This You Tube video, entitled Israelis for Obama is amazing. It does not provide a great deal of new information about his policies, which are not all that different from McCain's when it comes to Israel. It does something far more important. It shows the Israel to which Obama is committed i.e. pluralist, sophisticated, multi-lingual, racially/ethnically diverse, artistically accomplished, militarily powerful, and committed to peace.
One person asked me, "but what does it tell us he will do about Iran getting nukes and what that will mean for Israel". It tells us that Obama will work with people like those in the video to make sure that neither Israel nor the world gets destroyed, if Iran goes nuclear. I know that is not as sexy as scaring people into WW III, but it strikes me as far smarter.
Frankly, I hope that the Republicans produce something this constructive and engaging also. Then we could stop competing over who will better respond to doomsday scenarios we don't want to happen, and ask who will do a better job of nurturing the vision we have for Israel, the Middle East and America.
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Author, radio and TV talk show host, and President of CLAL-The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, Brad Hirschfield is the author of 
Dear Doris Ransom,
The basic value of a republic is liberty including the freedom to be ignorant.
You are projecting your own beliefs onto Jews without regard to what all Jews know to be the immutable law of G-d: 2 Jews 3 opinions.
How is sitting down to converse with any leader (specifically Iran) bad for anyone? Beats some of the worse alternatives and Obama may be able to get an edge into cultivating a working relationship between any of the Arab nations and Israel. It has to be tried, at the very least, as opposed to further deteriorating the already stressed relationships by using fear-mongering and elitism. That is not the way of the Democratic party and it is not the way of Barack Obama.
I would be interested to see what people to consider an alternative to helping diffuse the situation and address Iran's nuclear intentions without turning to direct diplomacy. Stomping our feet, imposing sanctions, and trying to bully them will not work. Sorry but this time we can't take our ball and go home. Have we learned nothing from the past 5,000 years of conflict in this region?
P.S. There is a huge difference between honoring life and being anti-abortion, and to suggest otherwise is not only ignorant and irresponsible, but disrespectful and insulting to those who think for themselves. Whether you believe in abortion or not is for you to decide for yourself and not for everyone else. Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. We are all entitled to it.
If I leave politics aside and vote with my spirituality; I must choose the person who has faithfully stood by his moral convictions and acted in accordance with his own virtuous beliefs and the True nature of the American Spirit. That man has only one home. He speaks with conviction and honours his fortunate life.
"He is obviously a socialist/communist. Need to say more?"
Do any of the people who say that know what a real communist or socialist is.
George W. Bush, the great Republican, bailing out Wall Street, is engaging in socialism. How could Obama possibly be worse than Bush?
Most Jews do not vote Republican, because for us, they are the Christian and many of us do not see it in our self-interests to side with conservative Christians - ever.
Responding to another post:
1) Jews are not always against abortion. And in that way, we are "pro life".
2) Sodom etc. were not destroyed because of homosexuality. At least not when we read about it in the original Hebrew.
And, btw, I'm a different Scott as the one above - not that I see anything to disagree about.
The last Republican to win a plurality of the Jewish vote was Warren G. Harding in 1920...and that was because 39% of Jews voted for Eugene Debs, the Socialist. The Jewish vote has always gone overwhelmingly to the Democratic Party.
It extremely presumptive of anyone to tell us how we should vote. McCain's antagonistic and bellicose foreign policy stance would put Israel at greater risk. The fact that he picked Sarah Palin, a fundamentalist Christian with zero foreign policy credentials, should lead anyone to question his commitment to national security.
"The Jewish people, if they are thinking clearly, could not possible be for Obama. It has always been my observation that the Jewish people honor life (anti-abortion)."
Your "observation" is wrong. Reform, Reconstructionist, and Conservative authorities are pro-choice, as are some Orthodox authorities. They believe it is a personal choice. Also, a majority of Israeli Jews identify as secular or nonreligious. And frankly, most Jews would not take well to your assertion that Jesus is going to return. We don't believe that he is the Messiah.
Well stated, Samuel - thank you.
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