Jarrett Affirms Obama’s Commitment to Jewish Priorities at JCPA Conference

David Streeter — March 8, 2011 – 1:56 pm | Barack Obama | Domestic Policy | Economy | Education | Foreign Policy | Israel Comments (0) Add a comment

Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement Valerie Jarrett addressed the Jewish Council for Public Affairs’ (JCPA) annual conference and affirmed President Barack Obama’s commitment to the Jewish communal legislative agenda. JCPA At-Large Board Member and NJDC Chair Marc R. Stanley along with JCPA Vice Chair and Maryland State Democratic Party Chair Susan Turnbull both introduced Jarrett before she spoke. Click here to watch the video and scroll below to read highlights.

On issues of concern to the Jewish community, Jarrett said:

On a whole range of topics, it’s clear that we share common values, and through those values we also share common goals. One of the most important is the Jewish notion of ‘L’dor, v’dor,’ or ‘from generation to generation,’ the idea that each generation has an obligation to make life better for the next generation.

The President describes this as ‘Winning the future’ for our children. And to do this, he has explained how we need to out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world. These three goals are essential to growing the economy over the next several years, and keeping our country competitive in the global marketplace. I’d like to take some time to discuss each of these key pillars: Innovation, education, and infrastructure.

On innovation, Jarrett said:

To ensure growth, we must continue to innovate, so that we create the jobs and industries of the future by doing what America has always done best - investing in the creativity and imagination of our people to create the jobs and industries of the future. This is our generation’s Sputnik moment, and the President is calling for the highest level of investment for research and development since President Kennedy launched the space race.

One of the most exciting areas of innovation is in clean technology. You’ve been a leader on this issue for some time now.  Thousands of you worked to engage Members of Congress on energy reform. President Obama has set a goal that eighty percent of our electricity will come from clean energy sources by 2035. The President is also challenging America’s scientists and engineers to invent technologies that will ensure the United States is the first country to put 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2015, and make solar power as cheap as electricity by the end of the decade.

On education, Jarrett said:

I know education is a core Jewish value, and we’ll need your help to make sure we give our children the best possible chance to succeed. This is an essential part of sustained economic growth, because we know that over the next 5 years, nearly ninety percent of new jobs will require more than a high school degree, yet a quarter of our nation’s children aren’t even finishing high school. To win the race to educate our children, the President wants to expand ‘Race to the Top;’ recruit 100,000 new teachers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math; and expand college affordability by making permanent the American Opportunity Tax Credit, worth $10,000 for four years of college. We also know there is bipartisan support for our approach. Last Friday, the President visited Miami Central High School in Florida, accompanied by former Governor Jeb Bush, where they highlighted the benefits that investments in education can make, not just for one school, or one community, but for the nation as a whole.  

On Israel, Jarrett said:

Just last week, I attended a meeting between President Obama and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. I had the pleasure of sitting just a seat away from Rabbi Steve Gutow, who asked the President a very thoughtful question about our efforts to help bring democracy to the region.

At the meeting, the President made clear that throughout this period of unrest, we have been consistent in rejecting violence; calling for respect for universal rights; and advocating on behalf of a process of meaningful reform that is responsive to the needs of the people. These are universal values, and the President will uphold them everywhere, as he has done from Egypt to Bahrain to Libya.  As he does so, he will also work closely with the international community to ensure that the process of transition is orderly and stable, and that the region evolves in a way that advances American interests, including peace between Israel and her Arab neighbors. 

The President also made clear that while the region will evolve, some things will never change.  Among them is his unshakeable support for Israel’s security; his opposition to any effort to de-legitimize Israel, or single her out for criticism; and his commitment to achieve a peace that will secure the future for Arabs and Israelis alike.

We know that as the status quo in the Arab world is not sustainable, and neither is the status quo in the search for Middle East peace.  We need to find a way to ensure direct negotiations have credibility and purpose, because that is the only way to resolve the conflict.  The JCPA has been an important partner with us on these efforts, and we will need your continued support in the weeks ahead, as the United States continues to explore how to move forward with our Israeli, Palestinian, and other partners in the region. So let us continue to work together closely, so we can help ensure a future for Israel that is secure, prosperous, and peaceful.

On civil discourse, Jarrett said:

I’d also like to thank you for highlighting the need for civility in our public discourse. The JCPA’s civility statement, signed by more than 1,500 lay and religious leaders representing over 1,000 different Jewish community organizations, is part of a long tradition of Jewish leadership on this issue, from Louis Brandeis to Elie Wiesel. And as the President so memorably said in Tucson after the tragic shootings, ‘at a time when our discourse has become so sharply polarized - at a time when we are far too eager to lay the blame for all that ails the world at the feet of those who happen to think differently than we do - it’s important for us to pause for a moment and make sure that we’re talking with each other in a way that heals, not in a way that wounds.’ We look forward to your continued advocacy for civil discourse.

Jarrett also spoke about her Jewish roots:

As an African-American, this lesson is particularly meaningful to me. And the Passover Seder has a unique lore in my own family. Many, many years ago, my parents hosted a Seder for a group of our Jewish friends, and it was here that my father first told me that my great-grandfather was Jewish. What a wonderful surprise for our friends, and for me! So Passover has always been a special holiday for me.

It is a holiday that is important to the President as well. One of my favorite stories from the Presidential campaign took place in the spring of 2008. A group of young aides traveling with then-Senator Obama organized a small Seder in the basement of a hotel in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Away from home, some for the first time, they marked the holiday as best they could, with borrowed haggadahs and makeshift Seder plates.

When then-Senator Obama learned of the gathering, he decided to participate, and I joined as well. He too had attended many Seders before, back home in Chicago, and was very familiar with the Passover story.

Even though we were all exhausted and wondered if the campaign would ever end, the evening turned out to be so much fun. We sang, had some wine, and took a momentary respite from the strains of the campaign. The President invited his staff to share stories about their family traditions. We formed a special bond that evening.

There was also a very serious lesson underlying that Seder, the same lesson each of you celebrate with your own families - the idea that a better tomorrow awaits, a belief that the future can be better if we work for it. Whether it’s the Israelites fleeing Egypt, a young person in Israel praying for peace, or a family struggling to make ends meet after the worst recession since the Great Depression.

At the end of our little Seder on the campaign trail, as we all raised our wine glasses to proclaim, ‘Next year in Jerusalem!,’ Senator Obama raised his glass a second time, promising if he won the election, ‘Next year in the White House!’ We all laughed.

The following year, just a few months after the President’s Inauguration, true to his word, the President invited each of us who had attended the Seder on the road, to the first White House Seder in American history. Of course, the President included the First Lady and their daughters, so that he could share the tradition with his family.

We have now enjoyed two Seders in the White House, and we all look forward to this year’s. It remains one of my most cherished evenings.

 

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