WASHINGTON (JTA) — A group of leaders from the Conservative movement held an informal meeting Tuesday with President Obama.
Obama dropped by a scheduled meeting with White House Chief of Staff Jack Lew and thanked the 17 rabbis and lay leaders for their work to improve their communities.
The president stated his strong commitment to Israel’s security and discussed his actions to enhance security cooperation between the U.S. and Israel, as well as implement biting sanctions against Iran, according to a White House official.
Participants said they asked Obama questions about the social net, health care, the relationship with Israel, the threat from Iran, and Obama’s views on Jusaism and Israel.
The hour-long meeting with Lew in the White House’s Roosevelt Room was arranged by Rabbi Jack Moline, the rabbi of Agudas Achim synagogue in Alexandria, Va. and the director of public policy for the movement’s Rabbinical Assembly. Moline has close ties with the Obama administration.
"The meeting spoke to the president and administration’s deep appreciation of the values that motivate Jewish communities around the world," Rabbi Julie Schonfeld, the executive vice president of the Rabbinical Assembly, told JTA. "It was a values-driven conversation and represented the great potential for the Jewish community to make its views heard."
