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The Sabbath Keeper
- Abstract
The Gift of Rest:
Rediscovering the Beauty of the Sabbath
By Joseph I. Lieberman with David Klinghoffer
Howard Books, 230 pages
Joseph I. Lieberman has had a notable political career that has seen him rise from the Connecticut legislature to the United States Senate, where he is currently finishing out his fourth term. There he has carved out a unique niche as the last of the Scoop Jackson Democrats, combining strong stands on national defense with more traditional liberal positions on domestic issues. His place in the history books was secured in 2000 when the Democrats nominated him for vice president, making him the first Jew ever to be on the national ticket of a major party—a party that then turned on him for remaining true to his core beliefs on the war on terror and the role of the United States in Iraq.
Yet perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the way Lieberman has conducted his career has been his unambiguously public practice of Judaism. Although there have been many prominent Jews in American politics, few could be classified as religious, let alone Orthodox, as is the case with Lieberman. In that respect, Lieberman’s predecessors as elected Jewish figures were fairly representative of an immigrant population that was just as, if not more, interested in assimilating into secular society than in seeking accommodation for their faith.
About the Author
Jonathan S. Tobin is senior online editor of COMMENTARY.
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