Israeli Foreign
Minister Silvan Shalom shakes hands with Cam Kerry, brother of
Democratic presidential candidate Senator John Kerry, during a meeting
in Tel Aviv on Thursday, July 15, 2004.
Cam Kerry, who is a convert to Judaism and also John Kerry's political
adviser, was on a visit in Israel to promote his brother's candidacy for
the U.S presidency.
Cam Kerry promises support for Israel, on brother's behalf
By Shmuel Rosner
Ha'aretz - 16 July 2004: During his visit to Israel, Cameron Kerry, brother and political
adviser to Democratic senator and presumptive presidential nominee,
John Kerry, said he is mostly "learning a lot." He is learning and not
saying much, and not by chance.
The
life of an Israeli prime minister is not easy, as he tries to navigate
his contacts with the rival presidential candidates in the United
States. It is especially delicate for Ariel Sharon, where one candidate
is George Bush, the supporter who is in electoral difficulties, and his
challenger, John Kerry, who promises his support if elected and enjoys
the majority of most American Jewish voters.
Sharon is not
visiting either candidates. If he meets with Bush, he will be accused
of interfering in internal affairs, and if he meets with Kerry he will
be labeled "thankless."
Cameron Kerry is therefore the most senior envoy of the Kerry camp that Sharon is likely to meet until the November elections.
"He [John Kerry] was here a number of times and he has strong links with Israel," Cameron Kerry told Haaretz yesterday.
"He
is very clear in his statements: the security of Israel must come
first, and Israel needs to be able to protect itself," Kerry says of
his brother. "President Kerry will be a loyal friend to Israel," he
promises.
Kerry passed on the same message to Sharon, Foreign
Minister Silvan Shalom and opposition leader, MK Shimon Peres. But he
is also meeting with individuals from different walks of life,
including doctors, lawyers, immigrants, and rabbis. He walks a fine
line with all, especially those representing official Israel.
The hosts are wary not to be too supportive and the guest is cautious lest he supports too little.
"There
is no Palestinian partner at this time," he says. "It is not the place
of the U.S. to pressure Israel to reach an agreement with the
Palestinians," he added.
"The separation fence is essential for
the security of Israel," as the current Kerry family line goes. This
has not always been so. In the past the Democratic candidate was
critical of "provocative actions," by which he meant the construction
of the fence.
"John raised questions about the route of the
fence," Kerry explained. He also said the route issue is, in any case,
being handled and that he has full confidence in the Israeli court's
ruling.
Kerry also promises that "the Kerry administration's
policy toward Israel will be such that it will enjoy the support of the
Republicans and the Democrats."
This JFK's trusty RFK: Kerry's sib wields backroom power
By Andrew Miga
Sunday, May 2, 2004 WASHINGTON
- He doesn't draw screaming headlines or grab face time on the
political talk show circuit, but low-key Cameron Kerry has emerged as
one of U.S. Sen. John F. Kerry's most powerful and trusted campaign
advisers this election season.
The
senator's younger brother, known as Cam, is playing the same pivotal
role that the late Robert F. Kennedy played for his older brother back
in 1960: confidant, adviser and powerful inside player.
It's a mission that stretches far beyond simple family loyalty and brotherhood.
Friends
say the younger Kerry, 54, has shaped his 60-year-old brother's
decisions on everything from firing his campaign manager last fall to
his decisive vote in October 2002 authorizing President to go to war
against Iraq. Now Cam is among a handful of senior advisers guiding Kerry's secret selection of a running mate.
``Cam
Kerry is a force in the campaign, make no mistake about that,'' said
one veteran political strategist with strong ties to Kerry. ``He's at
the core of Kerry's inner circle.''
Kerry
loyalists see Cam Kerry's clout extending to the White House should his
brother capture the presidency this fall. Friends describe him as a
savvy strategist with a reserved demeanor and a sharp intellect.
``Cam
is a straight-shooter for Kerry,'' said one source close to Kerry,
noting the senator's penchant for soliciting advice from a wide circle
of friends and associates. ``Cam has no agenda other than what's best
for John Kerry. He's pretty unflappable.''
Cam
Kerry has played a key role in every political race the senator has
run, a track record dating back to his brother's ill-fated first bid
for Congress in 1972.
That
race earned Cam Kerry a special place in Bay State political lore. He
was arrested for breaking and entering the building housing both
Kerry's campaign and a rival candidate on election eve, but the charges
were dropped. The Kerry camp has said it was a set-up after an
anonymous caller threatened to cut the campaign's phone lines.
The
younger Kerry, a senior attorney at the politically connected Boston
law firm Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris and Glovsky, drew some flak earlier
this year from campaign watchdog groups for his work on behalf of
telecommunications and cable TV firms. The senator sits on a Senate
panel that oversees the industries, but both brothers have insisted
over the years that they never discuss such issues.
Cam Kerry and his Detroit in-laws get up close
and personal about the Democratic
frontrunner.
By Sharon Luckerman
Detroit Jewish News - 13 February 2004: When Cameron Kerry fell in love with Oak Park native Kathy Weinman, he chose to
convert from Catholicism to Judaism.
