Seattle Jews for Obama

Yesterday I received a letter from a group of Jews for Obama in Seattle, where I lived for many years before making aliya. Among the signatories are some old and dear friends who are observant Jews and staunch supporters of Israel.

Here's what I wrote them back...

Dear well-meaning but misguided Seattle friends,

Having just returned from a quick trip to Seattle, I was not entirely surprised to receive your letter endorsing Obama for president since in many conversations with my old and good friends in Seattle I encountered similar opinions.

From where I sit in Jerusalem, however, things look quite different, and I urge you all as strong supporters of a secure Israel to see past the current US economic woes and take a long and hard look at the state of the world today and carefully consider who might be best to represent our best interests in the coming four years.

Your letter (and the Obama campaign directed at the Jewish community) asks us to consider the senator's record, but what is far more important and significant and of great concern to those with Israel's interests at heart is his world view and those of his foreign policy advisors, and how they see both the role of America and Israel.

An op ed by renowned Israeli political analyst Yoram Ettinger on YNET states our concerns well:

"How would the worldview of Obama, McCain and their advisors shape US policy toward Israel?



1. According to McCain, World War Three between Western democracies and Islamic terror/rogue regimes is already in process. According to Obama, the conflict is with a radical Islamic minority, which could be dealt with through diplomacy, foreign aid, cultural exchanges and a lower US military profile. Thus, McCain's world view highlights – while Obama's world view downplays – Israel's role as a strategic ally. McCain recognizes that US-Israel relations have been shaped by shared values, mutual threats and joint interests and not by frequent disagreements over the Arab-Israeli conflict.



2. According to Obama, the US needs to adopt the world view of the bureaucracy of the State Department (Israel's staunchest critic in Washington), pacify the knee-jerk-anti-Israel-UN, move closer to the Peace-at-any-Price-of Western Europe and appease the Third World, which blames the West and Israel for the predicament of the Third World and the Arabs. On the other hand, McCain contends that the US should persist – in defiance of global odds - in being the Free World's Pillar of Fire, ideologically and militarily.



3. According to Obama, Islamic terrorism constitutes a challenge for international law enforcement agencies and the principle that terrorists should be brought to justice. According to McCain, they are a military challenge and should be brought to their knees. Obama's passive approach adrenalizes the veins of terrorists and intensifies Israel's predicament, while McCain's approach bolsters the US' and Israel's war on terrorism.



4. Obama and his advisors assume that Islamic terrorism is driven by despair, poverty, erroneous US policy and US presence on Muslim soil in the Persian Gulf. On the other hand, McCain maintains that Islamic terrorism is driven by ideology, which considers US values (freedom of expression, religion, media, movement, market and Internet) and US power a most lethal threat that must be demolished. McCain's worldview supports Israel's battle against terrorism, demonstrating that the root cause of the Arab-Israel conflict is not the size or borders – but the existence - of Israel.



5. Contrary to McCain, Obama is convinced – just like Tony Blair - that the Palestinian issue is the core cause of Middle East turbulence and anti-Western Islamic terrorism, and therefore requires more assertive US involvement, exerting additional pressure on Israel. The intriguing assumption that a less-than-hundred year old Palestinian issue is the root cause of 1,400 year old inter-Arab Middle East conflicts and Islamic terrorism would deepen US involvement in Israel-Palestinians negotiations and transform the US into more of a neutral broker and less of a special ally of Israel, which would drive Israel into sweeping concessions.



Obama's worldview would be welcomed by supporters of an Israeli rollback to the 1949 ceasefire lines, including the repartitioning of Jerusalem and the opening of the "Pandora Refugees' Box." On the other hand, McCain's worldview adheres to the assumption that an Israeli retreat would convert the Jewish State from a power of deterrence to a punching bag, from a producer – to a consumer – of national security and from a strategic asset to a strategic burden in the most violent, volatile and treacherous region in the world."


Of course there's far more to be said, but in these hours leading up to Rosh Hashana and our own personal cheshbon nefesh, I urge you in the weeks ahead to take a broader look at the upcoming election, and look beyond the "I can't bring myself to vote for a Republican, or a ticket that includes Sarah Palin" prevailing sentiment. The stakes for all of us are high --last week's UN speech by Iranian leader Ahmadinejad and the applause it received are just the latest warning signs--and our responsibility to elect a leader up to the task is a grave one.

May we all merit a gmar chatima tov

With warmest best wishes from Jerusalem,
Judy