NEWS from JTA

Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Jewish Journal Tags

Tag: Obama

View the most popular tags overall?

Latest video headlines from Israel

Video headlines from Israel. This feed from JerusalemOnline and Israel Channel 2 News updates automagically around 12 noon which is 10 p.m. in Israel

Gotcha? You betcha!

But there's also a less benign explanation for the media's negligence, and it's captured by something President Andrew Jackson said nearly two centuries ago: "If the people only understood the rank injustice of our money and banking system, there would be a revolution before morning."

VIDEOS: Jackie Mason vs.  Sarah Silverman—Battle YouTube

She says Obama, he calls her a 'yenta.' It's an 'only in America' battle of the YouTube videos

Vote on Obama, McCain science positions


VIDEO: The Daily Show—Jewish voters in Florida assess debate

Comedy (?) from The Daily Show. Post-debate analysis reveals John McCain is going to die soon, and Michelle Obama has a big butt. Are these Florida swing voters hilariously out of touch, or simply telling it like it is?

VIDEO: Jewish Americans for Obama

Jewish friends, colleagues and supporters from Chicago say Barack Obama's Yiddishe neshumah -- Jewish soul -- makes him the right candidate. Official campaign video.

VIDEO: Who shall live . . .

A montage of news photos from 5768 plus cantorial and modern music take this version of the 'Who shall live' prayer into YouTube land.


The debates won’t matter

Joseph Stalin is reputed to have said, "Those who cast the votes decide nothing. Those who count the votes decide everything." I think he had it half right.

Poll: Obama hits wall with ‘undecided’ Jews

The American Jewish Committee survey published Thursday shows the Democratic presidential nominee still hovering around 60 percent among Jewish voters. His big problem: the undecideds.

VIDEO: Israelis for Obama

" . . . We are Israelis and Israeli-Americans who believe Barack Obama will be good for America and good for Israel. In such dramatic times a leader who is able to employ intelligent diplomacy hand in hand with a strong defense is crucial to our future. We urge the Jewish community to hear our voices. Thank you . . . "

VIDEO: Sarah Silverman talks trash to back Barack


Volume 23, Number 32


Rosh Hashanah means frank talk with family, not just apples and honey


McCain advisors:
No to Syria talks, little interest in Middle East peace process

Two McCain advisers told participants in a weekend retreat that his administration would discourage Israeli-Syrian peace talks and refrain from actively engaging in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

VIDEO: Rosh Hashanah (funny) (political) e-card from Taglit-Birthright

The candidates reach out and apologize in the Rosh Hashanah tradition, blow a shofar, interrupt, smile, joke and yell, just like your family!

Who you calling rebbetzin, why you dissing Palin, what college anti-Semitism?

" . . . I am just an average person that fits the person you describe in "Post-Palin Depression." I do not have a therapist, but I have been in depression for almost two weeks now . . . "

One-Day U

You have to go back to Spiro Agnew and his bullyboy ventriloquists, Pat Buchanan and William Safire, to find this kind of sneering contempt for educated people.

Streisand opens Obama fundraiser with Talmud lesson


VIDEO: Jewish voters targeted in ‘push polling’—RJC fesses up

The Republican Jewish Coalition has admitted it sponsored a negative poll about Barack Obama.


McCain and Obama campaigns focus on sanctions as Iran threat looms

The mounting anxiety over Iran's nuclear program is sparking campaign chatter over a possible Israeli strike and prompting a bipartisan effort to revive long-stalled sanctions legislation in the U.S. Congress

Post-Palin Depression

This is not just a Jewish phenomenon, though a few thousand years of expecting to be scapegoated, persecuted, exiled or killed certainly contributes to the melancholic gene Jews are known for carrying, the optimism of a Ben-Gurion or Sandy Koufax notwithstanding.

A self-proclaimed Zionist, Joe Biden is a friend of Israel

It would be far healthier for American democracy, as well as for our community, if we would reject the use of Israel as a partisan issue and look at the policy areas where candidates from the two major parties truly do differ.

