Your missionary to Capitol Hill, Washington, DC, Rob Schenck, reporting:

The election of Barack Obama caused many evangelicals and others to worry what might happen to America’s support of Israel. That question remains unanswered, but there is one related development that surprised at least me.

Obama’s first appointment to his White House team is Rahm Emanuel (whom I’ve met), a congressman from Illinois and former member of the Clinton Administration. He will be the Chief of Staff, or general manager of the White House operation. This is a very powerful, very influential role in any administration. He will be Obama’s right-hand man.

Emanuel is interesting to say the least:

- The son of an Israeli immigrant father who fought with the Irgun, an underground insurgency movement that fought the English and Palestinians in the war to establish the modern state of Israel

- An Orthodox Jew who attends a synagogue (or, more correctly, a “shul”) that, among other things, maintains a mikvah–or immersion tank–for ritual cleansing, i.e, “Jewish baptism”

- As a kid, Emanuel spent his summers in Tel Aviv and still vacations there

- He volunteered as a civilian with the Israeli army

- Emanuel’s rabbi, Asher Lopatin, writes on the synagogue’s website, “Israel, the Torah and God are all one. If one of them is disrespected, the other one suffers.”

Of course, the White House chief of staff doesn’t direct foreign policy, but neither does it appear Emanuel would roll over if his boss did something he didn’t like. When it comes to his politics and his job, he’s known to be sharp, disciplined, sometimes too serious, profane, even severe. In my one encounter with Emanuel (oddly at a prayer service), I found him, well, prickly.

Perhaps Emanuel’s father, pediatrician Benjamin Emanuel, said it most clearly in an interview with the Israeli newspaper Ma’ariv. About his son’s effect on the soon-to-be President Obama, the senior Emanuel said, “Obviously he will influence the president to be pro-Israel. Why wouldn’t he? What is he, an Arab? He’s not going to clean the floors of the White House.”

A bit strong, maybe even offensive,  but definitely clear.

Oh, I forgot to mention the new chief of staff’s full name . . . Rahm Israel Emanuel.

Hmm . . .

Rob

Rev. Rob Schenck
Faith and Action
www.faithandaction.org
109 2nd St, NE
Washington, DC 20002
202-546-8329