John has already responded to President Obama’s absurd claim about being a Judaism genius. But that may not even be the most offensive argument Obama made at yesterday’s meeting with
Obama's Jewish Friends in Chicago - Alana Goodman, Commentary Magazine .woocommerce-product-gallery{ opacity: 1 !important; } Close Login Access your Commentary account. Email address Password Remember me Login Forgot your password? Lost your password? Please enter your email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email. Email Reset password Go back Home Contact Archive January 2024 Donate Merch Register Subscribe Search Login Home Contact Archive January 2024 Donate Merch Register Subscribe Search Login The monthly magazine of opinion. May 30, 2012 Judaism Obama’s Jewish Friends in Chicago by Alana Goodman John has already responded to President Obama’s absurd claim about being a Judaism genius. But that may not even be the most offensive argument Obama made at yesterday’s meeting with Conservative Jewish rabbis, according to the Haaretz report. When asked about his personal views on Israel — the kishkes question again — Obama reportedly went for the some-of-my-best-friends-are-Jews defense:There were some questions directed at the president concerning his thoughts on the role of religious leaders in a more civil political dialogue, which then lead to the inevitable question – how does he feel about Israel? Obama joked that [Chief of Staff Jack] Lew always warns him it will get to “the kishkes question.” “Rather than describe how deeply I care about Israel, I want to be blunt about how we got here,” Obama said, reminding his guests that he had so many Jewish friends in Chicago at the beginning of his political career that he was accused of being a puppet of the Israel lobby. Ignore the overwhelming ignorance and offensiveness of that argument for a second. The one person I can recall who has actually accused Obama of being an AIPAC puppet is Rev. Wright — though his theory was that Obama didn’t turn into a lapdog for the Jews until he started running for president. I don’t doubt the president hung out with plenty of Jews in Chicago, but considering that some of the most vile Israel bashers out there are Jewish, that says absolutely nothing about his own views on Israel. Plus, if we’re now supposed to judge Obama’s support for Israel based on his Chicago friendships, that’s not exactly comforting. Two of his close friends in the city were an anti-Semitic pastor and a famed anti-Israel academic — oh, and there was also his domestic terrorist buddy who participates in anti-Israel activism on the side. What are we supposed to glean from that?These friendships were one of the reasons why the pro-Israel community was initially unsure about Obama’s true personal feelings on Israel during his 2008 campaign. Since then, those early concerns have been substantiated again and again by Obama’s own public actions and statements on Israel. The American public still supports the Jewish state, which means Obama grudgingly supports it when necessary, but it’s clear his heart isn’t there. His lame response when questioned on his true feelings — citing knowledge of Judaism and friendship with Jews — is just the latest example of that disconnect. Share via: More Alana Goodman is a staff writer for the Washington Free Beacon. Prior to joining the Beacon, she was assistant online editor at Commentary. Letter + A A - Trending Now Israel’s Righteous Response to the ‘Genocide’ Charge Biden Fizzles and Austin Vanishes The Terrorist-Aid Agency Fight the insanity. Subscribe to reason. Start your risk free trial with unlimited access. Choose a plan Listen to the best podcast anywhere, everywhere. Get it on Soundcloud. What’s in the latest issue? Explore the scintillating January 2024 issue of Commentary. Subscribe You may also like A Shabbat in Tel Aviv by John Podhoretz Why, Even Now, We Are Commanded to Laugh by John Podhoretz War on Trump or on Muslim Friends? by Jonathan S. Tobin Scroll Down For the Next Article Next Read the latest issue Intelligent opinions since 1945. Subscribe and support our efforts. Subscribe Donate a 501(c)(3) non profit organization Newsletter! About Advertise Privacy Terms Site design by beck & stone Close search-alt Type and press enter Twitter Facebook WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest SMS Email Print Copy Link More Networks Share via Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Mix Pinterest Tumblr Skype Buffer Pocket VKontakte Parler Xing Reddit Line Flipboard MySpace Delicious Amazon Digg Evernote Blogger LiveJournal Baidu MeWe NewsVine Yummly Yahoo WhatsApp Viber SMS Telegram Facebook Messenger Like Email Print Copy Link Copy link CopyCopied