Chicago rabbis organize nationwide Rabbis for Obama group, 300 sign on [VIDEO]

More than 300 rabbis from across the country and across the denominations are publicly backing Barack Obama for president. Said the rabbis: 'We feel it is our duty as Jewish leaders to fight for the truth and against Lashon Hara.'

The Palin nomination: What does it mean?


Ed Koch backs Obama, says Sarah Palin is ‘scary’

He said he was alarmed by the report that she’d triggered a conflict with the local librarian in Wasilla, Alaska by inquiring about the possibility of banning books. “Any time someone goes to the library and says, ‘I want to ban books,’ and the librarian says ‘no,’ and she threatens to fire them — that’s scary,” he said.


There's too much religion in presidential campaign, says ADL's Foxman

There have been increasing signs that the presidential race will present the American public with a profoundly unsettling infusion of religion and religiosity, says the director of the Anti-Defamation League.

A request from the Jewlyweds


Biden, Palin lead campaign clash on Mideast

The two vice-presidential candidates led the way Wednesday as the Obama and McCain campaigns worked to draw clear battle lines on Iran and Israel.

VIDEO: In 2006, Lieberman calls Obama ‘Baruch’ and himself Obama’s mentor

"As far as I'm concerned [Barack Obama] is a 'Baruch,' which means a blessing. He is a blessing to the United States Senate, to America, and to our shared hopes for better, safer tomorrows for all our families. The gifts that God has given to Barack Obama are as enormous as his future is unlimited. As his mentor, as his colleague, as his friend, I look forward to helping him reach to the stars and realize not just the dreams he has for himself, but the dreams we all have for him and our blessed country."

Fiscal conservative ISO tax and spend liberal


Michele Obama’s cousin’s cousin is a rabbi; Abbas met with Kuntar

A cousin of the wife of Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential nominee, is a cousin of this country's most prominent black rabbi, according to a report in The Forward.

The Hollywood candidate is not Obama

If John McCain wins this election, it will be because of Hollywood.

McCain surrogates likely to echo Bush on Iran and Israel

When it comes to Israel and how to deal with Iran, Republicans are happy to tout John McCain's consistency with the Bush presidency and his differences with Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), his Democratic rival.

ANALYSIS: Sarah Palin . . . and the Jews

For Jews who are not necessarily Israel Firsters, she carries some positives and negatives. Positives: she is a crusader for good government and a fiscal conservative. She is smart and successful and patriotic. Jews like all these things.

Obama says GOP ‘tough talk’ doesn’t help Israel; Transcript of speech

"You don't protect Israel and deter Iran just by talking tough in Washington. You can't truly stand up for Georgia when you've strained our oldest alliances ... "


VIDEO: Blacks and Jews are back together and working side by side for an Obama victory

Blacks and Jews are back together and working side by side for an Obama victory, JTA reports from Denver.

It was 45 years ago today


Dems use speeches to hit GOP on Israel

Speaker after speaker at the Democratic convention on Wednesday night in Denver argued that GOP recklessness had emboldened Israel's enemies

VIDEO: JTA’s Wednesday Convention Summary

Eric Fingerhut and Ron Kampeas summarize the jewish events of the day at the election, while attending a jstreet function in downtown Denver.

Agriprocessors rebukes Obama, Israel sends flood aid to Ukraine

Nathan Lewin, who is representing the largest kosher meat producer in the United States, in a statement released early Tuesday wondered whether Barack Obama had weighed the evidence in the case or considered the company's repeated denials.

The teacher

Mickey Palmer is 87 years old and living in a cozy home by Elizabeth Lake, near Palmdale. She moved there 25 years ago when she retired from teaching sixth grade.


A school with attitude

If Barack Obama and John McCain wanted to elevate the level of discourse of their presidential campaigns, they could do worse than check out the last election campaign at Shalhevet High School

Biden’s the one

Biden is just naturally what the Democrats used to be, the party of lunch- pail-carrying working people, not politically correct, prone to saying inappropriate things, but with a great credibility

VIDEO: Jewish ‘condo vote’ will be hard to crack

Ron Kampeas and Eric Fingerhut file their first video report from Denver, after attending a panel discussion Monday on the Jewish vote sponsored by the National Jewish Democratic Council.

