Posted on 07/04/2004 7:39:07 AM PDT by nwrep
Cameron Kerry
As many of you know, one of the things John Kerry's leftist base is most uncomfortable about is his strong support (at least on paper) of Israel. In fact, his pro-Israel policy paper last week caused severe consternation among Kerry supporters.
There is a little secret that the media has kept from the people, in deference to the anti-Israel stance of the left wing of the Democratic party, and that is the existence of the Jewish brother of John Kerry, Cameron Kerry. Not only is he a converted Jew, he is a prominent lawyer for a major Boston law firm which represents many high profile Israeli business interests. Read below for a profile of Cameron Kerry from Forward magazine:
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Kerry Relies on Cam, His Jewish Brother
March 5, 2004
When Massachusetts Senator John Kerry learned last year that his paternal grandparents in 19th-century Austria had converted to Catholicism from Judaism, one of the first people he called was his younger brother, Cameron.
The younger Kerry was surprised.
In an interview at John Kerry's New York headquarters last Friday, Cameron Kerry told the Forward that his family had "an inkling" that they had a Jewish grandmother, but no "concrete" evidence. Furthermore, he said, his grandparents' conversion, which was discovered by the Boston Globe, struck him as "ironic." The younger Kerry, 53, had converted to Judaism from Catholicism in 1983, upon marrying a Jewish woman, Kathy Weinman.
Cameron Kerry, who lives in Boston, was in New York last weekend politicking for his brother in advance of the March 2 New York Democratic primary. One of the campaign's most public faces in the Jewish community, he spent the Sabbath at Manhattan synagogues and stayed in local homes. On Sunday, he and his brother met with some 40 Jewish communal leaders in Manhattan at a gathering that got glowing reviews in the next day's newspapers. The candidate impressed attendees with his knowledge of Middle Eastern affairs and his emotional grasp of the issues. He also got a chance to correct an earlier faux pas, in which he had suggested naming two figures who are unpopular with the Jewish community — former secretary of state James Baker and former president Carter — as possible envoys to the Middle East.
"It was Cam's doing to bring that together and make that happen," said Alan Solomont, a Jewish philanthropist and fund-raiser for Senator Kerry who attended the meeting. "He understood the importance of John getting in front of the community... of showing his incredible intellectual depth."
Cameron Kerry, who said his brother was "supportive" of his decision to convert, has given the senator some first-hand experience with Judaism. Kerry and his wife have raised their two daughters in the Reform tradition, with baby namings and bat mitzvahs. John Kerry attended those functions as a treasured uncle, and while he hasn't celebrated Jewish holidays such as Passover with the family, "he has been to Shabbat dinner," Cameron Kerry said. So, in a historical first, the probable Democratic presidential nominee not only possesses Jewish roots — and, it was discovered last week, relatives who died in Nazi death camps — but some Jewish family experiences.
In a campaign that heralds a "band of brothers," namely the fellow veterans who have flocked to the war hero's camp, it seems fitting that the candidate's biological brother would figure prominently. The brothers are close, so close in fact that the younger Kerry has served as one of his sibling's chief counselors and strategists on all of his campaigns, from his unsuccessful run for Congress in 1972 through some tough subsequent contests. His role as political strategist has turned Cameron Kerry into a story in his own right more than once.
In 1972, in what the family says was a "setup," he was arrested for having broken into a building that housed the campaign's phone lines. A caller had tipped him off to the threat that an opponent would cut the lines, but the police caught Cameron Kerry instead.
A recent New York Times profile examined Kerry's role in the axing of Jim Jordan, his brother's popular campaign manager, comparing him to the late Robert Kennedy, who gained a reputation for ruthlessness as John Kennedy's campaign manager in the 1960 presidential campaign.
James Segel, a Boston Democratic activist who has known Kerry for 30 years, laughed at the comparison.
"Cam is tough, but he doesn't give the impression of being ruthless," Segel said. "I would not compare him in style to the Bob Kennedy of the 1960 campaign. As confidant to the candidate, there's a comparison there. John Kennedy had 110% confidence in Bob, and John Kerry has 110% confidence in Cam."
Segel and others describe the younger Kerry as his brother's eyes and ears on the campaign, "kind of quiet" and "not obtrusive" but with "very good political judgment."
"He gives good, honest advice to his brother, and that's rare, because too often people tell the candidate what they want to hear," Segel said.
A more apt comparison than the Kennedys might be to another dynamic duo, Batman and Robin. The younger Kerry looks like a boyish version of his 60-year-old brother, who stands several inches taller and whose features are craggier. He speaks about Senator Kerry in terms Robin might have used for the caped crusader, too.
