As we prepare for the next round of presidential elections in just over one year, it is worth recalling the words of Jules Farber who once wrote: “The time is at hand when the wearing of a prayer shawl and skullcap will not bar a man from the White House. Unless,of course, the man is Jewish.”

The candidacy of Joe Lieberman for Vice President in 2000 and his bid for the Democratic nomination in 2004 almost – almost – gave that line to the lie. It would have been interesting to see what would have happened had he been elected Vice President, and especially if he had become President (something that, most would probably agree, is now rather unlikely), would America have been ready for a Jewish President, particularly a traditionally observant Jewish President?

Perhaps. Most of us would have had an equally difficult time imagining that we would elect an African-American President in our lifetimes.  Paradoxically, one of the great concerns that many, especially in the Jewish community, raised about Barack Obama during his candidacy was his association with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. I say paradoxically for two reasons: on the one hand, the Rev. Wright was and remains a polarizing figure, whose use of language is repugnant to any of us who care about Israel (using the term “ethnic cleansing” to refer to Gaza, for example) and about Jewish community (his accusation of being kept from speaking with Obama by “them Jews”), but it is not nearly as troubling as that of the Rev. John Hagee, of whom Lieberman himself said “... I want to take the opportunity to describe Pastor Hagee in the terms the Torah used to describe Moses. He is an Ish Elohim. A man of God.”  John Hagee, an influential evangelical Christian pastor, whose endorsement John McCain heartily accepted in the last presidential election, until a sermon of his from the late 1990s was brought to national attention, in which he declared that Adolf Hitler was sent by God in order to relocate Jews from Europe to Israel (unquestionably to set the stage for the ultimate Christian redemption).

Pastor Hagee is, some will argue, one of Israel’s very best friends, and in this day and age we must cling to and appreciate whatever support we get. I respectfully disagree. Pastor Hagee is, without question, one of Israel’s strongest and most vocal supporters. The support that he and others of his ilk offer, however, is a temporary, politically expedient support, whose ultimate end leads inexorably to the end of the Jewish people. There is much to be found in his own words (I would particularly point you to http://www.jhm.org/Home/About/WhySupportIsrael) that speaks to the basis of his Zionism.

I share these thoughts as our attention turns more and more to the presidential elections of 2012. Much has been made about the religious identities of the leading Republican candidates, in particular. Personally, I have no issue with any of them expressing and living by their faith.  In fact, I would assert that strong religious faith is, potentially, an excellent quality for a national leader. Too much of the conversation, however, has been about the labels, and not the content of the religious belief, faith, and values of the individual candidates.  It is tempting, especially as Jews, to write off certain candidates because of their religious beliefs/identities. It appears that no candidate will be without some religious affiliation that might be challenging to some large sector of the electorate. It is my hope and prayer that whoever we elect is truly a person of faith, who has the courage and fortitude to create a brighter future.