The 2008 presidential election wasn’t even a week ago, and it’s way too early to judge President-elect Barack Obama—although pundits on the left and right were impressed with his poise and demeanor in his first news conference.  He has a large task in front of him and the nation is counting on him to deliver.

From a Jewish perspective, Mr. Obama’s first steps were certainly newsworthy.  During the campaign, his opponents tagged him as anti-Israel and anti-Semitic because of his association with the fiery Rev Jeremiah Wright for 20 years (and Wright’s praise of the Rev. Louis Farrakhan).  That was a cause for concern, and Mr. Obama had to confront it head on. Still, I don’t think that the relationship made Mr. Obama anti-Semitic. 
It’s actions that count. So look at are Obama’s first two major decisions.

1. His choice for Vice President – Sen. Joe Biden.  Israelis and Jewish Americans can rest assured knowing Mr. Biden is a long-time friend of Israel.
2. The first White House staff member picked is Rahm Emanuel for Chief of Staff.  The very active Jewish Chicagoan is a product of Jewish day school and spent his summers growing up in Israel where he visited his father’s family.  His entire extended family has strong Jewish affiliation; it’s rumored that his wife and two children may remain in Chicago so the kids can remain with their friends in their Jewish day school.

I can understand that Mr. Emanuel concerns some in that he’s very partisan and – as a Clinton White House veteran and a U.S. Congressman – he’s not exactly the change Mr. Obama was speaking about during the campaign. However, I would think his choice would allay Jewish fears that the new president will be either anti-Semitic or would not stand with Israel in her time of need because Rahm Emanuel literally did 1991 when he was a civilian volunteer in the IDF during the Persian Gulf War.