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Can a Frum Jew be president Halachiclly? How about Prime Minister of Israel? President of Israel? Would it be different?
SiDi™
Talk to your LOR.
Wasn’t their a Jewish King of Poland?
The Khazars were led by Jews.
Wasn’t their a Jewish King of Poland?
There.
You’re probably thinking of Saul Wahl. It’s disputable whether or not he actually was king, but even if he was, it was only for a single day — August 18, 1587.
The Wolf
Benjy II (JEP V)
There would be many halachic problems, starting with Shabbat. In Israel frum Jews have been on the Security Cabinet but here the overwhelming majority are Jews. There is also the problem of the election campaign as many events are scheduled on Shabbat and candidates are expected to partake of the locals’ food. There is also the danger of the Jews being scapegoated for failures. This happened when the Confederacy began to lose even though AG Judah P. Benjamin was totally assimilated and married a Catholic.
I believe the Esther Hamalkas son although not religious ended up being king. He was definitely Jewish.
Leom Blum was Prime Minister of France in the 1930’s
Benjamin Disraeli whose parents converted to christianity when he was 12, was prime minister of Great Britain in the 1870’s . Even though he lived as a christian, he would speak about his jewish roots
I don’t see why a frum Jew couldn’t be President in the 21st century. You will remember that 16 years ago we were a few bits of chad in Florida away from a frum US Vice-President. How did Joe Lieberman manage to campaign with keeping Shabbos and kashrus etc?
Joe Liberman is not frum, he is Observant .
He used to eat Fish in non-kosher restaurants and he did vote on things on Shabbos (He used to walk to the Senate)
Rav Miller zatzal said that Jews should stay out of politics.
There are a few other issues:
Shabbos would be a major issue (Joe Lieberman wrote a sefer about Shabbos and the issues that he has had as a senator and a Vice Presidential candidate).
shaking hands with women – at rallies and the like (Each handshake with a woman would be a separate safek issur d’oraysa for which one is possibly required to let himself be burned alive rather than to transgress).
A frum president would be required to oppose things that are against the Torah, like homosexuality.
Question asked to the great gaon and tzaddik Rav Avigdor Miller zatzal:
What should we say about Jewish politicians who want office or are in office?
No publicity.
Now that Bella Abzug [a very liberal politician]
Jews have held high office in the past. At least one served as what today would be a “prime minister” in the Arab’s empire (back we got along very well with the Arabs whereas the Christians were a serious pain), a Jew was “regent” of Poland (he was chief tax collector and they needed an acting-king while electing a new one), etc. While a Shomer Shabbos would be unusual in such a high position, it is hardly impossible, albeit quite unlikely. Assuming one holds by Dina Malchusa Dina, a Jewish head of state or head of government would still be nothing more than the “first servant” since under modern political theory the “people” are ultimate authority in the state and the leaders are their employees.
Wasn’t there a Jewish leader of Egypt? Joseph something? Maybe he was not frum, certainly not Yeshivish.
Many countries have had Jewish heads of government or heads of state, and in most cases there were no issues. Leon Blum may have been an exception; he was a Jewish socialist and the anti-Semites of the political Right preferred Nazi rule to the Blum’s Popular Front. But Blum was not religious.
Leon Trotsky was also Jewish. So was David ben Gurion.
trotsky was not the head of the Soviet Union
However Lenin had a jewish grandfather
MLK, we have already discussed the issue of shaking hands with women (which also applies in the business world). BTW, when Rebbetzin Jungreis met with Bush II he was told in advance not to extend his hand and there was no problem. For a candidate there would probably be elss than an issue becuaue he shakes so many hands that it’s most likely a nuisance for him.
As for anti-Semitism, that is a problem although today religion is not an issue, Nobody, for example, would consider asking a Catholic if he would let the Pope run the country as they asked JFK. There are Jews on every other level of government including SCOTUS (BTW, Stephen Wise opposed Felix Frankfurter’s nomination because of this issue and it did not pan out even though anti-Semitism was rampant in America at the time). Whatever one thinks of him Obama proved that there are no longer bars to minorities. Moreover, Jews have been advisors to Presidents from both parties with no repercussions (unlike when the new Deal weas called the “Jew Deal”). Of course, being the power behind the throne has certain advantages. How many people know that Ted Cruz’ senior adviser and deputy chief of staff for strategy is a frum Jew named Nick Muzin? Yet he certainly exerts a great deal of influence, possibly more than if he were in the limelight.
Not sure how observant Lieberman himself is, but friends from Silver Spring say that he was a regular at their shul and his kids went to the frum schools. He occasionally shows up in Kehilas Kol Torah (R’ Bergers) in Baltimore, a Yeshivishe shul, because that’s where his daughter and son-in-law daven.
Imagine kashering the huge White House kitchen.
They already kasher the kitchen in the White House for Chanukah parties.
Regarding kashering the White House kitchen, the DC Chabad rabbi has already done that numerous times for Bush’s and Obama’s Chanukah parties with Jewish community leaders.
Food would be a problem for a frum president as in many cultures you are expected to eat the food they give you or its considered an insult.
As part of the presidents job, he needs to go around meeting foreign leaders and has to eat with them. Even when the world leader comes to the US, the white house chefs usually try to prepare foods the leader likes.
But Sorry Chulent would not really cut it there,
Food would be a problem for a frum president as in many cultures you are expected to eat the food they give you or its considered an insult.
That may be true, but if the president were observant vis-a-vis Kashrus (and it were publicly known), they would be sure to serve him only Kosher food. I’m sure that the President doesn’t serve pork to Saudi officials when they dine at official dinners.
The Wolf
That may be true, but if the president were observant vis-a-vis Kashrus (and it were publicly known), they would be sure to serve him only Kosher food. I’m sure that the President doesn’t serve pork to Saudi officials when they dine at official dinners.
For Muslims, no pork, wouldnt be an issue, however for Asians, Pork is very much a staple in their diet.
There is also the issue of shaking a womens hand
SHould the male president really not shake the hand of Angela Merkal (Germany) or Theresa May (UK)?
“however for Asians, Pork is very much a staple in their diet.”
So?
Do the Asians feed pork to Muslim heads of state?
What point are you trying to make?
“SHould the male president really not shake the hand of Angela Merkal (Germany) or Theresa May (UK)? “
If he is keeping halacha.
The question is what halachic issues would there be for a frum president.
“Leom Blum was Prime Minister of France in the 1930’s
Benjamin Disraeli whose parents converted to christianity when he was 12, was prime minister of Great Britain in the 1870’s . Even though he lived as a christian, he would speak about his jewish roots “
And which one was frum?
“Many countries have had Jewish heads of government or heads of state, and in most cases there were no issues. Leon Blum may have been an exception; he was a Jewish socialist and the anti-Semites of the political Right preferred Nazi rule to the Blum’s Popular Front. But Blum was not religious. “
While many of the aforementioned were possibly Jewish and likely aligned with the OO mentality, the OP’s question was about Halachic issues for a Frum president.
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