel.”

What would she say to other Democrats who have never voted Republican and have policy differences with McCain? Rabbi Jacobs responded, “The hardest thing is to prioritize.” She listed the numerous issues–from the economy to education–and acknowledged that voters are “worried about all these different things.” She continued, “But Israel is a no-brainer. The safety and existence of Israel is uppermost.” She explains, “My husband and I sat done and thoroughly reviewed the issues.” She continued, “This is the fight of my life.” She bluntly states, “Someone with no experience, no background, and someone with no test of his ability–and he is in charge of the red phone? It terrifies me.”She acknowledges that McCain is not a perfect candidate from her perspective. She says, “Is any candidate going to be #1 on every issue? No.” But at bottom she has decided that “Israel should be what is important, and the safety of our country.” And as for McCain personally she says that he is an “honorable human being.”Not every Jewish Democrat will make the same choice and many Democrats insist that Obama’s speech to AIPAC demonstrates his commitment to Israel. Nevertheless, if Rabbi Jacobs is representative of at least some American Jews, Obama may still have a lot of work to do.