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National Jewish Democratic Council Hires Rabbis for Obama Leader

September 30, 2013

The National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC) has hired as its new leader a prominent Washington-area rabbi who formerly led the advocacy group Rabbis for Obama, a campaign season collection of left-leaning rabbis known for their fierce criticism of Israel.

Virginia Rabbi Jack Moline, a longtime Democratic advocate, was selected on Monday to head the NJDC. The group’s former leader, David Harris, quit the organization earlier this year after leading it into a period of internal disarray and political impotence.

Moline helped form and chaired the Rabbis for Obama group in the 2008 and 2012 campaign seasons, according to JTA.

The 2012 iteration of Rabbis for Obama included many critics of Israel and rabbis who have publicly embraced the liberal lobbying group J Street, which has recently come out in favor of direct negotiations with Iran.

When approached last August by Washington Free Beacon reporter Adam Kredo about his group, Moline responded: "Adam, having watched your ‘career’ and your output, there is not much I would discuss with you, on or off the record."

The pro-Israel Emergency for Committee described the group as"rabbis who have no commitment to Israel’s security, and whose values are representative of a small and extreme group of anti-Israel activists – and certainly not of the pro-Israel community."