Top Jewish stories of 2008

As seen though the eyes of the (mostly) liberal Jewish media

By David Benkof

Issue of Dec. 19, 2008 / 22 Kislev 5769

This year saw many significant Jewish events, but which ones will go down as important in Jewish history? More than 30 Jewish historians and journalists in the Jewish media responded to a survey I distributed asking precisely that question. Below are the three most important Jewish stories of 2008, as seen through their eyes:

1. Barack Obama elected with heavy Jewish support

Earlier in the year, many pundits predicted that for a Republican, John McCain would win record Jewish support. Yet Democrat Obama scored 78 percent of the Jewish vote in the November election, two points higher than John Kerry had earned in 2004.

Respondents to the survey felt Obama’s Jewish support was the most important Jewish news story of the year. Dr. Jonathan Krasner, professor of the American Jewish experience at Hebrew Union College, speculated that “the Democrats would need to run a personality with the radioactivity level of a Jimmy Carter” for non-Orthodox Jews to stop heavily supporting the Democratic candidate. And even then, he said, “The default voting pattern would reset in future elections and would continue to typify voting in state and local races.”

Andrew Silow-Carroll, editor-in-chief of the New Jersey Jewish News, felt the most newsworthy aspect of this story was “the bitter campaign waged against Obama by his Jewish opponents.” Silow-Carroll commented, “The attacks against Obama revealed a dark and paranoid streak among a certain kind of Jew — just as the eventual vote suggested optimism had carried the day.”

Finally, a few Jewish journalists pointed to the effect of Obama’s election on inter-group relations in the United States. For example, Judy Bolton-Fasman, a columnist for the Jewish Advocate in Boston, wondered whether the 2008 race “may be the second renaissance of black-Jewish relations in the United States.”

2. Rubashkin plant closed for labor violations

The travails of the Rubashkin kosher meat company got the second most votes for most important Jewish news story of the year. Most of the respondents were appalled at the alleged abuse of workers, inhumane practices, and hiring of illegals that took place at the Agriprocessors slaughterhouse and meatpacking facility in Postville, Iowa.

Dr. Harriet Freidenreich, a professor of modern Jewish history at Temple University, felt the controversy reflected poorly on the Orthodox rabbinate and community. In fact, she commented, “Jewish values and ethics seem more highly valued in the [Conservative and Reform] community than among most of the Orthodox spokesmen.”

Similarly, New Jersey Jewish News staff writer Marilyn Silverstein said the Rubashkin scandal shined a spotlight on “the disconnect that many times exists between the observance of Jewish law and the observance of Jewish values.”

Dr. Krasner pointed out a more practical challenge of the controversy: the short-term shortage of kosher meat, which has led to a “spike in prices in the midst of a recession.”

But not every one of those surveyed described Rubashkin and Agriprocessors as villains. Susie Rosenbluth of the Jewish Voice and Opinion in New Jersey said the kosher meat plant was the victim of two groups, “whose power and influence the company failed to recognize”: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and the unions who were “livid that Agriprocessors was not unionized.” She said that PETA attacked the company as a way to reduce the amount of meat eaten by Jews. Ultimately, Rosenbluth said, the Rubashkins deserve credit for making sure kosher meat could be found not only in major Jewish centers, but also in out-of-the-way locations.

3. Attack on the Chabad center in Mumbai, India

New Jersey Jewish News reporter Robert Wiener described the Nov. 26 assault by Muslim terrorists as a “horror show in an unexpected venue.” Boton-Fasman said the attack “highlighted how Islamic extremists want to destroy world Jewry.”

The effect on international relations was important to Rosenbluth. She pointed out that “India and Israel (Hindus and Jews) already have very amicable relations. Having a common enemy - and the Islamists make no secret that they identify both groups as the ‘enemy’ - should bring these natural allies closer, to their mutual benefit.

Silow-Carroll pointed out an effect of the event on the Jewish community, that it “repositioned Chabad as the de facto Jewish vanguard, and made other Jewish groups acknowledge it.”

David Benkof writes the “Fabulously Observant” column for the Jerusalem Post, from which this article was drawn.

He can be reached at DavidBenkof@aol.com.