(UPDATES BELOW) After eight years of Republican rule, Barack Obama turned Wednesday to the task of building a Democratic administration to lead the country out of war and into the financial recovery that he promised.
Jewish Congressman Rahm Emanuel (Illinois) has been tapped as White House chief of staff, according to reports. In that post, Emanuel will help manage the selections to come.
A “knowledgeable source” told ABC News, has not yet given his answer.
Emanuel, who worked in President Clinton’s White House and is now a member of the House Democratic leadership, was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1959. His father, the Yerushalayim-born Benjamin M. Emanuel, was a member of the Irgun, the Zionist paramilitary organization. Growing up in Chicago, Emanuel attended the Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School.
Obama planned to spend the rest of the week at home in Chicago, turning in earnest to reviewing the hiring decisions he’ll have to make in the next two-and-a-half months. Campaign advisers have already presented him with names to review for key positions, but they said he wasn’t focused on filling the jobs before winning the election.
Obama also faces intensive national security briefings that will prepare him to take over as commander in chief.
UPDATE: Sources tell FOX News that Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel has accepted the job of White House Chief of Staff in the Obama administration.
Emanuel is the son of an Israeli father, a physician, who moved to the United States before he was born. His mom, Martha, who was born in the United States, works for a civil rights organization.
Rahm does not speak Hebrew fluently, but it is reported that he served in the IDF. His father was a member of the Irgun Tzvai Leumi in the pre-state days.
Emanuel received his Jewish education at a Conservative school, and he spoke Hebrew at home with his father. He also served as a policy advisor to former US President Bill Clinton.
(Sources: Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel / ABC / CBS)
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26 Responses
“Intensive national security briefings that will prepare him to take over as commander in chief.” I guess all of his policies that he expressed during the campaign was without the proper facts. Lets see him fare better than Bush. It’s gonna be a long four years…..
Rahm Emmanuel’s father, Dr. Benjamin Emmanuel, is a pediatrician that is used by many in the frum community in Chicago.
Wait, soon you’ll see all the brainwashed right-wing media listeners finding a racial twist to this.
Having a Jew as Chief of Staff is NOT the answer to our prayers, keep in mind that there are those who “feel” they are Jewish but their family tree may have roots elsewhere.
This exactly how it happened in 1933….
illini07, I trust that OnTheLake is sarcastically referring to the comments on http://theyeshivaworld.com/news/General+News/25472/THE+44TH+PRESIDENT+OF+THE+UNITED+STATES+-+BARACK+HUSSEIN+OBAMA!.html .
illini07,
Chas v’sholom. Think before you type.
With this last post (#8) you finally confirmed the opionion that I had formed about you (from your previous posts).
You need help.
Hey, commenter #6, since Obama is a terrorist, any jew he associates with must be self-hating, right? How ignorant could you be?
I have ben saying all along Obama is our friend. Keep up the good work Prez!
#10, 11- Could you guys watch the way you talk!
With all honesty, I don’t think he’s a terrorist, nor an Arab.
I view him as a confused child, a good kid, who was influenced and found his self image through very radical sects of our population, as is evident in his voting record.
I think at this point he’ll move a bit to the center-left as far as domestic issues are concern since he now got to see the larger picture of the ideological spectrum.
The real troubling part is the international front, since he’ll get much louder cheers in the world by shifting towards arab nations when it doesn’t concern US security, and especially when it would be in US interest to do so.
Doing “the right thing” is not what’s on his mind. It’s the vast loud crowd that manners.
I hope Emanuel accepts.
Please let this silence the asinine “Obama hates Israel” contingency.
it is really fascinating to read everyone’s comments. I really cannot believe people can be so intensely foolish as to not see the real side to Obama- just look at some of his radical friends…But, conversely, when I read the words of some of these commentors, words of such stupidity, I am filled with hope. I realize that this must be G-d’s will and that is why they are allowed to be so blinded to reality (not that one does not have to answer for his actions). Anyway, I sincerely wish all our fears will be unfounded although I do not believe that to be the case.(Now is really a time were we need to do teshuvah…)
Lev melachim beyad H’
The national security briefings, post-election, are more complete than what a mere candidate may receive — candidates do not have a need to know the complete scope of intelligence sources and methods and intel gathered from extremely sensitive sources. The same is true for highly compartmentalized military programs. Harry Truman as VP, for example, had no idea that the US had access to Japanese and German codes or about the Manhattan Project to develop an atomic bomb. After his ascendency to the presidency, however, it was among the first things he needed to know. I have no idea if there is anything that sensitive that will now be revealed to Obama, but he will have access to information he should never have had an inkling existed.
Hey, commenter #6, since Obama is a terrorist, any jew he associates with must be self-hating, right? How ignorant could you be?
