Senator George V. Allen, Republican of Virginia, said for the first time publicly yesterday that he has Jewish ancestry, a day after responding angrily to an exchange that included questions about his mother’s racial sensitivity and whether his family has Jewish roots.
At a campaign debate with Democratic challenger James Webb on Monday, a reporter asked Allen whether his mother’s father, Felix Lumbroso, was Jewish. He became visibly upset, saying his mother’s religion was not relevant to the campaign and chiding the reporter for making aspersions about people because of their religious beliefs.”
Allen’s campaign manager said the senator believed the question was hostile because it followed another one about whether Allen had learned the word macaca from his mother. The word, which Allen used last month to describe a Webb volunteer, is a French slur for a dark-skinned person. Allen’s mother, Henreitte “Etty” Allen, is a native of Tunisia and speaks French.
In a statement released by his campaign yesterday, Allen said he was proud to have recently discovered that his grandfather, a Nazi resistance fighter in North Africa, was part of a well-known Jewish family.
“I was raised as a Christian, and my mother was raised as a Christian,” said Allen, 54, “and I embrace and take great pride in every aspect of my diverse heritage.”
Allen is not the first public official to discover Jewish roots late in life, including former presidential candidates Senator John F. Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, and General Wesley K. Clark.
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4 Responses
As far as the campaign goes, it shouldn’t matter whether or not he’s Jewish. But he used a racial slur. THAT should be criticized.
Motcha: You’re missing the point. By asking the question the woman is implying that Jewish ancestry *should* be an issue in the campaign, which is most objectionable.
No, I agree, Kishke. His ancestry should not be an issue in the campaign.
Likewise, No ONE’s ancestry should be an issue in the campaign.
So why did he use a racial slur?
See, I’m asking why no one is objecting to his using a racial slur.
I’m not objecting to that slur b/c it doesn’t target me. The Jewish one, however, does.