Source: The Atlanta Journal and Constitution
On August 12, 2000, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution reported that when Sen. Joseph Lieberman came to Atlanta "last year to lecture, Rabbi Ilan Feldman had a chance to chat with him. 'I discussed his value as a role model for modern American Jews who find it difficult to bridge the gap between Judaism and modern American culture,' said Feldman, spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Jacob, a DeKalb County Orthodox synagogue.
"Now Lieberman can be an even more obvious role model. His addition by Vice
President Al Gore to the Democratic presidential ticket this week is drawing new attention to his life as a Jew...Just as both Pope John Paul II and the Rev. Jerry Falwell are Christian, so there are differences in beliefs and practices of Jews. In metro Atlanta, Jewish groups range from humanist Jews who celebrate some holidays but don't believe in God, to the so-called ultra-Orthodox Chasidim, practitioners of an 18th-century revivalist movement that teaches a pervasiveness of the divine presence in all things...Lieberman is a part of the modern Orthodox movement, one of a handful of major denominations that dominate American Judaism. It requires strict adherence to ancient Mosaic laws and customs and regards divine law, as recorded in the Torah, as the sole guide for life."