Washington – They were two Jewish aides who had offices within shouting distance of the Oval Office.
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But the resignation last week of Rahm Emanuel as White House chief of staff and the imminent departure of David Axelrod, the president’s senior adviser, is raising the question of what the disappearance of the president’s top two Jewish aides will mean for the Jewish community.
Top Jewish Democrats and leaders of Jewish organizations say there will be an absence — of optics, not substance.
“It’s not every day that a White House chief of staff has his kid’s bar mitzvah in a Conservative shul and takes the family to Israel,” said Matt Dorf, the managing partner at Rabinowitz-Dorf, a communications firm that represents liberal and Jewish groups.
“That gave a human face to this White House to many in the Jewish community,” Dorf said. “In terms of policy and the Jewish community’s relationship with the White House, I don’t expect any change in that relationship.”
The visuals are not unimportant, a top Jewish aide to a senior congressman told JTA.
“People like to have someone who looks like them near power,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “You say ‘Shanah Tovah,’ their faces light up.”
Read the full story at The JTA
they didn’t help us when they were there, & we won’t miss them!
Ah zelicha yeeden – I don’t need them representing me to the President
What’s there to miss? Like they actually helped Jews & Israel? What a joke, they HARMED us!
we didn’t gain anything with them & wellmanage withuut them till next election iy’h
I am not so sure they ever represented the Jewish community at the level of the president, so they will not be leaving behind a gap. However, I don’t think that anyone more vocal, representing Jewish causes better would impact at all on Obama. I cannot be as bold to consider him antisemitic, but he sure has no love for Jews, Israel, etc. That feeling of his appears to be entrenched and deep. Advisors will not affect it much. Those who feel differently are unlikely to ever be considered candidates for positions close to Obama. REMEMBER IN NOVEMBER.
good ridence soon obama will join them retired from hurting america
With friends like Emnuel and Axlerod who needs enemies?!?!
This is really a moot point, since we will elect a new President in 2012. I never cared for those two aides, anyway. In any event, for the last 35 years, every President had an unofficial liaison with the Jewish community.
These are the kind of Jews we want far far far away from the President, they did nothing but harm us. May the girly mahn rahm fall deep into obscurity and become as lost as Judge Crater. May Axelrod go back to his rat hole and eat cheese and always have one fearful eye watching for the cats(Katz)
How stupid can people be? We didn’t have any access before w/2 self hating Jews in the WH, and you expect access now from this anti jewish messiah?