Obama’s values consistent with Judaism

I would like to respond to Lee Levin’s letter (Dec. 8) concerning President Obama. It is true that President Obama has been critical of the current Israeli administration, but so have many Israelis. This does not mean that he has abandoned the U.S.’s commitment to the security of Israel.

Levin asks why anyone would support the president’s re-election bid. Looking at the likely opposition, I can think of a number of factors based on Jewish values:

1. Protection of the environment is an important Torah value, as expressed in Deuteronomy. At least one Republican candidate has vowed to eliminate the EPA.

2. The Torah provides a number of mechanisms to prevent the permanent accumulation of wealth by a handful of people. The president’s opponents don’t seem to believe that this is a problem in the United States.

3. The current leading candidate for the Republican nomination has told unemployed protesters to take a bath and find a job, despite the lack of jobs in the current economy. Can you imagine those words in the mouth of the prophet Isaiah, who taught compassion for the poor and helpless?

4. While abortion-on-demand is not necessarily a Jewish value, our position is far more nuanced that that of the so-called “pro-life” movement that dominates the Republican Party. If any of the Republican candidates gets to make some appointments to the Supreme Court, even the right to abortion to save the mother’s life will not be guaranteed.

While I do not agree with all of President Obama’s positions, I find his values far more consistent with Jewish values than those of his opponents.

Stu Lewis
Prairie Village, Kan.