Little did he know that he already had a strong Jewish connection. His father’s
parents were Jewish — a fact uncovered last year when the Boston Globe hired a
genealogist to check into the family roots of his brother, John Kerry, the
Democratic presidential frontrunner thought by many to be of Irish background.
Cam Kerry
The Kerry family was traced back to a small town in the Austrian empire,
now part of the Czech Republic. There, the paper discovered that before
immigrating to America, the Kerrys changed their name from Kohn and
converted from Judaism to Catholicism.
“It was mind-blowing,” says Cam Kerry about first learning his grandparents’
true history from the newspaper story. Also surprising to him was the number
of Jews in his synagogue who came up to him with similar stories.
“It’s an American story, “ he says.
It also could be a powerful Jewish story if John Kerry wins the White House.
He would be the first president of the United States with Jewish roots.
“If my zaydie (grandfather) could see this election,” says Anne Weinman,
Cam’s Farmington Hills mother-in-law, who with her husband, Joe, originally
emigrated from Eastern Europe.
“Joe, and I are first-generation Americans and it was inconceivable back
then that we could be connected to the president of the United States.”
Cam’s wife, Kathy Weinman, adds, “We have to pinch ourselves once in a
while. It’s amazing to have a ringside seat to history in the making.”
She and their two daughters, ages 13 and 17, also have participated in this
history. They were in New Hampshire during the primary. Her daughters
campaigned for their uncle, knocking on doors, making calls and holding up
signs. Their elder daughter worked in Iowa and volunteered for the Kerry
campaign last summer.
Cam, 53, has taken time off from his law firm, Mintz Levin in Boston, and
from his position as an adjunct telecommunications law professor at Suffolk
Law School there, to work on his brother’s presidential campaign.
Last week, prior to the Michigan caucus on Feb. 7, he was in town stumping
for his brother. He stayed with his in-laws in Farmington Hills, where, Anne
says, she keeps a kosher kitchen, and Cam, who is knowledgeable about Jewish
dietary laws, is one of the few people she trusts in it.
Role Of Judaism
Cam’s wife, Kathy, 49, attended Oak Park High School and went to Hebrew
school at Congregation B’nai David. Her mother is a former English teacher
at Berkley High and her father was part owner of Murray Lighting in Detroit.
The Weinmans now belong to Congregation Beth Ahm in West Bloomfield.
After graduating from the University of Michigan law school in 1979 — magna
cum laude — Kathy got her first job at a law firm in Washington, D.C. At the
same firm she met Cam, also a magna cum laude graduate (of Boston College
Law School). The two were married in 1983.
Though brought up Catholic, he decided to convert to Judaism before the
marriage.
“I was influenced by Kathy,” says Cam. “Judaism is deeply held and
meaningful to her. Early on, we established we would raise any children we
had as Jewish. So it flowed from that. To be a full participant in their
religious education, I would convert.”
Cam says what appealed to him about Judaism was the role of study in the
religion, that it valued learning and intellectual pursuits, which were
comfortable and a part of his upbringing.
He adds that standing on the bimah for each of his daughters’ bat mitzvahs
as a full participant made his religious commitments well worth it.
“Judaism is central to us,” says Kathy, who is active in her suburban Boston
synagogue, Temple Israel in Brookline. “Judaism is a core of my life and
important to our family.”
When asked how the Catholic and Jewish sides of the family relate, Kathy
replies, “It’s a terrific relationship.”
She says that candidate Kerry was supportive when his brother converted to
Judaism. He and his family have attended both nieces’ baby namings and bat
mitzvahs. Kathy says she is very close to John Kerry’s two daughters.
And the Weinman and Kerry families have become mishpachah (family), says
Anne Weinman. Cam’s late “blueblood” mother, Rosemary, whose heritage goes
back to colonial times with family names like Winthrop and Forbes, and his
late father, Richard, were wonderful people proud of all four of their
children: Peggy, John, Diana and Cam. She adds that the Kerry family —
including Cam’s parents as well as John — were present when Cam and Kathy’s
daughters were named at the temple.
“Religion has never been an issue between Cam and his [side of the] family,”
Kathy says. “John’s always loved participating in our happy occasions. He’s
always been there and part of our family.”
The Weinmans say they are very active in the Kerry campaign. They support
the candidate because of his stand on the environment and education, Anne
says.
“I have a greater appreciation for the early caucus and primaries and the
role they play,” Kathy says. “Our country is so big and it’s impossible for
everyone to know the candidates. But the Iowans and the people of New
Hampshire get that opportunity. We saw them get to know my brother-in-law
and his opponents. They made their judgment from the place of knowledge and
understanding.”
Of course, when asking Cam or the Weinmans why people should vote for Kerry,
you won’t get a strengths-and-weaknesses kind of answer. However, the warmth
and intimacy of the reply gives another insight into this political family
of diverse backgrounds.
“There’s nobody else I want by my side in a tough situation than my
brother,” says the easy-going Cam, who has been at his brother’s side for
all of John’s campaigns for office.
“In times of war and great economic challenge, he’s the kind of leader we
need.”
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