Posted on 03/01/2009 11:05:04 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
New White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel isn’t only known for playing hardball (he’s been called a “profane, hyperactive attack dog”). The former Chicago politician and chairman of the House Democratic caucus, is also known for something far more enlightened: his religious commitment to Judaism.
Beliefnet recently spoke with Rabbi Asher Lopatin of Chicago's Anshe Sholom B'nai Israel Congregation--a modern Orthodox synagogue where Emanuel and his family are members. Lopatin, who famously gave Emanuel permission to take a conference call on Rosh Hashanah (something prohibited by the laws of the holiday), offered insight into the “model congregant” and how his faith influences his public work.
Would you explain the difference between modern Orthodoxy and ultra-Orthodoxy for our readers?
Modern Orthodoxy believes that there are a lot of benefits to engaging the contemporary world outside of Judaism. It encourages engagement--and even struggling--with the parts of the outside world that seem strange. Whereas, I think I should say that more traditional, or maybe ultra-Orthodoxy, really has a negative attitude towards the outside world and basically feels that the more you can isolate yourself from the outside world, the better.
How would Emanuel classify himself in terms of his religious affiliation?
I think you’d have to ask him. Even though Rahm and his family are members of our modern Orthodox synagogue, that doesn’t mean necessarily that they would classify themselves as modern Orthodox. I do know that he and the family are close to a Conservative rabbi in the D.C. area, Rabbi Jack Moline. And I think they were involved with Rabbi Moline’s synagogue. I know that the Emanuel children go to a community Jewish day school, the Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School, which doesn’t classify itself with any movement.
There’s been a lot of talk about Orthodox ascendancy in politics, mostly as a politically and religiously right-wing endeavor. But now we have Rahm Emanuel, a very significant counterbalancing individual entering into a very important role in American politics. How do you see this changing the status quo?
Well, I’m not sure I agree with all the assumptions in the question. I believe that, within the Orthodox world, there is a sense that modern Orthodoxy’s on the defensive and the decline and ultra-Orthodoxy’s on the offensive and the ascendancy.
And I think that just the fact that Rahm Emanuel and his family are members of a modern Orthodox synagogue has to help modern Orthodoxy and give it a higher profile. I think we see that that a modern Orthodox synagogue can foster people that really can make a difference in this world.
But I think in some ways it shows the broader Jewish world and the non-Jewish world that Orthodoxy itself is not about hiding from the world, but it’s about really engaging the world and being a good citizen of the world.
Do you think Emanuel will influence the non-observant to have a different view of observance? Most people, let alone most Jews, don’t think Orthodox Jews are supposed to be able to be this deep into the modern and secular world.
I think it will have a real impact. I know I have congregants that have had to go to court to win custody battles, because they’ve been accused, as Orthodox Jews, of being sort of these crazy lunatics. And I think when you do see these figures, however observant they are and however they would classify themselves, as members of an Orthodox synagogue, it’s got to have an impression on Jews everywhere. And I guess it does have to show that there’s a certain amount of normalcy to Orthodoxy. And maybe worldliness—a great deal of worldliness to Orthodoxy.
You’ve also been at the forefront of a very big fight along with Rabbi Avi Weiss and Rabbi Marc Angel to gain control of modern Orthodoxy from the right wing. And so it stands to reason that your congregants, Emanuel included, would hold the same views.
I do try to speak out as much as possible on issues that I believe passionately about. One of them is the whole problem of the community not responding to people who would like to convert and who are sincere in their conversions. As well as issues of children who should be converted and accepted into the Orthodox halakhic community through conversion. I do find members of my synagogue—and Rahm and Amy are, again, loyal members of our synagogue—to be very supportive about my speaking out about these issues.
There’s been a long-standing criticism of the modern Orthodox as trying to have a foot in both worlds, and it seems Emanuel does have a foot in both worlds. And unlike the claim of its being an epic struggle, he seems to be living with it and doing just fine.
I think that in the end of the day, it is so important to be part of the world around us. Judaism and the world around us are not always in conflict--they do go together well, and they complement each other. I think that slowly the realization of that reality or appreciation of that reality will, for ultra-Orthodox Jews, make the position of trying to avoid the world around us as a religious viewpoint even more untenable.