Obama camp to raise domestic issues in bid for Jewish vote

Obama aides say they will be increasingly pushing the idea that Barack Obama, and not John McCain, is in line with Jewish voters on economic policy, reproductive rights, church-state separation and the Supreme Court.


Yes, we Cain

Editorial cartoonist Steve Greenberg looks at the push for unity at the Democratic National Convention in Denver

But he’s a Muslim!

The Muslim issue is a way to talk about race without talking about race, and without having to squirm about saying that race is not an issue.

Let the games begin: GOP plays ‘Iran card’ against Democrats Obama and Biden

Republicans are hoping to score points on Barack Obama and Joe Biden's opposition to specific Iran-related measures. But in a bit of political jujitsu, Democrats are painting their candidates as tougher -- and smarter -- on Iran.

Biden and the Jews: Strong ties and friendly disagreements

Before he announced his vice presidential pick, Barack Obama said he wanted someone to spar with but who ultimately would be loyal enough to create a comfortable working relationship. No one knew then that he had picked Joe Biden, but his ISO ad fit Biden's relationship with the Jewish community perfectly

VIDEO: Joe Biden (a self-declared Zionist) is good for the Jews


VIDEO: Joe Biden tells ShalomTV ‘I am a Zionist’

In an April 2007 interview, Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) declares "I am a Zionist' and discusses his support for Israel.

Thirteen million Jews worldwide don’t sign ‘don’t bomb Iran’ petition


‘Jewels of Elul’ offers candidates’ wisdom

What is the dream of the future president of the United States? For the answer, check out your e-mail or a pocket-sized, 36-page booklet called "Jewels of Elul IV," which is subtitled "29 Dreamers and Their Dreams." Among the dreamers who sent in their thoughts and hopes are the presumed presidential candidates, Republican Sen. John McCain and Democratic Sen. Barack Obama.

With seven rabbis and counting, Dem parley reaches out to the faithful

Jewish voters and organizations are often among the first to object when Republicans and Christian conservatives attempt to inject religion into politics. But this year the Democrats are jumping into the religion game -- and looking to rabbis for help.

From the people who brought you the Iraq war comes . . . The ALL NEW Cold War


Debating Presidential politics, Chanukah in August

The Iranian-American Jewish community is avidly following the presidential election scene, and Craig Taubman taped a Chanukah show.

Eating Bambi, Zell again, Bergson, broken heart

" . . . Isn't it time that every Jewish child take at least one course in Herzl? If he isn't the modern father of the Jewish People, who is? For without Herzl's many contributions, the Holocaust would have excluded any chance of a Jewish state in Israel . . ."


The Great Awakening

The Rev. Rick Warren of Saddleback Church will hold back-to-back public conversations this Saturday, Aug. 16, with the two presumptive presidential
candidates, Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain. The conversations, on the topic of "Compassion and Leadership," will be broadcast at 8 p.m. on CNN

Say it ain’t Jew, Joe


Podcast: Exclusive interview with U.S. Congressman Howard Berman about Obama & Iran


Being an African American candidate is different

An African American candidacy is different. Obama can't easily be the racial middleman as Clinton was. And being aggressive carries its own special dynamics.

I’m still thinking about the race card


On having your (political) heart broken—the Edwards scandal


On having your (political) heart broken—the Edwards scandal

His follow-up message, in response to my away-from-my-e-mail auto-reply, vibrated in my pocket during dinner, where no one else at my table had a clue what scandal had erupted. I stole a look at the screen, my transgression, I hoped, concealed by the tablecloth.

Race is on my mind


Yeshiva student apologizes, Obama’s prayer returned to Western Wall

. . . and the Rabbi in charge of the Kotel says the publication of the note was wrong

Obama's note at the Western Wall asks for God's guidance [VIDEO]

. . . and the Rabbi in charge of the Kotel says the publication of the note was wrong

Sderot welcomes Obama

Sderot's residents expressed optimism about the latest of a series of high-profile visitors to the town, the man who one day may be U.S. president, Barack Obama

Obama world tour strikes gold


Ich bin ein Amerikaner


Ich bin ein Amerikaner

The Bush/Cheney doctrine, of course, was never about being loved. Instead, they said they wanted America to be respected, which turned out to be code for being feared.

