AJCongress Congratulates
President-Elect Obama on Historic Victory

November 5, 2008 — The American Jewish Congress wishes to congratulate President-Elect Barack Obama and wish him, his family, and Vice-President Elect Joe Biden and his family, the best of luck as they assume the awesome responsibility of leading this country during this troubled time.  

While we as an organization do not take sides during an election, now that the election is over, we join all our fellow Americans in wishing the President-Elect all the best in the days and years ahead.  We look forward to working closely with him and his Administration to further the ideals that we all share for a more equal and just America, and to strengthen the ties between America and Israel.  We stand ready at all times to assist the new President in meeting these challenges. 

All presidential elections are in some measure historic.  But the election of an African-American to serve as President of the United States is historic by any standard.  Less than a half-century since African-Americans were finally assured the right to vote, an African-American has been elected—decisively —to the nation’s highest office.  It is, natural, too, that this election generated one of the highest turnouts in history.  

Our new President faces daunting challenges at home and abroad—challenges perhaps more daunting than those facing any other President entering office in a very long time. Some, like health care, energy independence, and peace in the Middle East, are not new, but solutions have eluded others.  Other challenges are indeed new: the credit crisis, the recession, and challenges posed by Iran.  And despite Obama’s decisive victory and the diminishing divisiveness of race as a polarizing issue, other fault lines that have divided America—religion, class and the proper role of government—are drawn more sharply than ever. 

None of these problems has an evident or easy solution.  President-Elect Obama has made it clear that he intends to address all of them directly.  For today, it is sufficient to acknowledge that the American people have spoken, that they have charted a different course for our nation, and that President-Elect Obama has pledged to lead the nation on that course.  We wish him every success.   

We hope President-Elect Obama will bring a fresh eye and perspective to the prospect of furthering efforts for a Mideast peace while still standing squarely behind Israel’s security needs and keeping a sharp eye trained on America’s— and Israel’s—enemies.  We hope an Obama administration will succeed in the fight against terrorism, even as it restores America’s rightful place in the world. 

Although he was defeated, Sen. John McCain’s long, distinguished and selfless service to our great nation must be applauded and recognized. 

American Jewish Congress has a long history of commitment to and involvement with the civil rights movement.  One of our past presidents, Rabbi Joachim Prinz, spoke at the March on Washington just before Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and marched beside him. 

We look forward to working with the Obama Administration on a long list of issues that will be before it—issues that we continue to work on,  including Israel’s relationship with NATO, free speech issues, church and state issues, and the terrorists’ use of human shields.