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miJEWtiae
By WJW Staff , Rockville, Md
akredo@washingtonjewishweek.com
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
'God's partners in matters of life and death'
Adam Kredo
President Barack Obama needs some outside help pushing health care reform, and he's turning to rabbis to get it.
In a morning conference call with about 1000 rabbis from across the nation, Obama asked for aid: "I am going to need your help in accomplishing necessary reform," the President told the group, according to Rabbi Jack Moline, who tweeted his way through the phoner.
"We are God's partners in matters of life and death," Obama went on to say, according to Moline's real-time stream.
The 15-minute morning briefing was sponsored by the Religion Action Center of Reform Judaism, and included rabbis of all persuasions. Although the RAC hosts the call each year, participants had never before heard from a sitting president.
What stood out about the call is that Obama "is a master communicator," Moline, the rabbi of the Conservative Agudas Achim Congregation in Alexandria, said in an interview after the call ended.
"This was clearly a message that was tailored to us," and not merely a generic stump speech, he added.
Moline noted that in the lead up to the president's address, as the rabbis waited on hold, "there was a lot of chatter" among some participants who felt that the call should be seen as an opportunity "to instruct the President about [Presidential Medal of Freedom selection] Mary Robinson" and about the peace process in the Middle East.
"It was the subject of a good deal of conversation whether anyone was going to challenge him on that," in particular Rabbi Eric Yoffie, the president of the Union of Reform Judaism, whose publicly chided Obama for his administration's stance on settlements.
When the issues failed to come up during the health care call, Moline pithily tweeted: "Yoffie praises President and does not raise any other issue. Good for him."
"Rabbi Yoffie stuck to the subject" of health care reform, Moline said in the interview, "I think it was a good thing."
Eyebrows were also raised by the choice of hold music that played to rabbis before the call began.
"First mistake," Moline tweeted, as he waited for the call to begin. "Music on hold is 'Deutschland uber Alles,' " a classical German anthem, the lyrics to which in part say, "Preserve and protect our Kaiser, our land."
(The music was chosen by the company carrying the conference call, not the White House or the RAC.)
A questioned submitted by Moline also was asked to the President, the rabbi proudly noted on Twitter, writing, "WOW! My question was asked of the President!!!!!"
The question, he later explained, was about how rabbis can address issue of health care reform "in a non partisan" way when they're behind the pulpit.
Obama responded by noting that the massive "human toll" of a broken health care system is a non partisan issue, and simply is unacceptable, Moline recalled.
The call, which was closed to the media, precedes another Obama phoner that is to take place at 5 p.m. this evening (Wednesday).
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Reader Comments
Posted: Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Article comment by:
Wendy
This is to first commenter, Stanley: Well then, what exactly DID Obama say in that context? What are the facts here? Be specific.
Posted: Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Article comment by:
stanley mieses
My rabbi, who is Orthodox, was included in the call, so Marvin Hershenon's presumption about THAT is dead wrong, and no doubt much of whatever else he has to say is built on similar fact-free nonsense.
Posted: Friday, August 21, 2009
Article comment by:
Bobbie Schwieman
God cares about every thing we do. He is in charge of our life. God gave us life and He should be the only one that should decide when we should die.
Posted: Friday, August 21, 2009
Article comment by:
Grey
I actually know an orthodox rabbi who was part of that conference call. He disagreed with some of the policy, but gave the president kudos for referencing Unetana Tokef.
Posted: Friday, August 21, 2009
Article comment by:
StewartIII
Obamateurism of the Day
http://hotair.com/archives/2009/08/21/obamateurism-of-the-day-102/
Posted: Thursday, August 20, 2009
Article comment by:
Chavah North
Partners with God? So that is why Obama is the Messiah and can therefore rule when (always) abortion is acceptable, even when it is after the fact. Any thoughts I ever had of leaving Orthodoxy (which sadly is sometimes too far right)were finished by the participation of this foolish Conservative "rabbi." How can anyone who knows anything about Torah, or history, or for that matter is even slightly logical agree with Eric Joffe, the poster boy for feel-good, anything goes pseudo-religous warm fuzzies. Obama is SO bipartisan - if that's the case where were the Orthodox rabbis?
Posted: Thursday, August 20, 2009
Article comment by:
Marv Hershenson
Personally, I find this story somewhat nauseating. The article states there were over 1000 Rabbis of differnt persuasions. I doubt there were Orthodox Rabbis on this call. For sure there were Reform and some Coonservative Rabbis and these group tend to support the President (which I find confusing since the President is not all that neutral with Israel and is bending backwards to kiss the buttocks of Arab dictators.) I do agree that there needs to be reform in the medical arena however, I believe that what the President is asking is going to permanently bankrupt our financial system which is already teetering with the current foolishness.
Posted: Thursday, August 20, 2009
Article comment by:
Susie
I hoped Obama would have also met with their wives, maybe they would've asked, "How will your wonderful Health Care Reform, that is going to save the nation, affect my son, "the doctor?"
Posted: Thursday, August 20, 2009
Article comment by:
Avi Zirler
"'We are God's partners in matters of life and death,' Obama went on to say."
Wow. God must feel very honored. He should be thankful to Obama for allowing him into this partnership.
Posted: Thursday, August 20, 2009
Article comment by:
Diane
My rabbi already regaled our Reform congregation with his views on the need for ObamaCare on the occasion of his sermon for Parshat Re'eh -- looking after the poor.
I was just a little miffed to be told, in so many words, that my distaste for a government takeover of our health care system is somehow un=Jewish and goes against the teachings of Torah.
I can hardly wait to hear his Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur sermons... (Not!)
Next up: Town hall-style heckling of rabbis on the bimah. Who knows? Stranger things have happened.
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