Comment by JeremyJolley — November 5, 2008 @ 10:53 am
I will be dan l’chf zchus in that you are you are so filled with misplaced anger and that you mis spoke and didn’t realize who you are addressing.
I don’t believe that Mr Obama is a terrorist nor have I even hinted that. Please be more careful with your rants.
It will be interesting to see how BHO’s tone changes on Friday, the day after he gets “The Briefing”.
A “tone change” occurred to all of the “newbie” presidents after they get the deep dive.
Hiring a jewish staff member gives absolutely no indication as to what his level of anti-semitism is. And it certainly doesn’t indicate which religion he affiliates himself with.
Hi “Give me a break”. Actually when I wrote “And it certainly doesn’t indicate which religion he affiliates himself with.” I was referring to Obama. While Obama is not a Muslim, a commenter used the fact that he hired a Jewish staff member as proof that he is in fact not a Muslim. I don’t see the proof in there at all. I guess we can respectfully disagree (or at least I will respectfully disagree with you- you actually do seem to be somewhat antagonistic) as to whether or not it shows a lack of anti-semitism. I don’t see the connection at all. There is no telling what is going on in other people’s minds. But you are entitled to think otherwise. And the truth is, what’s going on in his mind isnot so relevant, as long as he doesn;t act on it. So time will tell
Dr. Benjamin Emanuel was my pediatrician when I was a child. My mom always told me that he had a son who was a big knocker with the Clinton administration. I met Rahm at the All Star game at the cell in 2003and he seemed like a real Chicago Mensch.
I don’t know what the Obama supporters here consider to be wise Israeli policy. However, in a July interview with the Jerusalem Post, he makes it quite clear that he doesn’t think Israel can reasonably count on keeping anything more than the pre-1967 borders:
—-
Question:
The current Israeli prime minister told me in an interview a few months ago that the great advantage of the Bush administration on that issue was that they looked at Israel on the basis of “67-plus” – that their starting point was that maybe Israel can expect or deserve support for a slightly larger sovereign presence than the pre-1967 Israel. Do you think of Israel in its final-status incarnation on the basis of “67-plus”?
Obama:
Look, I think that both sides on this equation are going to have to make some calculations. Israel may seek “67-plus” and justify it in terms of the buffer that they need for security purposes. They’ve got to consider whether getting that buffer is worth the antagonism of the other party. he Palestinians are going to have to make a calculation: Are we going to fight for every inch of that ’67 border or, given the fact that 40 years have now passed, and new realities have taken place on the ground, do we take a deal that may not perfectly align with the ’67 boundaries? My sense is that both sides recognize that there’s going to have to be some give. The question from my perspective is can the parties move beyond a rigid, formulaic or ideological approach and take a practical approach that looks at the larger picture and says, “What’s going to be the best way for us to achieve security and peace?”
—
Implicit in Obama’s answer is his ignorance of the fact that a return to the 1967 borders are merely the beginning of the Palestinian demands: the “right of return” to the 1948 borders is equally important to them.
although it’s great that we will have a jewish chief of staff, there’s more to rahm.
rahm was a leading figure in both clinton’s attempt at a government-controlled healthcare system and the infamous oslo accords between rabin and arafat.
and rahm’s attitude does not quite match the “change ” that obama has promised. i quote:
‘Emanuel is said to have “mailed a rotting fish to a former coworker after the two parted ways.” On the night after the Clinton election, “Emanuel was so angry at the president’s enemies that he stood up at a celebratory dinner with colleagues from the campaign, grabbed a steak knife and began rattling off a list of betrayers, shouting ‘Dead! … Dead! … Dead!’ and plunging the knife into the table after every name.” His “take-no-prisoners attitude” earned him the nickname “Rahm-bo”.’ and before anyone can even start claiming this is “right-wing propaganda”, this is all straight from wikipedia. look it up.
Is 32 hinting that Congressman Rahm Emanuel will one day be in Obamas Shoes?
Wow! Can’t wait!
Why are all you liberal jews saying he must like jews because he put in a frei tzioni Jew? Just look at PM Olmert, he was put into office originally by the frum jews and now everyone, even the left hate him. Are you libs feeling guilty because you voted for B. Hussein Obama? This appointment has nothing to do with whether he likes jews or not; this has to do with a member of his party who comes from his state and is his friend. Only time will tell if he likes or dislikes jews. Stop putting a slant on everything just for your need to be right!
Is Rahm’s wife Jewish?
Yay Obama! Yay Rahm Emanuel!
Ha! His first staff pick is the son of an irgun membe, who went to day school and volunteered for the IDF during the Gulf War. I sense the taste of feet in a few mouths…