Rabbi’s Sermon, Shabbat, June 13
by Rabbi Arnold Saltzman
On May 19 my former associate Elinor Tattar called me to say that President Obama would be speaking at Adas Israel Congregation in DC on May 22, and that I was invited to attend! My Washington office is at Adas Israel, where I served as Cantor-clergy, Chair in Jewish Music, and now Cantor Emeritus over a period of 34 years.
I said, ‘Yes! Thank you!’
If some of the leadership of the American Jewish Community and the citizens of Israel give low ratings to President Obama, they should take note that 1,500 tickets were gone in 24 hours.
I arrived Thursday morning at 8:30 to stand in line for the 9:30 security check. There were already hundreds of people in a line stretching down Porter Street. The atmosphere was joyous in anticipation of the event.
The President’s Jewish liaison, Matt Nosanchuk, is a member of Adas Israel, and suggested that the President speak there when asked to ‘find me a synagogue.’
The President’s approval ratings have dropped below 50%, although that is not unusual for a second-term president. Among Jewish voters he is more popular, at 54%, but his advantage is narrowing. Educated Jews, men and women, are most likely to support him, while Orthodox Jews are least likely to give him positive ratings. His rating dropped over the flap with Israel over the Iran negotiations and has not recovered. So why was he speaking at Adas Israel?
A young man came down the long line looking for me, and escorted me in early for a VIP seat. Rabbi Gil Steinlauf, who spoke briefly, mentioned that with speakers ranging from President Ulysses S. Grant to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to Golda Meir and Yitzhak Rabin, to Vice President Al Gore and the Dalai Lama, the Adas Israel pulpit has a prestigious tradition like few others.
When President Obama entered and stood before the Ark and Torahs, he received tumultuous applause and cheers. If anyone thinks that this president is not liked by the Jewish Community they are mistaken. He is beloved! I am not saying necessarily that you love him, but many others do.
In 1790 President George Washington sent a letter by hand to the Jewish Community of Newport, Rhode Island, which Obama quoted: “To bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance.”
Most American Presidents, including Jefferson, Madison, Monroe and Lincoln, have written correspondence with the Jewish community. And in visiting Adas Israel, Obama joined a handful of presidents who have spoken at synagogues while in office: Ulysses Grant, Calvin Coolidge, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and George W. Bush, who spoke at the 6th and I Synagogue for the 350th Anniversary of Jews’ coming to America. After their presidencies, both Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford spoke at Adas Israel on the occasion of a memorial for Arthur Burns.
It was President Grant who was the first to visit during the service of dedication of Adas Israel in 1876. President Grant had some guilt to expunge: During the Civil War, General Grant’s General Order No. 11 unfairly singled out Jews for expulsion from his military district for black-market cotton trading. President Lincoln revoked General Grant’s order weeks later. When President Grant was at Adas Israel he laid the cornerstone and made a $10 donation, equivalent to about $200 now. That was 139 years ago.
I was invited to participate in the 139th-anniversary celebration on June 9, but had to send my regrets as we were expecting a granddaughter, and she has arrived and is beautiful!
In his remarks, President Obama announced Jewish Heritage Month, recognizing the contribution that Jewish Americans have made to the United States and the world, in every field including: Business, Science, Math, the Arts, Politics, IT, Law, Religion, Sports, Literature, Education and Philanthropy. Why did he do this?
There is anti-Semitism in the world, even in the United States. The President was sending the message to all Americans that our nation will not tolerate bigotry. This is a common cause with other groups that experience bigotry and racial hatred.
President Obama also took the time to deny that he has not been a good friend to Israel. He said that he is Israel’s best friend and would never desert it. In Israel he has an 8% rating which is about the same for our congress.
Senator Barack Obama and Michelle Obama visited Adas Israel attending the Bar Mitzvah for Jake Genakowski, son of Julius Genakowski and Martha Raddatz. I gave the Obamas a tour of the building following services after introducing myself as cantor and as the teacher of the Bar Mitzvah. I had no idea who they were, except that they were a beautiful couple.
We should be grateful for being Americans. In his memorable and historic speech at Adas Israel, our President affirmed the Jewish community’s contributions to the United States and the world. I am grateful that our leaders have a tradition of inclusiveness going back to George Washington, and I will always remember May 22, 2015. Thank you, President Obama!