ADL Welcomes Obama's Statement Denouncing the Anti-Semitism Of Louis Farrakhan; 9 Jewish Leaders Say E-Mail Spread Lies About Obama; Israel fact sheet

In light of the sensitivity of this topic -- I've seen the despicable lies about Sen. Obama being spread around the internet -- it was careless of me to send out Cohen's article with my comments before doing further research.  Sen. Obama acted quickly and correctly, and Abraham Foxman of the ADL has it right here:

We welcome Barack Obama's condemnation of the anti-Semitic rhetoric of Minister Louis Farrakhan, and his making clear that he did not agree with his church's decision to honor Farrakhan with the Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. Trumpeter Award.

Issues of racism and anti-Semitism must be beyond the bounds of politics.  When someone close to a political figure shows sympathy and support for an individual who makes his name espousing bigotry, that political figure needs to distance himself from that decision.   Senator Obama has done just that.

Even after reading Cohen's piece, I never for an instant believed Sen. Obama had even the tiniest trace of anti-Semitism (or any of the other lies being spread).  My point was simply that a quick, forceful statement was needed, given the ties between Sen. Obama and those honoring Farrakhan.  I'm pleased to see that that's precisely what Sen. Obama did.

 

For more on the hateful emails, see the article below in which nine Jewish leaders denounce them -- here's an excerpt:

The leaders of nine Jewish groups released an open letter on Tuesday condemning what they called "hateful e-mails" that they said spread lies about Senator Barack Obama's religious beliefs and his intentions.

More broadly, see the campaign's fact sheet regarding Sen. Obama's strong support for Israel at: www.barackobama.com/pdf/IsraelFactSheet.pdf

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ADL Welcomes Obama's Statement Denouncing the Anti-Semitism Of Louis Farrakhan

New York, NY, January 15, 2008 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today welcomed Barack Obama's statement strongly condemning the anti-Semitism of Nation of Islam leader Minister Louis Farrakhan.  The Senator's statement came in response to reports that his minister, Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., leader of the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, had honored Farrakhan as one who "truly epitomized greatness." Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, issued the following statement: We welcome Barack Obama's condemnation of the anti-Semitic rhetoric of Minister Louis Farrakhan, and his making clear that he did not agree with his church's decision to honor Farrakhan with the Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. Trumpeter Award. Issues of racism and anti-Semitism must be beyond the bounds of politics.  When someone close to a political figure shows sympathy and support for an individual who makes his name espousing bigotry, that political figure needs to distance himself from that decision.   Senator Obama has done just that. For nearly 30 years as the leader of the Nation of Islam, Louis Farrakhan has repeatedly made hateful statements targeting Jews, whites and homosexuals.  Farrakhan's bigoted and anti-Semitic rhetoric has included statements calling whites "blue eyed devils" and Jews "bloodsuckers" that controlled the slave trade, the government, the media and various Black individuals and organizations. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, ADL neither supports nor opposes any candidate for political office.

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January 16, 2008

9 Jewish Leaders Say E-Mail Spread Lies About Obama

By JAMES BARRON

The leaders of nine Jewish groups released an open letter on Tuesday condemning what they called "hateful e-mails" that they said spread lies about Senator Barack Obama's religious beliefs and his intentions.

The anonymous e-mail messages have circulated for months, saying that Mr. Obama is a Muslim and carried a copy of the Koran when he was sworn in at the United States Senate.

He is a Christian who has attended Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago since he was a community organizer there in the 1980s.

The e-mail has been so persistent that Mr. Obama was asked about it Tuesday at the Democratic presidential candidates' debate in Nevada.

He replied: "I am a Christian. I have been sworn in with a Bible. I pledge allegiance and lead the Pledge of Allegiance sometime in the United States Senate, when I'm presiding."

Mr. Obama's campaign has long been concerned that people would come to believe the misinformation as the e-mail messages were forwarded and reforwarded. "If you get this e-mail from someone you know," Mr. Obama said in November at a rally in Iowa, "set the record straight."

But at the debate on Tuesday, he pointed out that he had gone on to win the Iowa caucuses anyway, and to do well in the New Hampshire primary.

The Jewish leaders seemed to be responding to reports that the e-mail was now being spread deliberately among Jews. In the letter, they said that the "hateful e-mails use falsehood and innuendo to mischaracterize Senator Barack Obama's religious beliefs and who he is as a person," and that they were an "attempt to drive a wedge between our community and a presidential candidate based on despicable and false attacks and innuendo based on religion."

"Attempts of this sort to mislead and inflame voters should not be part of our political discourse and should be rebuffed by all who believe in our democracy," the leaders said. "Jewish voters, like all voters, should support whichever candidate they believe would make the best president."

The leaders said their organizations would not endorse or oppose any presidential candidate.

The letter was signed by William Daroff, vice president of United Jewish Communities; Nathan J. Diament, director of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America; Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League; Richard S. Gordon, president of the American Jewish Congress; David Harris, executive director of the American Jewish Committee; Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center; Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism; Phyllis Snyder, president of the National Council of Jewish Women; and Hadar Susskind, Washington director of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs.

The letter was released as Mr. Obama posted a statement on his campaign Web site distancing himself from an award given by Trumpet Newsmagazine, published by his church in Chicago. Richard Cohen, a Washington Post columnist, said on Tuesday that the magazine had given an award last year to Louis Farrakhan, the longtime leader of the Nation of Islam.

Mr. Obama's statement condemned "the anti-Semitic statements made by Minister Farrakhan."

"I assume that Trumpet Magazine made its own decision to honor Farrakhan based on his efforts to rehabilitate ex-offenders," he said, "but it is not a decision with which I agree."