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Judaism affects first Jew as running mate |
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August 16, 2000
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Vice presidential candidate Joseph Lieberman said Tuesday that his devotion to Orthodox Judaism would keep him off the campaign trail on several crucial days before the election. ``I'm just going to do what I've always done and work extra hard on the days that I'm campaigning,'' Lieberman said in an interview with The Associated Press. Lieberman last week was chosen as Al Gore's Democratic running mate, the first Jew ever selected for a major party national ticket. Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, falls on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. Yom Kippur, the day of atonement, falls on Oct. 9. Sukkot, the Jewish harvest festival, arrives Oct. 14 and 15. Simchat Torah, an annual celebration of finishing reading the Torah — the word of God — and beginning again comes on Oct. 22. Election Day is Nov. 7. ``Al Gore is a man of faith and he respects my faith and my observance and he's been very clear that he doesn't want me to vary from my traditional practices and I won't,'' Lieberman said. Lieberman suggested that his faith won't sway him from defending U.S. interests over Israel concerns, if it came to that. ``In Middle East matters, in most cases over time, American policy has been quite similar to Israeli policy. But if they ever diverge, as they have occasionally, my record shows that I've supported obviously the U.S. position,'' Lieberman said. He cited as an example a plan by Israel to sell a quarter-billion-dollar advanced airborne radar warning system to China. The Clinton administration opposed it and so did Lieberman. ``My first and only loyalty is to the United States of America,'' he said. The Jewish holidays fall mostly on Saturdays and Sundays. Lieberman also observes the Jewish Sabbath, the traditional day for worship and rest that stretches from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. On the Sabbath, Jews are prohibited from working, driving operating mechanical devices or even using electricity. |