Obama Holds “Values-Driven Conversation” with Conservative Rabbis

David Streeter — May 30, 2012 – 3:12 pm | Barack Obama Comments (0) Add a comment

President Barack Obama recently attended a meeting between his Chief of Staff Jack Lew and representatives from the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. JTA reported:

A group of leaders from the Conservative movement held an informal meeting Tuesday with President Obama. 

Obama dropped by a scheduled meeting with White House Chief of Staff Jack Lew and thanked the 17 rabbis and lay leaders for their work to improve their communities.

The president stated his strong commitment to Israel’s security and discussed his actions to enhance security cooperation between the U.S. and Israel, as well as implement biting sanctions against Iran, according to a White House official.

Participants said they asked Obama questions about the social net, health care, the relationship with Israel, the threat from Iran, and Obama’s views on Judaism and Israel….

‘The meeting spoke to the president and administration’s deep appreciation of the values that motivate Jewish communities around the world,’ Rabbi Julie Schonfeld, the executive vice president of the Rabbinical Assembly, told JTA. ‘It was a values-driven conversation and represented the great potential for the Jewish community to make its views heard.’

The Huffington Post reported:

A group of rabbis and leaders from the Conservative movement of Judaism are commending President Barack Obama after a White House meeting on Tuesday, when they questioned him on issues ranging from the environment and immigration to the Israel-Palestine conflict and sanctions against Iran….

Rabbi Steven Wernick, chief executive officer of the USCJ, said the meeting was ‘warm and productive’ and attempted to position his denomination as crucial to Obama’s support among Jews.

‘Going into this upcoming election, the role of the Conservative Jewish community is critical; it quite literally constitutes the swing vote,’ he said in a statement. ‘While the Orthodox community can be counted on to vote predominantly Republican and the Reform community largely Democratic, Conservative Judaism—as the central address of contemporary Judaism—represents the epicenter of our people’s political allegiances.’

According to a press release, the president thanked the rabbis and lay leaders for the work they do in communities around the country and ‘reiterated his unshakeable commitment to Israel’s security.’

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