Texas Jewish Post (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 45, No. 1, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 3, 1991 Page: 2 of 24
twenty four pages : ill. ; page 16 x 12 in. Scanned from physical pages.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
2 TEXAS JEWISH POST, THURSDAY, JANUARY 3, 1991—INOUR45TH YEAR!
Writing new laws;
observing old ones
U.S. Sen. Joseph Leiberman's mother, Marcia, offers her son a congratulatory kiss at Yeshiva University’s 58th
annual commencement exercises.
By JAMES BESSER
WASHINGTON — The hours are
grueling and the people who hired him
can be fickle, not to mention the con-
flicts between his obligations as an
observant Jew and the requirements of
the job.
But after nearly two years in Wash-
ington as a United States senator,
Connecticut’s Joseph I. Lieberman is a
man who still finds little about the job to
complain about. Likewise, few complaints
are heard about him.
Lieberman came to the Senate in
January 1989, as the first Orthodox
Jewish member of that elite body. As
the only Sabbath-observant member of
the Senate’s eight-man Jewish contin-
gent, he is often pigeon-holed as “the
Senate’s Jew,” a designation he stead-
fastly resists.
At the same time, however, the 48-
year-old Democratic senator is a unify-
ing symbol for thousands of Orthodox
Jews, who often disagree politically, as
well as being an important asset as the
Orthodox community begins to flex its
political muscles.
An incident that occurred during his
quest for the senatorial nomination
underscores the standing he erjoys among
politically active Orthodox Jews includ-
ing the Chasidim.
‘The state was holding its Democratic
convention for nominating their candi-
dates,” recalled William Rapfogel, direc-
tor of the Union of Orthodox Jewish
Congregation’s Institute for Public Af-
fairs. “It happened to fall on a Jewish
holiday. Joe Lieberman couldn’t attend,
and didn’t.
“I remember my rabbi making a speech;
about this mm who was risking his‘
nomination to high office because of his
beliefs. There was a tremendous admi-
ration within the Orthodox community
and a pride in his accomplishment,”
Rapfogel said.
Equally enthusiastic about his perform-
ance so far are members of Washing-
ton’s pro-Israel lobby. The consensus is
that he manages to convey strong sup-
port without seeming to rubber-stamp
Israeli government policies.
His unabashed Jewishness combined
with the care with which he speaks out
about the Middle East allows him to
serve as an independent voice on this
highly charged issue.
It also makes him an ideal person to
communicate with the Israeli govern-
ment on the critical issue of Jewish
support in this country. During a trip to
Israel just before the Persian Gulf crisis
erupted, for example, Lieberman pro-
vided some sober warnings to Israeli
leaders about eroding support on Capi-
tol Hill.
“When Joe Lieberman speaks to the
Israelis about American support, they
listen,” said a leading pro-Israel lobbyist
in Washington who, like several others
interviewed for this story, did not want
to be named for fear of stepping on the
wrong toes.
‘They’re much more likely to take this
guy seriously, because they know his
support for Israel is on a gut level, and
they know his purpose isn’t just to curry
favor with the pro-Israel types. It’s not
politics with him.”
The acclaim for Lieberman has not
1 been universal, however. Jewish “multi-
issue” groups, such as the American
Jewish Congress and the American
Jewish Committee, both of which have
liberal domestic agendas, have occasion-
ally butted up against his conservatism.
For example, a number of Jewish groups
campaigned vigorously against the capi-
tal gains tax cut earlier this year, Lieber-
man was one of only six Democrats to
side with the president in the bitter
partisan battle.
And although Lieberman describes
himself as pro-choice on abortion, he has
“not come through for us as much as we
hoped,” said one Washington represen-
tative of a national Jewish group that
takes a strong pro-choice position.
But even critics of his positions tend to
like the man.
Capitol Hill observers say Lieberman
brings a zest to the job that is uncom-
mon in cynical Washington.
True, he’s still only a third of the way
into his initial six-year Senate term. But
Lieberman says he does not mind the
breakneck pace or the difficult burdens
on his personal life that a Senate career
entails.
“I do eqjoy it,” he said in a recent
interview in his Senate office. “I hon-
estly find every day interesting. I really
believe in trying to affect society through
law. This is something I was taught —
the whole role of the law in Jewish life.
We learn at Shavuot the idea that Israel
did not really become a nation at the
Exodus, it became a nation with the
giving of the law.”
Joseph Lieberman defies neat politi-
cal categories. He is generally regarded
as a conservative Democrat with a strong
independent streak. His dramatic 1988
victory over Senate veteran Lowell
Weicker, a Republican liberal, created
an intriguing kind of partisan role re-
versal.
While liberal Jewish activists fervently
hoped for a Weicker victory, Lieberman
was actively supported by William F.
Buckley Jr., the personification of East
Coast WASP conservatism. And in an-
other twist, pro-Israel political action,
committees supported Weicker, pragmatic
to the core, PACs are more impressed by
incumbency than a candidate’s Jewish
credentials.
Personally,. Lieberman is even less
susceptible to simple classification. In
both appearance and demeanor, he fits
none of the current senatorial arche-
types. His somewhat cherubic face and
thinning, curly hair defy the television
anchorman image currently popular on
Capitol Hill. He is a slight man with an
almost demure style. It’s difficult to
imagine him slapping backs or bullying
witnesses.
In keeping with this style, he has chosen
to work his way up the Senate hierarchy
the old-fashioned way by concentrating
on a few issues — environmental protec-
tion, economic growth and international
terrorism — and by trying to convince
colleagues that he works hard and can
be relied on.
“Environmental protection is something
I was involved with as (Connecticut)
attorney general and as a state senator,”
said Lieberman, who as a newly minted
senator introduced strong oil spill liabil-
ity legislation in the wake of the Alaska
Exxon Valdez disaster. “It was fortunate
for me that when I arrived here, there
happened to be a growing national con-
sensus that we had to do something to
fix the environment.”
In the area of economic growth and
competitiveness, he introduced an un-
usual number of bills for a freshman
senator — including a major economic
growth package that covers everything
from capital gains tax credits to a
“business IRA,” a creative approach to
encouraging reinvestment in equipment
and training.
He has also led the charge for more
government involvement in the business
sector.
“In Japan, the government helps busi-
ness grow,” he said. “Ours doesn’t. For
us to cling to 19th century economic
rhetoric while trying to compete in the
20th century is a major mistake.”
B ut where he has truly made his mark
so far has been in the area of terrorism
and international security. Speaking
before Saddam Hussein’s conquest of
Kuwait, his words had an almost pro-
see SENATOR page 3
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Wisch, J. A. & Wisch, Rene. Texas Jewish Post (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 45, No. 1, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 3, 1991, newspaper, January 3, 1991; Fort Worth, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth834816/m1/2/: accessed June 29, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; .