On Tuesday, former Obama advisor David Axelrod informed an Israeli television channel that President Obama had said to him, “You know, I think I am the closest thing to a Jew that has ever sat in this office. For people to say that I am anti-Israel, or, even worse, anti-Semitic, it hurts.”
When you are done laughing, recall that former President Clinton loved being referred to (as he was by many) as the first black President. So there you have it: the Democratic Party has given us both the first black President (twice) and the first nearly Jewish President.
But seriously, folks, the Obama statement might not be as ridiculous as it seems. Tick off the number of past or present Obama advisors who are Jewish, beginning with Mr. Axelrod himself, and Rahm Emanuel. Entire books have been devoted solely to the question of why American Jews have consistently voted Democratic since 1932 – e.g., “Why Are Jews Liberals,” by Norman Podhoretz. Note that America’s Jewish Democrats tend to be “secular Jews” or “cultural Jews” who are to Judaism something comparable to what Catholics who practice birth control and divorce are to Catholicism. Obama has many, many advisors, financial supporters, and friends who are Jewish Democrats. When the President pronounces himself nearly Jewish, he is thinking of a bunch of Democrats distinguished by their names and maybe their culture rather than by their faith. In other words, he is not only being serious, he is being accurate – in a way.
What the President clearly does not mean is that he is nearly Israeli. One need not recite the astonishing litany of the President’s statements, actions, and policies regarding Israel to make that point, as it is now simply common knowledge. The problem is, the President appears to be burdened with the delusion that the State of Israel is a nation of people who, as they are Jews, are – instinctively if not literally – indistinguishable from the Jews that the President knows. In his mind, he is not anti-Israeli, because he is not anti-Jewish.
How else could one explain what he has done to damage the interests of the State of Israel?
I would take issue with your comparison of secular jews with catholics who practice birth control. Catholicism is , obviously, a religion and, while I’m not sure about the details, being a catholic involves baptism , communion etc. Anyone born to a jewish mother is a jew, regardless of the beliefs , or lack thereof on the part of mother or child. I think people who identify themselves as Jewish are best characterized as an ethnic or tribal group.
The confusion on the part of most gentiles as well as many jews arises out of the nomenclature, ie. judaism/ jews, whereas Irish, Italians, spaniards and others who normally practice roman catholicism are recognized as members of national peoples separate from their religion.
Obama being any more Jewish than any other American president is nonsense.