Mormon AJC Official Draws Ire on Prop 8: 70% of Jews voted NO on Prop 8

[Bluebear]

Los Angeles — As opponents of California’s new gay marriage ban take aim at the Mormon Church for spearheading the campaign to pass it, a Jewish communal professional who is also a Mormon Church lay leader finds himself at the center of a growing storm in Jewish circles on the West Coast.

Mark Paredes, the Los Angeles-based national director of Latino outreach for the American Jewish Congress, is taking heat from liberal Jews who opposed Proposition 8 — the ballot initiative that amends the California state constitution to outlaw same-sex marriage — for his outspoken support of the measure.

Paredes, who once served as a press attaché for the Israeli consulate in L.A. and speaks fluent Hebrew, has in recent years been a key liaison between the Mormon Church and the Jewish community on the West Coast. While Paredes’s defenders tout his deep and long-standing ties to the Jewish community and say he has a right to express his personal opinions, critics contend that his work at AJCongress — a 90-year-old advocacy group dedicated to protecting Jewish interests — comes into conflict with his visible support for Proposition 8.

“I’m upset with how Mark Paredes has conducted himself in the Jewish community over this issue,” said Denise Eger, rabbi of West Hollywood’s gay and lesbian Reform synagogue, Congregation Kol Ami. “He’s been so public about his support on Proposition 8, and he’s somehow expected that the Jewish community is with him on this, when 70% of the Jews voted no on Prop. 8.”

http://www.forward.com/articles/14603/

[robinlynne]

1. How the hell can anyone know what 70% of Jews voted for? I don't write down

my background on my ballot. Do you?
Last time I saw, ballots were secret....

[Bluebear]

3. Dunno, I have heard of exit polls though

[robinlynne]

10. Right, but an exit poll which asks if you're jewish?

[LeftyMom]

12. Exit polls generally ask for religious affiliation

It's one of the best predictors of voter behavior.

[robinlynne]

15. oh, I';m an atheist, so that is something I would answer with none, so I probably thought it didn't

exist.

[amdezurik]

6. even if it is true, just points out

another group that needs to be brought around. know who your "enemies" are is half the battle. Even if it was only 50% fro then the AA community it still shows where work needs to be done. In any case a particular demographic statistic can be misleading

[Bluebear]

7. No, it says 70% voted AGAINST it. :)

[amdezurik]

9. doh

:spank:

[BrklynLiberal]

2. Jewish/Mormon...quite an unusal combination.

[Bluebear]

4. And hired to reach out to Latinos!

[elleng]

5. Yeah,

schizo? psycho? confused????

[LeftyMom]

13. The upside is that he got to proxy baptise himself. nt

[WolverineDG]

16. How can you be a Mormon AND a Jew?

:crazy:

somedays, you just can't make this stuff up....

dg

[bullwinkle428]

8. He may want to consider another line of work - Reform and even

Conservative Judaism have a long history of support for gay rights issues!

http://urj.org/pr/2008/floridavote/

http://www.pluralism.org/news/article.php?id=6224

http://www.glbtjews.org/article.php3?id_article=189

http://www.myjewishlearning.com/ideas_belief/sex_sexuality/Overview_Homosexuality/Sex_SameSex_Powers.htm#

[LeftishBrit]

11. I'm all in favour of being ecumenical...

but how can someone be both a Jewish community leader AND a Mormon lay leader?

[PCIntern]

14. My mom never did like the condition of my underwear...

Hmmm. what to do...what to do...

I've got it!

[WolverineDG]

17. Puts a whole new spin on "Jews for Jesus"

Still doing double-takes of this post.... :crazy:

dg