The campaign to reelect Barack Obama received a boost from the Jewish community
on Tuesday with more than 600 rabbis declaring their support for a second term
for the current US president.
The new campaign initiative, labeled Rabbis
for Obama, announced that “over 613 rabbis... from across the country and across
all Jewish denominations” have committed to reelecting the president.
Ira
Forman, the Jewish outreach director for Obama’s reelection campaign, said that
the rabbis on the list represent “a broad group of respected Jewish leaders”
from across the country.
“Their ringing endorsement of President Obama
speaks volumes about the president’s deep commitment to the security of the
State of Israel, and his dedication to a policy agenda that represents the
values of the overwhelming majority of the American Jewish community,” said
Forman.
Rabbis Sam Gordon and Steven Bob – who were the founding
co-chairmen of Rabbis for Obama in 2008 – and Rabbi Burt Visotzky, a vice
chairman for the campaign in 2008, will lead the group in what is described as
“a campaign initiative to engage and mobilize grassroots supporters” for the
president.
The battle for Jewish votes is likely to be more intense than
ever in this election campaign, given the closeness of the race, the importance
of the Jewish vote in key swing states such as Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio and
even Nevada, and the perception among some American Jews that Obama’s polices
have been detrimental to Israel.
