Obama strives to overcome doubts among U.S. Jews

Enlarge Photo Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (L) stands with U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama during... Slideshow: Day in pictures: 23rd July 2008

Thu, Jul 24 03:22 AM

By Matthew Bigg

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) - If U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama's trip to Israel is to be judged a success, one of the things it must do is help overcome doubts about him among some Jewish voters back home.

That is particularly true in Florida, a state whose support proved decisive for U.S. President George W. Bush in 2000 and which could help determine November's election.

Nationally, 74 percent of Jewish voters backed Democratic candidate John Kerry in 2004, according to exit polls, making them a potential treasure trove of votes for Obama, this year's presumptive Democratic nominee. In Florida Jewish voters make up 5 percent of the electorate.

But many Jewish voters have significant doubts about the strength of the Illinois senator's commitment to maintaining the traditional U.S. position of stalwart support for Israel coupled with staunch opposition to Iran's nuclear ambitions.

Questions about him have arisen among Jewish voters because of Obama's association with a prominent Palestinian academic and radical comments made by his former pastor Jeremiah Wright, several south Florida rabbis said in interviews.

They are also concerned about links between his former church in Chicago and Louis Farrakhan, a militant black Muslim leader.

Some of those concerns were exacerbated by e-mails that circulated in the Jewish community this year spreading rumors about Obama that, while easily refuted, have proved persuasive to some people, they said. One e-mail erroneously said he was a Muslim.

At root, many Jewish voters are unsure what Obama stands for because he is newer to the national stage than his rival Republican John McCain, the rabbis said.

"A number of people who would normally be supporting a Democratic candidate because of his positions on the economy and social issues are nervous of him as far as Israel goes," said Josh Broide, executive director of the Boca Raton synagogue in south Florida.

NOT A MONOLITH

In part to address uncertainty about his foreign policy aims and credentials as a potential commander-in-chief, Obama went to the Middle East this week. He hailed Israel as a "miracle" on Wednesday during a visit that included a stop in Sderot, a town hit by rockets from the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.

In an indication of the importance he places on Jewish votes, he answered questions at a town hall meeting in May at a synagogue in Boca Raton, south Florida.

Florida Democratic Rep. Robert Wexler, a prominent Obama supporter, has also led a vigorous campaign to win the Jewish community over.

Wexler said an opinion poll this week by the pro-Israel group J Street of 800 Jewish voters showed 60 percent viewed Obama favorably against 37 percent who view him unfavorably. Wexler said that showed concerns about his stance on Israel were overplayed.

Other polls show Obama and McCain running about even among all Florida voters.

Jewish voters were not a monolithic bloc and responses to Obama and McCain varied widely across social demographics as well as religious and political affiliation, said Dan Levin, senior rabbi at the Temple Beth El in Boca Raton.

At the same time, not all placed equal importance on the strength of a candidate's support for Israel.

"One of the things that people appreciate about Obama is that he is ... a more complex thinker (than Bush). But when someone is a more complex, people will read that as weakness and ask: 'Are you pro-Israel or not pro-Israel,'" Levin said.

SAM'S DELI

An afternoon at a kosher delicatessen on Miami Beach provides a glimpse of the range of Jewish opinion.

Joseph Gold, an orthodox Jew buying a meal-to-go, said he would vote for Obama because of what he called his "economic liberalism." For a worker on a low wage, Gold said he would pay less tax under Obama.

He also voiced a view echoed by others at the deli that once a candidate became president they had little opportunity to depart from the basic U.S. position of support for Israel.

"Once they become president their hands are tied anyway (when it comes to Israel) by Congress and lobbyists," said Gold, who works as a warehouse manager.

Bob Grover, an independent voter, said Obama's tendency to avoid making specific commitments made him less convincing as a supporter of Israel.

"Obama just says what people want to hear and doesn't allow himself to be pinned down .... I'm still waiting (for specifics) and because of that I have great fear," said Grover, an attorney.

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