At GA, Emanuel Talks U.S. Policy, His Own Jewish Practice
By Nathan Guttman
Filling in for the President of the United States is a tough job for anyone, especially when the audience is made up of 3,000 Jewish activists eagerly anticipating the first address of the President Obama to a Jewish communal organization.
But White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel managed to keep the crowd satisfied in his Tuesday speech at the Jewish Federations of North America’s General Assembly. He gave a detailed policy speech, and took on claims against his boss from members of the Jewish community. He also succeeded in making participants laugh, living up to his reputation as one of the sharpest politicians in town.
So here are some of the Emanuel highlights:
• After making a joke at the expense of his Washington, D.C.-based rabbi, Jack Moline, Emanuel shared with the crowd his concern that at next year’s High Holy Day services, he would be moved to the back row. That, according to Emanuel, would actually be better because it would allow him to leave before the service is over.
• On being sent to stand in for President Obama, Emanuel said that he understood that he was not the first choice, but reassured his Jewish listeners that he was not offended. Being a middle child, Emanuel said, prepared him for that.
• Emanuel gave his father credit for instilling in him the value of persistence: “Some of my political opponents would say he instilled this quality a little too successful.”
• But the line that got the most applause was when Emanuel spoke of his plans to travel with his brother Ari to celebrate the bar mitzvah of their respective sons in Israel this year. “That’s cheap, the applause,” Emanuel told the cheering Jewish delegates.“I’ll take an $18 check on behalf of him.”
For more highlights of Emanuel speech, regarding Israel, the Palestinians and Iran, click here.
November 8, 2009, 9:34pm
General Assembly = Super Bowl
By Nathan Guttman
Jerry Silverman, the new CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America (formerly known as United Jewish Communities), got involved in the Jewish world after a long career in the business world.
That background showed at the opening press conference for this year’s General Assembly, where he suggested some ideas that seem as if they could have been taken directly from a corporate management handbook.
For starters, there was his stated goal of turning the G.A. into the “Super Bowl of the Jewish world.”
That means, according to Silverman, making the G.A. bigger, adding more content and extending it beyond the three-day time frame. Silverman said he would like to see the G.A. become the main annual gathering of the Jewish community and as such last at least four or five days.
Silverman also promised to be much more attentive to the needs of those participating at the G.A. Staff members are in charge of talking to participants — whom he calls “mystery shoppers” — getting a feel for their needs and wishes, and reporting back to headquarters. This informal feedback is to be used to inform planning for future assemblies.
Obama To Address UJC General Assembly
By Nathan Guttman
The chase is over, and United Jewish Communities is the winner.
Ever since he took office in January, major Jewish groups have been trying to land President Obama as a speaker at their annual conferences. So far, the furthest Jewish groups could reach in the administration were Vice President Joe Biden and the National Security Advisor James L. Jones.
Until now.
On Friday, the UJC, which is being renamed the Jewish Federation of North America, announced that Barack Obama would be their keynote speaker at the General Assembly, scheduled for the second week of November in Washington.
“We are honored to be hosting President Obama at the GA,” said Dede Feinberg, the North America chair of the General Assembly.
This will be Obama’s first appearance at a Jewish community event, although he did hold a small meeting with a small group of Jewish leaders in July.
Although not officially announced yet, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also expected to speak at the GA. An announcement from Jerusalem confirming the appearance is expected in the next few days.
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