Joseph Lieberman praised by many
By:Michael Arges
BORDENTOWN CITY – Members of the local Jewish community hailed the pending nomination of U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.), an Orthodox Jew, as the Democratic candidate for vice president.
It was seen as yet another breakthrough, not only for Jewish citizens, but also for all who have been considered outsiders in American politics and society.
"What it most signals to me personally isn’t something that’s necessarily just Jewish, but something grander about our country and the state of it right now," said Rabbi Micah Becker-Klein of B’nai Abraham Synagogue in Bordentown City. "It is wonderful to see someone of a minority group to be put up for that kind of political position. It’ll hopefully pave the way for other ethnic groups to be able to find their way deeper into our political process."
He added the hope that the nomination will influence the political process toward "opening the doors up to anyone."
"I know that a lot of what he (Sen. Lieberman) does certainly is influenced by his religion. But what I think is good is that, unlike some of the more right-wing fundamentalist political people, it doesn’t seem to be the sole force guiding what he does," Rabbi Becker-Klein said.
He sees Sen. Lieberman drawing upon the Bible for political principles that bring people together rather than causing some to feel excluded-"like helping provide equal rights to people coming from the Biblical principle that all people were created in the image of God."
Carl Zeitz of Prince Street in Bordentown, a member of B’nai Abraham Synagogue, commented that, "As a Jew, my forebears came here about a hundred years ago – same as his (Sen. Lieberman).
"It’s pretty remarkable that, a hundred years later, the descendants of Eastern European Jews -somebody three or four generations removed -can be on the national ticket."
Mr. Zeitz compared the nomination to that of Geraldine Ferraro, the first woman nominee by a major party to the national ticket.
He said he believed it is part of an unfolding process whereby more and more "outsiders" will be brought to the inner circles of political service.
"Some day, undoubtedly, in the not-too-distant future, there will be an African-American," Mr. Zeitz said. "And that will also be somebody on the Democratic ticket, because it is only the Democratic Party that is the avenue to make these kind of breakthroughs in our society. The other people talk a great game, but they don’t do anything."
The American people have grown up to the point that Mr. Zeitz said he does not expect any significant backlash from Sen. Lieberman’s nomination.
"You’re always concerned, as a Jew, with visibility, with blame, with perceptions by a majority of the population," he said. "It’s always there in the back of your mind. Clearly, from the comments of a lot of people this week, it’s still in the back of a lot of people’s minds and at the forefront of other people’s minds. I don’t think, in this day and age in this country, that’s going to be a problem. I really believe the American people are better than that."
"It’s a very proud moment for the Jewish people," said Rabbi Jay Kornsgold of East Windsor’s Beth El Synagogue. "But, more than that, it is a confirmation of the American dream that success is open to everyone who will work hard and be dedicated.
"It’s no longer words, but it’s really a reality. It is an indication, not only to the Jewish people, but also to all minorities, that really anything is possible."
Rabbi Kornsgold has recently been elected president of the New Jersey Region of the Rabbinical Assembly, which includes Conservative Jewish rabbis in the East Windsor area and north in New Jersey.