"There's nobody I want more by my side in a tough situation than my brother," Kerry said. "That's what his crewmates have seen, and that's what more and more and more people have seen in this country as this campaign has unfolded."
The Kerry campers and others consulted for this article all praised Cameron Kerry as a thoughtful, self-effacing, gentle man. He's even a hero to his rabbi. Rabbi Ronne Friedman of Temple Israel of Brookline, Mass., recounts how last year Kerry's family took the lead in the class project of his daughter's b'nei mitzvah class, to build a playground for an urban school in Roxbury. The family helped raise money, worked with the parents of the school and assembled dozens of volunteers for the construction, according to Friedman.
"He's present in the pew with regard to worship, and whenever time allows has been a student," Friedman said. "He's genuinely an intellect and has an interest in Judaism from an intellectual point of view."
Kathy Weinman Kerry is a member of the synagogue's board and its ritual committee.
Cameron Kerry's Jewish connections also extend to his business life, and have paid off for John Kerry. A telecommunications lawyer, Kerry works at a Boston-based firm, Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo, although he has taken a leave to work on the campaign. While Mintz Levin is now a diverse, 450-lawyer shop, it was once known as the "Lox et Veritas" firm — a play on the Yale motto "Lux et Veritas" — having been founded in 1933 by Jewish lawyers "who weren't entirely accepted at white-shoe firms," Kerry said. The firm, which built itself up as counselors to the Jewish entrepreneurs of Boston, even now has a big business in helping Israeli high-tech entrepreneurs gain access to American markets.
Kerry has made rain handsomely for his brother at Mintz Levin. Employees of the firm have emerged as the second-largest source of contributions to the candidate in this election cycle, providing a total $113,500 in contributions, according to the Web site of the Center for Responsive Politics.
The younger Kerry describes the campaign fund raising in the Jewish community as "very strong," thanks to the efforts of Solomont, national campaign finance chairman Louis Susman and Denver fund-raiser Ron Brownstein.
As a strategist, Cameron Kerry said, the decision of which he is most proud was "to shift gears from being a national campaign to focus on Iowa."
John Kerry's surprise win there started the momentum that has carried his candidacy forward to the point where it appeared to have locked up the Democratic nomination after wins in 9 of the 10 states that voted this week.
But Cameron Kerry may have another role: humanizing the John Kerry often pilloried by the press as stiff and aloof. Kerry said he doesn't recognize that figure.
"He's somebody with very intense personal relationships," he said of the senator. "You can see on this campaign, it's impressive the number of people who have intense loyalties going back a lot of years. It's a reflection of the deeply loyal relationships he has."
One relationship in particular.
You know why it's a hard concept to understand? This is why, we all come from 2 sects of people JEWS and GENTILES.
So the deciscion making is not easy.
Well, since John Kerry will soon find himself without the imprematur of Catholicism, he might just as well convert to another religion.
However, he should make sure he joins Reformed Judaism as Conservative or Orthodox Judaism would probably not want him either.
Another reason I say this. Messianic Jews are Jews by blood "Jewish mothers" some with jewish fathers but then again it doesn't matter right?
Now all the Apostles (Exception Luke) were Jews no one said "NO ONE" in Israel "Judea" or Jews all over the Middle East said to the early jewish christians "You are no longer Jewish, because you are teaching that Jesus Christ is the Messiah and spreading the Gospels, in fact they had a hard time knowing what and how to teach the Gentiles?
They were all part of the Jewish original Tribes as well as maintaining there Jewish idenity and rituals.
And furthermore they were married to Jewish women who had many children and they poulated all over the place as there kids did and so on and so fourth.
All the Apostles were martyred many were be-headed by Gentiles the only one that was stoned to death was James Jesus's brother in Israel, plus they were all killed as elderly men. Did you guys know this?
This is "Tradition". Only the martyrdom of James is reliably documented.
I am going to do some more investigating about this, because I think Peter is documented too, because he was Martyred upside down since he did not want to be crucified like Jesus as he was not worthy he said...
But I believe Be-heading was a common practice back then as well as having lions tear people to shreads they were very brutal....
Clearly a contemporary female with a documented, unbroken matrilinial line to the wives of the Apostles or their contemporaries is a Jewish apostate. You can call them "Messianic Jews", I'll call them fairy tales because they don't exist, but if they do they, their future matrilinial line, and their immediate male children would be apostate Jews.
That is the Million dollar question:
I hear some Rabbi's say in fact one I posted on this thread:
If you have a Jewish mother you are Jewish even if you become an Atheist a Buddhist a Scientologist because you have a "Jewish Soul" The Rabbi did not say you are an Apostate Jew?
