{"id":28335,"date":"2011-01-09T14:40:22","date_gmt":"2011-01-09T22:40:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=28335"},"modified":"2011-01-09T14:56:28","modified_gmt":"2011-01-09T22:56:28","slug":"jj-giffords-known-for-her-openness-and-judaism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=28335","title":{"rendered":"JJ: ‘Giffords known for her openness and Judaism’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ron Kampeas writes for JTA<\/a>: <\/p>\n

\nThe event was typical Gabrielle Giffords: no barriers, all comers\u2014Democrats, Republicans, independents welcome to talk about what was on their minds and in their hearts.<\/p>\n

While she was deep in a conversation with an older couple about health care\u2014the issue for which she was willing to risk her career\u2014a gunman strode up to the Arizona congresswoman and shot her point blank in the head.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There was nothing unique about the event. Hundreds of congressmen hold them.<\/p>\n

Health care was the issue for which she risked her career? Did she risk her career any more than any other politician who has voted for wildly unpopular legislation he believes in? Obamacare did nothing to extend health care. It only extended health insurance and complicated healthcare. Everybody in the United States gets health care. If you have a broken leg, you can go to any emergency room and get help. It is illegal for them to turn you away, even if you can’t pay.<\/p>\n

Gabrielle Giffords was known for her Judaism? Known to whom for her Judaism? Is her husband Jewish? Is she Jewish?<\/p>\n

Ron Kampeas writes for JTA<\/a>: “…she was propelled into state politics in part because of her concerns about the availability of health care.”<\/p>\n

There no shortage in available health care in the United States. There are millions without health insurance (millions of them by choice), but I guess that’s not so stirring to write.<\/p>\n

Ron Kampeas writes for JTA<\/a>: <\/p>\n

\n

She gained prominence quickly in that body and in 2006, at 36, she became the first Jewish woman elected to Congress from her state.<\/p>\n

At the same time, her Judaism was becoming more central to her identity. The turning point came in 2001 following a tour of Israel with the American Jewish Committee, she told The Arizona Star in 2007.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt just cemented the fact that I wanted to spend more time with my own personal, spiritual growth. I felt very committed to Judaism,\u201d she said. \u201cReligion means different things to different people. It provides me with grounding, a better understanding of who I came from.\u201d <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Judaism is not about personal spiritual growth. So if she wanted to spend more time with that, it was not with Judaism. Please show me any traditional Jewish text that talks about “personal, spiritual growth.” You won’t find any. This is a modern invention for narcissists. <\/p>\n

Ron Kampeas writes for JTA<\/a>: “Giffords\u2019 father is Jewish and her mother is a Christian Scientist, and she was raised in both faiths.”<\/p>\n

According to Jewish law and according to Conservative and Orthodox Judaism, Giffords is not Jewish because her mother is not Jewish. <\/p>\n

Ron Kampeas writes for JTA<\/a>: “…Giffords was enmeshed in Arizona\u2019s signature issue\u2014rights for undocumented immigrants…”<\/p>\n

Who says that is Arizona’s signature issue? I thought its issue was containing illegal aliens? What is this junk about “undocumented immigrants”? You mean they just forgot their documents at home? They are illegal aliens. Non-citizens in any country illegally never have rights. Please tell me about exceptions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ron Kampeas writes for JTA: The event was typical Gabrielle Giffords: no barriers, all comers\u2014Democrats, Republicans, independents welcome to talk about what was on their minds and in their hearts. While she was deep in a conversation with an older … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24979,31],"tags":[20855,25017,25016,25015,38356,25014],"class_list":["post-28335","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gabrielle-giffords","category-judaism","tag-american-jewish-committee","tag-arizona-star","tag-christian-scientist","tag-democrats-republicans","tag-gabrielle-giffords","tag-personal-spiritual-growth"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t