Who is Rahm Emanuel (Barack Obama’s new Chief of Staff)?
For starters, he’s Jewish. He, his wife Amy, and their three children attend the Anshei Sholom B’nei Israel modern Orthodox Synagogue in Chicago. His father, Benjamin Emanuel, was born in Jerusalem and was active in the Irgun, a radical Zionist group. Rahm himself holds strong views on Israel.
Here’s an excerpt from Moment’s 2007 piece by Richard Dunham on Emanuel:
“He’s a profane bundle of contradictions: a former dancer with the political instincts of Tony Soprano, a political junkie who genuinely regrets time away from his wife (who converted to Judaism) and beloved children, and a devoutly religious street brawler who can trade expletives with the best of them, including his rabbi. University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato has dubbed Emanuel the Jewish LBJ.’”
Click here for the...
Placing his hand on the walls of the Kotel during his short visit to Jerusalem, Sen. Barack Obama shared his hopeful spirits with the people of Israel. In Sderot, the Amar family, the same host family to welcome Sen. John McCain back in March, was impressed by Obama's optimism and wants to see him as the next president because of a certain promise. " said if he did become president, I would be among his first guests in the White House," Pinhas Amar said, adding: "Obama has this personal charm, and it looks like it's going to get him elected."
Obama reciprocated the warm reception and the gracious remarks of the Moroccan Jewish family, calling them an "example of the resilience of the people of Sderot and the people of Israel."
The resilience he referred to is...