The Forward recently reported that Michelle Obama, wife of Sen. Barack Obama, has a cousin once removed who is a rabbi on Chicago's South Side. His name is Rabbi Capers Funnye (fuhn-AYE) and he is head of Beth Shalom B’nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation (House...
When Sen. John McCain nominated Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin to be his vice-presidential candidate, there were a number of reactions in response to what is still considered a risky political move. The initial debates circled around whether her relatively brief career as a maverick...
In an effort to display the religiousness of its candidate and reach out to religious voters, the Democratic National Convention will feature numerous events, speakers and even prayer services next week in Denver. Four rabbis were invited to the conference. David Saperstein, the Director...
By David Epstein My trajectory from Democrat to Republican had a few curves of my own making. First, I volunteered to work for George McGovern as the 1972 campaign's Ohio general counsel. I stood behind George McGovern, a brave World War II pilot and mushy...
Jewish Rep. Steve Cohen—he of the House resolution condemning slavery and Jim Crow laws that we covered recently—has overcome his opponent Nikki Tinker and her advertising attacks to win the Democratic primary in Tennessee's Ninth District. The district's tiny Republican contingent means the primary victory...
According to The Jerusalem Post, the Kotel rabbi, Shmuel Rabinovitch, has sent Sen. Barack Obama a letter apologizing for the publication of the note the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee left in the Kotel last week: "As the rabbi of the Western Wall and the...
Controversy has erupted regarding Sen. Barack Obama's recent trip to Israel, because an Israeli newspaper, Ma'ariv, published the note Obama put in the Kotel. Many people, including the staff of Yedihot Aharonot, a newspaper that also obtained Obama's note but decided not to publish it, feel...
Sen. Barack Obama is visiting Israel and the West Bank. Here is a recap of his trip: Obama arrived and immediately confirmed his commitment to Israel. [Ha'aretz] He met with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, President Shimon Peres and opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu; Obama criticized Iran's...
The Jewish Advocate wrote today about the Hebrew Barack Obama pin (left). We found the same image on a sticker on Obama's website. According the Advocate article (linked to above), McCain does not have any Hebrew gear yet. He does have a button on his website...
Today, the day before Sen. Barack Obama's much publicized visit to Israel, we have seen an odd collection of news from the Holy Land. First, there was a bulldozer attack in Jerusalem earlier today near the hotel where Obama will stay. There were no Israeli deaths...