Emanuel’s new post will require him to work seven days a week. What advice will you be giving him on how to grapple with the fact the Sabbath falls in there and prohibits certain kinds of work?
In some of the most demanding positions, we’ve found that you can keep the Sabbath. And again, there might be certainly circumstances where he’s called away. I know Joseph Lieberman faced these issues when he was running for vice president. But, I think that even the chief of staff, and even the president, need to preserve their own lives, and the idea of Sabbath for Jews is that you have to preserve a little bit of control over your life, and a little bit of space that doesn’t allow the outside world to crush you.
He’s always going to have to be accessible, just like doctors frankly are, and they wear their pagers. And as far as when he’ll have to violate the Sabbath for life-or-death issues, I think that is similar to doctors and other professions where they really have to be in close contact with a rabbi in order to get the law just right. And I wouldn’t assume that every Sabbath will be those kind of issues.
Do you think Emanuel’s Israeli roots and religious practice will reassure Jews who are skeptical of Barack Obama’s commitment to Israel?
I think they will, and I think that even more significant is his work in the Clinton administration and his reputation as someone who wants to promote successful policies, policies that have broad-based support. I think it'll assure people that the Obama administration, if anything, will have very pleasant surprises and no real nasty surprises.
The Gallup polling of Jews in 2008, which was the first-ever study that had enough Jews and data points to be very meaningful, showed that younger Jews are more likely to identify as politically conservative. Do you see Emanuel reversing the shift toward conservative beliefs among the younger generation?
Yeah, I'm surprised at that poll, because we have a very young synagogue. I think that young people want to see something that makes sense. And if Rahm Emanuel, as an advocate for the Obama administration, can sort of show that their policies are making sense and are working and are meeting people's needs, I think they'll win over the younger generation.
I guess Jews are stretching the meaning of being “Jewish” to satisfy their own personal agenda like more and more Catholics do today.
Ping!
just watched the CBS interview with him...at least he does not appear to believe his BS.
The last response from the rabbi — wow, it sounds like he is saying that young Jews want policies that make sense and conservatism does not make sense to him!
Conservatism is far closer to the Torah than liberalism.
Rham and jew doesn’t seem to end well. Pure speculation on my part.
That godless p.o.s. Emanuel claims to have a rabbi on his leash?
Please...
no, read carefully. He said:
“can sort of show”
Hedging Rabbi is saying that Rahmy can “sort of show” that extreme liberal politics make sense for the younger, cooler Jews.
But Rabbi is still fairly clearly saying that conservatism makes no sense. Look, do not forget that this is the rabbi who gives his blessing when you need to make a conference call on Rosh Hashana for your boss, whose religion is black liberation theology.
Feh!(A word my grandmother used to convey complete and utter disgust)
oh he’s a liberal alright but results don’t matter to liberals. Only equality of outcomes. Liberals will say “ok we’re in a recession but we’re all in this together and we will all work together for the common good.” That’s what they feel makes sense and not the America of individuals working for their own self-interest.
I wonder if Rahm Emanuel is a self-hating Jew like Jonathan Leibowitz?
He is a hateful something. My guess would be random affects, IE your cone of hatred is attempted as well. :)
Puff piece for one of the most despicable unindicted (as yet) sociopaths in American public life.
A godless, baby-murdering Jew fits right in with godless, baby-murdering Catholics like Pelosi, Biden, Kerry, Kennedy, etc.
“I think they will, and I think that even more significant is his work in the Clinton administration and his reputation as someone who wants to promote successful policies, policies that have broad-based support. I think it’ll assure people that the Obama administration, if anything, will have very pleasant surprises and no real nasty surprises.”
. . . like a billion of our taxpayer dollars to Hamas in Gaza. Now that’s got to have broad-based support with Jews. Pleasant vs. nasty suprises.
*Modern* orthodoxy: never heard of it before, but is it really far, far, left Reform Judaism with new packaging - like Pepsi with the new obama logo?
This is a total shill cover piece to distract from what the Obamanation about to drop on Israel and its survival.
These sort of Jews would have helped the Nazis with train schedules to the camps...
I’m sure young Modern Orthodox Jews will just kvell at the $1 billion Hussein and his “Katsner” are promising to give Hamas to rebuild their arsenal of rockets....
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