The Associated Press reports that the special Florida congressional election to replace Rep. Robert Wexler may be changed, after it was discovered that the April 6 date conflicts with the final day of Passover. Wexler is leaving office in January to take over as president of the Center for Middle East Peace and Cooperation
The AP story reports that Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) is exploring switching the date, after a letter from Shalom International president Bob Kunst called it "an attack on the religious Jewish community."
The language in the letter by Kunst — a longtime Jewish activist who last month was protesting the J Street convention — is over the top, to say the least (Kunst views this scheduling of the election as an attack on Jews akin to Hamas rockets into Gaza and also links it to U.S. criticism of Israeli building in Gilo.) And it’s likely that the scheduling was an unintentional oversight, not an attack. But Kunst’s overall argument that Florida should try to find another date for the special election is hard to argue with. Wexler himself has described his district as perhaps the most heavily Jewish in the country, covering parts of Palm Beach and Broward counties in South Florida
Two of the Democratic candidates running to replace Wexler in a primary that will be held Feb. 2 also are Jewish, state Sen. Ted Deutch and former Broward County Mayor Ben Graber.
