washington | The presidential campaigns and their surrogates are reaching out to Jewish audiences through the Jewish media.
Jewish political organizations — the National Jewish Democratic Council and the Republican Jewish Coalition — are touting their candidates and attacking their opponents through a series of print advertisements launched this month.
These ads go farther than the Rosh Hashanah greetings candidates and organizations normally send out. They go to the heart of the key issues for the Jewish community this election season: Israel, the war against terrorism and the separation of church and state. Jewish political operatives are hoping to cement their support within the Jewish community and persuade undecided voters.
Of particular concern are key battleground states with large Jewish populations, such as Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
“I think they’re both doing more outreach this time around than they did in the past,” said Elie Rosenfeld, chief operating officer at Joseph Jacobs, an advertising agency specializing in Jewish consumers. “It’s because the Jews are a concern in the states that are a concern.”
The NJDC’s Victory Fund has run two ads. One highlights Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry’s record on Middle East issues, such as supporting Israel and its security, and taking on terrorist links from Saudi Arabia.
The second highlights comments Bush administration officials have made advocating an increased role of Christian faith in government.
Both say “There Is a Choice” and tout Kerry’s “20 Years of Standing With Us.”
One RJC ad says “Read what John Kerry Had to Say about Israel in his acceptance speech: “with a large amount of white space below, followed by the words “Absolutely Nothing” in block letters.
“John Kerry’s Silence on Israel Says a Lot,” the ad reads, along with a solicitation for readers to join the organization.
A second RJC ad features a photo of President Bush at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, with a quote comparing attacks against Israel and the United States.
The NJDC ads focus more closely on the candidate. NJDC Executive Director Ira Forman said the ads are strictly being sent to swing states. “What we’re trying to do is educate and influence marginal voters in battleground states.” The strategy also includes extensive voter contact programs in several cities with large Jewish populations, like Palm Beach, Fla., Cleveland and Philadelphia.
The Kerry/Edwards campaign also took out ads in some of the nation’s larger Jewish newspapers in non-battleground states. These ads, geared predominantly toward donors and other supporters in cities like New York and Washington, featured the Kerry and Edwards families and mixed messages of Rosh Hashanah greetings and support for Israel.