U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman, an observant Jew, stated Friday that although the economic stimulus vote would take place on the start of the Sabbath, he would not miss it, but would nevertheless ensure not to violate the Sabbath.
"I try never to miss a vote because of my religious beliefs, practices," said Lieberman. The Connecticut lawmaker who keeps kosher and observes the Sabbath, added, "I have a responsibility to the community."
The Congress gave its final approval Friday night on President Barack Obama's $787 billion stimulus bill, which lawmakers are hoping will greatly assist the United States economy. The Senate passed the bill by 60-38, the minimum needed for approval. Lieberman’s vote was apparently crucial for the bill to pass. Indeed, the vote was delayed until Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) could return from his mother's funeral to also cast a deciding vote.
Lieberman, who attends Orthodox synagogues in Washington, D.C. and Connecticut, joked that he hadn't "quite gotten the rabbis to say I'm as important as a doctor -- who is under a mandate, notwithstanding the prohibitions of the Sabbath, to go and help anybody who needs medical help. But you know, when you think about the suffering going on in the country now as a result of the recession, I have a real responsibility to be here, so I never hesitate," the senator told the media.
Lieberman, who planned to walk home after the vote, does not ride elevators or the special subways under the capitol on the Sabbath, when Jewish law forbids one from violating laws prohibiting creative acts of work, such as riding in a car, turning on lights, or writing.
Lieberman has walked to serious Senate sessions before, such as the 1999 impeachment trial of former President Bill Clinton. Lieberman, who ran on the Democratic ticket in 2000 as the first Jewish vice presidential candidate, stated that he would perform all official duties on the Sabbath, excluding campaigning.
Policies towards Israel
Last May, Lieberman visited Israel together with presidential-hopeful U.S. Sen. John McCain. The two travelled to Jerusalem and Sderot, lending support to Israel's citizens.
Senator Lieberman supports a negotiated two-state solution in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Authority Arabs. However, he has said that he recognizes that a Hamas-led PA precludes such an outcome without a clear recognition of Israel, renunciation of violence, and adherence to prior international agreements. The Connecticut Senator was an original co-sponsor of the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act of 2006 (S.2370) that carefully restricted U.S. funding to the PA government. The bill unaminously passed the Senate in June 2006.
In 2002, Lieberman sponsored a pro-Israel U.S. Senate Resolution (S. Res. 247) regarding the Middle East Conflict, "expressing solidarity with Israel in its constant efforts to fight against terror.” Lieberman has gone on record as saying that Israel had a right to strike Gaza and Lebanon after three Israeli soldiers were kidnapped. He added that if Arab countries would urge restraint by Hizbullah and Hamas, it "will allow the Israelis to cool down."