Green transit, Hollywood Jew, New Yorker cover

" . . . In the field of education, we already have a monstrous, corrupt, money-squandering, dysfunctional bureaucracy known as the public school system, which robs parents of control over their children's education and leaves them powerless and defenseless against the colossus of the state. The last thing we need is to create a similar monstrous bureaucracy to deliver health care . . . "

Obama sounds both hawkish and dovish themes in Israel, Jordan

During his stops in Jordan and Israel, presidential contender Barack Obama has stressed both his backing for tough Israeli security measures and his commitment to advancing the peace process

Obama’s support lags previous Dems, poll finds

But the surveys had bad news for Obama: If the U.S. presidential election were held today, American Jews would support the Illinois senator at a significantly lower level than they did his most recent Democratic predecessors.

Now that Obama is in Israel, what should we expect?

Barack Obama arrived in Israel and stressed the historic ties between the United States and the Jewish state. The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee is on a Middle East and European tour aimed at shoring up his foreign policy credentials.

Copycat bulldozer rampage in Jerusalem injures 28

In an imitation of an attack nearly three weeks ago, an Arab construction worker drove a bulldozer on a rampage through the streets of Jerusalem, crushing cars and hitting a bus before being shot dead by Israeli border police

Kuntar’s release reveals true evil of Iran’s regime


Beyond sicko


Fear of an Obama Planet grips some Americans

As soon as I saw The New Yorker cover spoofing right-wing fear mongering over Barack and Michelle Obama, my first thought was that my friend, Sanjay, in Mumbai, India, had a point about Americans and stupidity.

Briefs: Ahmadinejad to attend U.N. summit, Obama to visit PA, Israel

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad plans again to attend this year's summit at the United Nations in New York. His speech, Ahmadinejad said, will discuss "ruling the world based on justice."


The L.A. Times ‘frames’ the Presidential race

This assertion, which is totally irrelevant to the campaign of 2008, leads to a source saying that McCain would definitely not represent the third Bush term.

Beyond sicko

Because this was happening a short taxi ride from the White House, I half expected someone from Dick Cheney's office to burst in at any moment, grab the
microphone and proclaim the conference kaput, dissolved like an inconvenient parliament.

The L.A. Times ‘frames’ the Presidential race


Briefs: Obama to visit Israel this month, Hezbollah swap inches forward

The presumptive Democratic Party candidate Sen. Barack Obama is expected to arrive in Israel on July 22 or 23 for a two- or three-day visit, Yediot Achronot reported.

The Jewish Vote: Bush, Israel and Iran

Leaks from Vice President Dick Cheney's office indicate that the veep does not favor an Israeli attack, only because Israel lacks sufficient force to eliminate the nuclear facilities. So Cheney is allegedly pushing within the administration for a U.S. attack.

AUDIO: Iranian American Jews —Getting ready for November’s elections

More than 300 young professionals members of the local Iranian Jewish “30 Years After” organization gathered at a private residence in Beverly Hills late last month to encourage political activism in the community.

Podcast: Iranian Jews on Obama and McCain


The next president’s gums


The traveling candidates


Keep religion out of presidential politics

Since last summer, when I volunteered for a Barack Obama event, I have received many nonsensical e-mails and heard many nonsensical arguments -- from friends and family as well as on TV -- about Sen. Obama's alleged lack of allegiance to the United States of America.

The next president’s gums

The 1960 presidential debates were arguably the first reality show. What took so long for television executives to figure out that there's gold in them thar unscripted hills?

VIDEO: Mayor Bloomberg urges Florida Jews to fight Obama rumors


AIPAC, Persian tragedy, Christian support for Israel

" . . . The deceased is gone. Yet the living . . . [are] left sinning, hurting, reeling, and lost. I only hope and pray that our people can find ourselves again, and learn from this. It is time to stop, and put an end to this vicious cycle. . . . ."

