Piece Description

The media have made much ado of Jewish voters who get "shpilkes" -- or "jitters" -- at the thought of "President Barack Hussein Obama." But does the Democratic candidate really have a "Jewish problem"? In this PRX Promise Commentary, producer Rebecca Sheir transports us to Brookline, Massachusetts -- also affectionately known as "Baruch-line," since 40% of its residents are Jewish -- to find out what's got everybody so verklempt. We kibitz with members of Jews For Obama, and meet a woman who's fallen victim to the latest "schvitz-boating" campaign. Plus, we hear Obama's promises concerning the world's only Jewish state, and find out why nabbing the Jewish vote might not be as cut-and-dried as one might think... This story is part of the Promise Commentary series, an intimate look at the promises candidates are making this election year. All of them are free, compliments of CPB and the 100s of local stations who contributed to the PRX campaign audio archive. Check them out: http://www.prx.org/articles/1474