Former Suffolk Law School professor and brother of Sen. John Kerry, Cameron Kerry has been nominated as General Counsel for the U.S. Commerce Department by President Obama, although he stressed in an interview with the Journal that he has not been confirmed by the Senate yet and did not want to disclose too much information until everything is official.
The job of the Commerce Department General Counsel is to be the “legal adviser to the commerce secretary and I will do my job as defined by him when and if I am confirmed,” said Kerry. Working at the commerce department is a demanding job according to Kerry because it’s “running from trade to tech to oceans and atmosphere.”
If confirmed, Kerry will bring over twenty-five years of experience as a lawyer to the commerce department. He has worked for the Boston law firm Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky, and Popeo since 1983 and has largely focused on telecommunications law. He has written on first amendment and cable television issues.
“One important piece [of working at the Commerce Department] is the National Broadband portion of the stimulus package,” said Kerry. In the stimulus package, $4.7 billion will be provided for broadband.
From 1997-2002, Kerry taught classes at Suffolk Law School regarding the subjects of telecommunications law and convergence and regular administrative law and procedure, which touches upon the first amendment.
“It was a great challenge to delve into and broaden students’ knowledge and it was a great broadening and learning experience for me,” said Kerry. “There was always one person that brought a relevant background to the table.”
Kerry said that there was an arduous vetting process to be selected as the Commerce Department’s General Counsel that is still going on and declined to go into detail on the application process.
Before going on to the full Senate, Kerry will have a hearing in front of the Senate Commerce committee, which includes Sen. Kerry, who will likely recluse himself from voting on his brother’s nomination. “[Sen. Kerry] has created an opportunity for me to be part of the political conversation nationally.” Kerry is a close political confidant to his brother and served as an adviser to his 2004 presidential campaign.
Having converted to Judaism in 1983 before marrying Kathy Weinman and being the current Vice-Chair of the National Jewish Democratic Council, Kerry was able to use his voice among the Jewish Community to defend Obama during the 2008 elections.
According to Kerry, there is no word yet on when the confirmation hearing will take place.
The National Jewish Democratic Council released the following statement:
The National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC) commends President Barack Obama’s selection of our good friend, and dedicated Vice Chairman of our Board of Directors, Cameron Kerry to serve as General Counsel to the Department of Commerce. With over 30 years of experience in law, a keen intellect, and an in-depth understanding of a wide range of legal areas, Cam will be an invaluable asset to our government.
Cam has been an indispensable part of our leadership team at NJDC where we have come to rely on his sage advice and strong leadership. Cam has a strong presence in the Jewish community; he played a principal role in 2004 by rallying the Jewish vote on behalf of the Democratic ticket.
At this important and challenging time, there is no better person to play such a key role in the Obama administration.
(Source: Suffolk Journal / YWN)
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15 Responses
Does he get off Chal Hamoed?
Has he also not paid his back taxes in the past several years? It seems to be a trend…..
I would not consider Mr. Kerry as being a Jew. He seems to be ignorant of the basics of Judaism and so ignorant that he is unaware of the depths of is ignorance. It appears that the education before his reform conversion was less than most.
wonderful, just wonderful another ‘jew’ in the administration.
did he also serve in vietnam? did he alo come back & sell out his country like a lying traitor??
haymishe?
…Except that Mr. Kerry is NOT a Jew because he did undergo conversion according to halacha. It is true that their father was the son of Jewish parents, and that Mr. Kerry is married to a Jewish woman. However, his non-Orthodox procedure does not make him Jewish, so please change the headline.
Actually, their grandfather was Fritz Kohn, a Jewish Czech immigrant who converted to Roman Catholicism.
Hon. Cameron Kerry is a good Jew. We are pleased to welcome him back to our People.
How is he a Jew? He gave a donation to a reform temple, ate a bagel with lox and signed the dotted line?
nu, did he convert al pi halacha, or not? i would be shocked if yeshiva world calls him a jew otherwise.
I was going to comment earlier in the day but let me just say this: it’s good for his kids at least that he identifies Jewishly, regardless of his halachic status, and let’s welcome his friendship and good intentions.
9, they must have been quoting the other headline.
from freerepublic.com
“Kerry and his wife have raised their two daughters in the REFORM tradition, with baby namings and bat mitzvahs”
from reformjudaismmag.net
“Converting, he says, was far less traumatic than he had anticipated. There were no objections from the rest of the Kerry clan, and his new Jewish family at (REFORM) Temple Israel welcomed him with open arms.”
from interfaithfamily.com
“Cameron Kerry converted to Judaism in 1983 shortly before he wed Kathy Weinman, a REFORM Jew.”
I think it is obvious. This guy is as Jewish as a ham and cheese sandwich (which the reformies will convert also, for the appropriate fee).
YeshivaWorldNews… SHAME on you for this (unqualified) headline.
This is outrageous! I wrote a talkback ealier providing PROOFS that this man is a REFORM convert and not only did YWN decline to post it but they leave the headline unchanged!!! this man is NO Jew and YWN, an allegedly frum website, conceals this fact!!!! Has the world gone insane???
to #9… be shocked… this guy is a reform convert, YWN knows this and still keeps the headline… you try to figure out why… I sure can’t
to #10
Meaning, please, not to be disrespectful but could you please explain to me how it is good for his kids who ARE Jewish to think that their goy father is a Jew? It’s bad enough that reformism confuses them as to what is and what is not Judaism. I say: better that they should know WHOt is and who is not a Jew. That he “identifies Jewishly” merely muddies those waters and diminishes the meaning of the very word “Jew.”
Welcome his friendship, sure. But aid and abet (in ANY way) in the fantasy that he is any kind of Jew? NEVER. That he “identifies Jewishly” diminishes the meaning of the very word “Jew” and thus, quite literally STEALS from us our very identity.
Regarding the headline, YWN quite regularly changes the headlines from the stories they cite. To leave this headline unchanged or without an “editor’s note” merely serves to further the charade that this man is a Jew.
Respectfully
TME
I’m not a kanoi type, but I also think the headline is not what Hashem would think appropriate. We can show respect for Cameron Kerry without spitting on Hashem’s definition of conversion.