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July 30, 2004/Av 5 5764, Vol. 56, No. 45
In and about the convention
MATTHEW E. BERGER AND RON KAMPEAS
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Maxine Goldstein knows how to dress for a political convention.
She's got the earrings with John Kerry's face on them, the vest with his image silk-screened on the back, and, of course, the purse that resembles a bottle of Heinz ketchup - in honor of Theresa Heinz Kerry, wife of the presumptive Democratic nominee for president.
But if you see the 77-year-old delegate from Georgia wan-dering around here this week, the first thing you will notice is her hat.
"This is my 10th convention and this is my 10th convention hat," Goldstein, an advisory board member of the Atlanta chapter of the Anti-Defamation League, said before an ADL event for delegates on July 26.
Her straw hat has playing cards around the brim, with a list of all the hot domestic policy issues of the year: Social Security, healthcare and education. And below an American flag perched atop a mock flagpole in the middle is a sign that reads: "Bush, ya gotta know when to fold 'em."
But that's not all. The stars that sur-round the brim light up, and are attached to a battery pack protruding from her back pocket.
Of course, with security being the way it is at this year's convention, Goldstein has run into her share of problems.
She was forced to remove the hat, which is pinned to her head, before going through metal detectors at the ADL event, which featured a foreign policy address by Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.).
Biden addresses ADL
In his address to the ADL on July 26, Biden said it was the obligation of the next president, whether Kerry or Bush, to reunite the country and the world around a common cause.
"I'm saddened by the way we are viewed, not just by our enemies, but by our friends," said Biden, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "It's time to restore America's soul."
Biden said Bush has squandered opportunities as president, questioning his actions in the immediate aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in New York and Washington. He said the United States could have garnered strong international support to fight terrorism.
"They believe allies and treaties are literally more of a burden than a benefit," he said.
Reaching out to the Jews
Even before the convention officially got off the ground, top Democratic lawmakers appeal-ed to Jewish voters for support, saying their party represented the best interest of Israel and was the natural home for Jews on domestic issues.
Bringing together more than 2,500 local and national activists, delegates and influential politicos, the July 25 evening reception was hosted by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the National Jewish Democratic Council, the United Jewish Communities and Boston Jewish groups.
Those in attendance heard from Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.), Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the House minority leader, and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, the con-vention chairman.
"Never has there been a candidate for president that has been more closely aligned, who is more com-mitted to Israel's security, than John Kerry," Rich-ardson said.
Speakers at the reception also emphasized the Demo-crat's commitment to abortion rights, healthcare and care for the elderly. Clinton and Lieberman said Kerry would be more successful than President Bush in containing terrorism.
Terror front and center
Relatives of victims of terrorism shared their stories July 25 in front of more than 1,000 supporters.
In an effort to keep the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the minds of Democratic delegates, participants hoisted signs bearing the faces of victims of terrorism - both in Israel and in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish center in Buenos Aires.
Speakers placed stones on the podium, a Jewish tradition for remembering the dead.
A kid for Kerry
Ilana Wexler was supposed to spend her summer in camp. Instead, Wexler, 12, is working for John Kerry and speaking to Democratic voters across the country.
"The last time I saw John Kerry, he grabbed my arm and said, 'See you at the convention,'" she told dele-gates during her prime time speech Tuesday evening. "And here I am."
Wexler, the founder of Kids for Kerry, shared the rea- sons she supported Kerry, and suggested a "No Name-calling Day" for candidates.
But the preteen from Berkeley, Calif., got the biggest applause when she suggested a proper punish-ment for Vice President Dick Cheney, who cursed on the Senate floor to Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) last month.
"When our vice president had a disagreement with a Democratic senator, he used a really bad word," Wexler said. "If I said that word, I would be put in a timeout. I think he should be put in a timeout."
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