Jews Stand Up to Farrakhan Smear

I wasn't going to write this diary.

I thought the attempts to link Barack Obama to Louis Farrakhan wouldn't gain much traction because of the Senator's earlier denunciation of Farrakhan's anti-semitic remarks. I had thought that people would remember Barack Obama's willingness to stand up to antisemiticism within the African-American community on Martin Luther King Day.

But as it turns out, major news outlets are pushing this one hard--from Tim Russert's aggressive line of questioning in the last debate, to today's story in the New York Times--all alluding to the illusive "some" who might have questions about Senator Obama's authenticity.

It is time to act. It is time to show the world that Jews will not stand for divisive politics anymore. And that is why I have created a petition to denounce these politics of division.

A little about me first. I grew up in the large Jewish community of West Bloomfield, MI and went to a high school where the student body was about 50% Jewish. My step-father is a rabbi at a local Reform congregation. I was extremely active in the North American Federation of Temple Youth (NFTY)--the youth arm of the Reform Movement. I eventually became NFTY President and took a year off before college to serve. I travelled all over North America and met Jews of all stripes.

So, I know a little something about Jewish public opinion.

Which is to say that like all communities it is made up of diverse concerns andindependent thinkers. There is no monolithic "Jewish opinion". And while I have encountered Jews who have been influenced by the smear emails against Senator Obama, it has been rather easy to convince most of them that they are just that--smears--after laying out the facts.

But this latest smear goes too far.

It goes to far because it seeks to further undermine already tenuious Jewish-African American relations. And by tarnishing the record of one of the greatest champions of reconcilition between our two communities, the MSM is attempting to divide an historically great progressive coalition.

That is why this petition is so important:

We strongly condemn recent attempts to link Senator Barack Obama to antisemitic statements made by Louis Farrakhan. We recognize Senator Obama as a fierce critic of antisemitism within the African-American community and as a tireless advocate for continued cooperation and reconciliation between our two communities.

As Jewish-Americans, we cannot condone the rhetoric of guilt-by-association that has infiltrated the political discourse of the Democratic primary, nor can we stand for the politics of division that have driven a wedge between Jews and African-Americans for far too long. Such tactics have obscured the historical, cultural, and spiritual bonds between our two communities. It is time to put such tactics to an end.

As such, we also condemn the racism toward African-Americans that exists within the Jewish community, and we pledge to work with African-Americans to achieve our shared values.

While we encourage everyone to exercise independent judgment in determining who to support for public office, we call on all Jews to reject and denounce forces that attempt to divide us from our brothers and sisters of every race, religion, or creed.

I encourage all Jews to sign this petition to show the world we stand for unity and justice. At this time there are 54 signatures. My goal is 500 by March 4th. Let's make it happen!