Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry boasts of flying an Israeli jet and calls out in Hebrew during Florida campaign stops, trying to keep the state’s large Jewish population from straying to President George Bush.
In 2000, Jews voted 4-to-1 for Democrats Al Gore and Joe Lieberman, the first Jewish candidate on a major party’s presidential ticket. But Bush has built a reputation as a strong backer of Israel, and has courted Jewish voters in hopes that even a slight increase in support could make a difference in another tight election.
Kerry on Monday told voters in West Palm Beach that he will do a better job than Bush of ”holding those Arab countries accountable for funding terrorism”.
”We’ll do a better job of protecting the state of Israel than they are today,” Kerry said. Supporters held signs distributed by the campaign that said ”Jewish Americans for Kerry” and wore stickers and T-shirts that said ”Kerry-Edwards” in Hebrew.
After courting Jewish voters with a little Hebrew, Kerry tossed out some French to communicate with Haitian immigrants at a rally later in Orlando. Kerry speaks fluent French, but usually avoids doing so in public.
But not in Florida, where many Haitians have moved to seek relief from problems in their homeland. ”Je vais aidez les Haitiens,” Kerry said, promising to help the Haitian people.
The words in French were unusual, but the outreach to Jewish voters is standard in Kerry’s Florida pitch. Spokesperson Stephanie Cutter said Kerry wants to reassure them that he will continue his record of fighting for Israel. ”By and large the Jewish population in Florida knows who’s on their side and who isn’t,” she said.
Kerry’s paternal grandfather was a Czech Jew who immigrated to the United States and changed his name to Kerry from Kohn to escape violent anti-Semitism. Kerry’s Jewish roots were discovered last year by the Boston Globe, but he hasn’t mentioned it during his Florida stops. Instead, he talks about his visits to Israel and his pro-Israeli voting record.
”I’ve had the privilege of flying a jet in Israel, learning firsthand how tight that security is, how close the borders are, how tiny and fragile it is,” Kerry said. ”I’ve climbed to the top of Masada and I’ve stood on the top of Masada and yelled out as the Air Force recruits and others used to from the side of that cliff, the words ‘Am Yisrael Chai!”’
Kerry’s use of the Hebrew cry that means ”The people of Israel live” delighted the crowd. The symbolism of Masada — the desert mountain where Jewish rebels chose suicide over capture — still looms large in Israel as soldiers come at the start of their military training to pledge allegiance to the state.
Sharyn Wachs, wearing one of the campaign’s Hebrew stickers on her shirt, said Kerry seemed ”really united” with Israel and she was touched by his story of climbing Masada since she’s done it twice herself. She has been angry with Bush’s invasion of Iraq and left the rally to go cast her vote for Kerry since early voting began on Monday in Florida.
”Let’s just hope he can come through,” she said.
”That’s the thing — they can say anything to get elected.”
Kerry promised that he would stay engaged in the Middle East and help create a Palestinian entity with which Israel could negotiate.
”You don’t have one today, so you have to build a fence and you have to do what you are doing,” he said.
Bush-Cheney campaign spokesperson Steve Schmidt said Kerry had a different position when speaking to an Arab-American gathering near Detroit one year ago — he said the security fence separating Israel from the Palestinian territories was a ”barrier to peace.” – Sapa-AP