  Lieberman won the adoration of the Jewish community during his 2000 vice- presidential campaignBy Gabby Deutch Joe Lieberman, a former longtime Connecticut senator who made history as the first Jewish candidate on a major presidential ticket, igniting a surge of pride in the Jewish community, died Wednesday at his Connecticut home. He was 82. He died of complications from a fall, according to his family. An Orthodox Jew who observed stringent rules around kashrut and Shabbat, Lieberman didn’t compromise his religious observance during his political career. For rare Senate votes that occurred on Saturdays, Lieberman walked to the U.S. Capitol to cast a vote. He won the adoration and pride of the U.S. Jewish community in 2000 as the running mate to Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore, an election lost by several hundred votes in Florida. Many Jews backed his unsuccessful Democratic presidential primary campaign in 2004. As the Democratic party ticked leftward in the post-9/11 era, Lieberman began to find himself alienated from the party that fueled his political career. He served three terms in the Senate as a Democrat after first being elected in 1988. In 2006, he faced a Democratic primary opponent who challenged Lieberman — a foreign policy hawk — over his support for the Iraq war. Lieberman lost the primary but stayed in the race as an Independent, ultimately beating the Democrat to win his fourth and final term in office. Two years later, Lieberman endorsed his Republican colleague John McCain for president in 2008. You May Have MissedGROWING LISTHouse Education committee to investigate Rutgers as part of expanding antisemitism probe‘Rutgers stands out for the intensity and pervasiveness of antisemitism on its campuses,’ Rep. Virginia Foxx said in a letter to the school’s leaders. SECURITY ALERTJewish communal groups reiterate concerns about security grant funding cutAt a time of rising antisemitism and threats to the Jewish community, Congress cut funding to help bolster security. Read more...       |
3.27.2024
Joe Lieberman, Conn. senator and first Jewish VP nominee, dead at 82
