Writer Shalom Bear, reporting for The Jewish Press on Kentucky Senator and presidential hopeful Rand Paul’s visit on Monday to Torah Umesorah Headquarters in Brooklyn, New York, as part of his efforts to enlist
religious Jewish support, reports that Paul received “an unexpected assist” from the editor of a chareidi newspaper.
The Jewish Press report says that Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz, editor-in-chief of Yated Ne’eman, told the audience that his friends said he shouldn’t be talking to Paul, but added that he was happy he hadn’t paid attention to them.
“They said, ‘He’s an anti-Semite!'” Lipschutz told Paul. “‘Haven’t you read about him?’ It’s the elephant in the room, so I’m bringing it up… everything they write about you is really not true.”
“How do you explain your position in a way that they will stop writing that you’re an anti-Semite?” Lipschutz cut to the chase. “I’m not your campaign director, but you really have to do something to change that.”
Bear states that “Paul was unfazed by the frank approach, which could mean the question was a plant.”
“Really we don’t see it as much of a problem as it might have been two or three years ago before people knew me,” Bear reports Paul as saying. “I think we’ve made great progress.”
Bear adds that Lipschutz later told Bloomberg he thought the senator “has to come up with a soundbite that really convinces Jewish people that he doesn’t bear any animus toward them. He’s going to have to do better.”
{Matzav.com Newscenter}
Rabbi Lipschutz a plant? Only The Jewish Press could have thought that one up!!
If it’s a genuine question, who cares if it was a setup or not?
#1
well said
I disagree. I watched Rand’s facial expression very closely and I saw a slight twitch, however, he handled answering the question very well.
for sure he handled the question very well!! That´s why he is a politician!!
And kudos to Rabbi Lipschutz for comfronting Paul, that way he will know we are not as naive as he thinks.