How does Israel identify who is Jewish to come back to Israel? they don't count converts? it's by blood.
Malakhi says your either a religious jew or your just a birth Jew...
SO isn't this the point if you are born a Jew( By Mom) but but whatever you choose to believe in your still Jewish.
I think the reason Reform Conservative and, Orthodox despise having to admit that Messianic Judaism is part of the Jewish People is more historically based Anti-Semitism, through-out the Christian world than it is Biblically.
And I can respect that, but it does not negate the fact that Messianic Jews and Nazarenes were very much a part of Biblical JUDAISM. Only the Gentile was the outsider "The Stanger"
So if an unmarried woman converts to Judaism & then later marries & has children, her children are Jewish by birth, right?
IF that is so then the process starts all over again.
I can't believe John's parents had anymore kids after John-most parents would have rushed to the hospital for a his and hers sterilization, to prevent further such mishaps.
Little brother's lucky they didn't choose to abort him. John would approved.
It’s not even a 2 cent question. The reason reason Reform Conservative and, Orthodox despise having to admit that Messianic Judaism is part of the Jewish People is because JEWS DON’T BELIEVE JESUS WAS THE MESSIAH. That's been explained to you on dozens of threads. I appreciate you don’t respect my faith enough to accept that, but it’s a fact. Baptist Jews and Baptist Rabbis, aka Jews for Jesus, can call themselves Jew Kangaroos for all I care.
If your fictional g-g-g-g-g-grandaughter two thousand years removed of direct documented matrilineal descent from one of the Apostles had some interest in proving establishing herself as a Jew, I’m sure sure she could. She thinks Jesus is the Messiah, she’s apostate, why she’d want to call herself a Jew is beyond me, but I appreciate there’s all kinds out there.
Well thank you for your post, and I am sorry if I have frustrated you and others, I will just close by saying I have to go by what GOD says Biblically about people.
So I will continue to believe that ALL Messianic Jews that believe in Jesus as the Messiah are JEWS and I know Many Jews that are happy to be Jewish and happy knowing the Messiah, and feel total fullfillment and maybe you do too and that's okay, I am not GOD and standing in judgement that you don't love Jesus....But I love Jesus very much and maybe that's why I am always defending who he is on FR. I mean no harm or to be a pain...I guess I will go back to the Topless Bullfighting Thread, I also get flamed for defending Animal rights, even though I am not PETA.
:0
A newly discovered chapter in the Book of Genesis has provided the answer to
"Where do pets come from?"
Adam and Eve said, "Lord, when we were in the garden, you walked with us every day. Now we do not see you anymore. We are lonesome here and it is difficult for us to remember how much you love us."
And God said, "No problem! I will create a companion for you that will be with you forever and who will be a reflection of my love for you, so that you will love me even when you cannot see me.
Regardless of how selfish or childish or unlovable you may be, this new companion will accept you as you are and will love you as I do, in spite of yourselves."
And God created a new animal to be a companion for Adam and Eve.
And it was a good animal.
And God was pleased.
And the new animal was pleased to be with Adam and Eve, and he wagged his tail.
And Adam said, "Lord, I have already named all the animals in the Kingdom and I cannot think of a name for this new animal.
And God said, "No problem. Because I have created this new animal to be a reflection of my love for you, his name will be a reflection of my own name, and you will call him DOG."
And Dog lived with Adam and Eve and was a companion to them and loved them. And they were comforted. And God was pleased. And Dog was content and wagged his tail.
After a while, it came to pass that an angel came to the Lord and said, "Lord, Adam and Eve have become filled with pride. They strut and preen like peacocks and they believe they are worthy of adoration. Dog has indeed taught them that they are loved, but perhaps too well."
And God said, "No problem! I will create for them a companion who will be with them forever and who will see them as they are. The companion will remind them of their limitations, so they will know that they are not always worthy of adoration."
And God created CAT to be a companion to Adam and Eve.
And Cat would not obey them.
And when Adam and Eve gazed into Cat's eyes, they were reminded that they were not the supreme beings. And Adam and Eve learned humility.
And they were greatly improved.
And God was pleased.
And Dog was happy.
And Cat didn't care one way or the other.
That's a Great Story!
Although I have a Cat ZORRO The GREAT, he sometimes listens
but many times he does not and sits on the top of my computer and flings his tail across my screen so that I have to dodge to see what I am writing ! I also thought DOG was something GOD did who would of thought?
Pet stories always brings people together :-)
Go and read Genesis again.
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