Senator Joe Lieberman and 'The Jerusalem Report' - opinion

• Published date: 26 April 2024
• Author: HOWARD BLAS
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

In 2003, when my family moved to New Haven, Connecticut, we joined the local Orthodox synagogue, which does not have assigned High Holy Day seats. To ensure that I wasn't sitting in a member's coveted seat, I chose a seat two rows from the back, on the right, about seven seats in – right next to the mechitza [dividing partition] – a seat sure to be near no one. I sat down, put on my tallit, opened my Machzor, and prepared for a long day of prayers. I unpacked the two pieces of reading material I had brought along in case of boredom – Jewish Education News and The Jerusalem Report

To my surprise, a man with a great head of white hair and an even finer smile passed in front of me and sat right next to me. I was a bit star struck, as it was Senator Joe Lieberman, the man who was on the ticket with Al Gore three years earlier and was contemplating a bid for the 2004 presidency of the United States! Instead of introducing myself or asking the obvious question of who he was, I pointed to my magazines and said, "If you get bored, feel free to help yourself."

"No thanks, I will read my Machzor," he replied. Ten minutes later, the senator asked, "What have you got?" I showed him his choices, he looked carefully, and chose The Jerusalem Report. I vividly remember the cover story – it was an in-depth look at the security fence whose first phase – around three parts of Jerusalem – was approved in March of 2003. Later proposed phases would separate the West Bank from Jerusalem. The senator, who moments earlier seemed intent on focused prayer, was now deep into a series of articles on the multitude of complex issues around the building of the fence.

When Joe Lieberman read my copy of The Jerusalem Report

Ironically, as I watched the senator read my Jerusalem Report, I had been writing fairly regularly for the publication – mainly providing interesting anecdotes from the Jewish world for the Up Front section. This was the "best article I could never write." I needed to respect his privacy. This was congregant and community...