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.

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Cam Kerry promises support for Israel, on brother's behalf

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."

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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.

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

Kathy Weinman, the candidate’s sister-in-law, says she has a ringside seat to history. Joe and Anne Weinman of Farmington Hills, with Sen. John Kerry, their son-in-law’s brother. Related Stories Kerry’s Stand: Candidate pledges support for Israel

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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