Volume 23, Number 17


The torch has been passed


2008: The contest for the Jews

In a society that has become less and less informed about politics and government, Jews remain a deeply attentive political community. Intensely concerned about Israel and the protection of the Jewish community, but alert to so much more, Jews offer a candidate a tough audience on policy

Birthright Israel, sex and the column

" . . . It is wishful thinking by the writer that Obama's chance to be president has been torpedoed by his past association with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. McCain and the writer want us to focus on this guilt by association nonissue, rather than on Obama's own actions and words and the terrible political and economic conditions our beloved country has fallen into under the Bush/Cheney regime . . ."

Hillary withdraws—the end of the beginning


Will ‘President Obama’ be good for Israel?

There are mixed feelings in Israel about the prospect of an Obama administration, with most experts saying the Jewish state has little cause for real concern


Hillary Clinton’s address to AIPAC, June 4, 2008


Negotiating with Syria, still with the Rev. Wright brouhaha, Museum of Tolerance expansion

". . .The Museum of Tolerance is not a Holocaust museum. It is the educational arm of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, and its mission is to educate, using the history of the Holocaust. . . One should never forget but remember by the example of how we live our lives . . ."

Obama, Clinton on same page at AIPAC parley

After months of seeking to paint each other as opposites on Middle East policy, U.S. Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were on the same page Wednesday at the AIPAC policy conference as they ripped into the Bush administration and John McCain on several fronts

Obama to AIPAC: War in Iraq has hurt Israel

"I have been proud to be a part of a strong, bi-partisan consensus that has stood by Israel in the face of all threats. That is a commitment that both John McCain and I share, because support for Israel in this country goes beyond party. But part of our commitment must be speaking up when Israel's security is at risk, and I don't think any of us can be satisfied that America's recent foreign policy has made Israel more secure"

McCain raps Obama on Iran and Iraq at AIPAC

John McCain attacked Barack Obama’s Iran and Iraq policies in his address to the AIPAC policy conference.

Obama and the politics of distraction


After weeks of feuding over Mideast, candidates head to AIPAC conference


Love you to pieces

Greenberg's view . . .

Israel is central to the Republican strategy in 2008


Nikbakht explains why Iranian Jews are not crazy about Obama


Voice of reason in a sea of insanity, Jewish Dodgers, Prager, archaeologists, politicians and peace

letters to the editor

Briefs: Pro-Israel doves launch D.C. lobbying effort, Carter—in Israel— calls Sderot attacks ‘

Pro-Israel doves are launching an initiative aimed at countering the influence of established Jewish organizations on Capitol Hill. In a conference call Tuesday, organizers announced the launch of J Street, a lobby outfit and a political action committee backed by some of the biggest names in the dovish pro-Israel community.

Briefs: U.S. House recognizes Jewish refugees from Arab lands, Woody Allen sues American Apparel

News briefs.

Richardson endorses Obama: Another turning point?


Briefs: Obama condemns pastor’s politics, Merkel addresses Knesset

News briefs.

I was right!  Now what?


 Republicans anoint Obama—with slime


The Democratic endgame ain’t pretty


Welcome to JewsChoose 2008: Obama and the Jewish test


If Web hits were votes, the election will be between Baruch Obama and Ron Paul


Why I support Hillary

Representative Brad Sherman (D - Calif.) explains his preference for Hillary Clinton.

Playing a frayed and faded ‘race card’

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is making a truly impressive run for the White House, and in doing so is being considered by many as America's first mainstream "black" candidate -- in other words a "black" candidate not running on a near-exclusive agenda of identity politics.

Israelis keep a close eye on U.S. elections

With a mix of concern for their future and amusement at the marching bands and baby-kissing style of U.S. electoral politics, Israelis are tuning in to see who might be the next U.S. president.

Jewish leaders defend Baruch Obama


[VIDEO] If Baruch Obama and Dick Cheney are cousins, what about us?


Israel labor strike called off; U.S. Jews against Iraq war most strongly



Featured Stories