c. 2000 Religion News Service

(Beth Glazier-McDonald is a scholar of the Hebrew Bible, and the New Testament. She teaches religion at Centre College in Danville, Ky.)

DANVILLE, Ky. _ I am a biblical scholar, more knowledgeable about ancient Hebrew than the latest political trends, but this year, suddenly, friends and acquaintances are seeking my opinion about the election.

Like Joe Lieberman, I am Jewish, and I am the only scholar of Judaism at Centre College in Danville, Ky., where Sen. Lieberman is expected to meet Dick Cheney in this year’s vice presidential debate.

My friends believe, and I suppose they are right, that I know what it means to be in some public way “the first Jewish person to ….”

So, while I can offer no real insight into the polls and trends and pundits of this campaign season, perhaps I do know something of the pain and the promise Lieberman already has known in public life _ and the new challenges that may await him in coming weeks.

There is little doubt in my mind some Americans will turn away from his candidacy when they hear the word “Jew.” A few prospective voters will do this intently and consciously, comfortable and clear-headed about their own prejudice. Others will not even recognize the deeply buried misgivings they have about Jews, and without any sense of conscious choice, they will decide to hang onto prejudicial feelings acquired from family or friends.

Still others, I believe, will for the first time face their own ambivalences toward Jews and Jewishness. Leiberman’s candidacy will trigger a process of reconsidering old assumptions that may have taken root in the absence of accurate information or close contact with any Jewish persons.

I know a little of this experience of being an informal ambassador of Jewishness living in a small Southern town. As a frequent guest speaker before church and civic groups, I share information about Judaism and my experiences as a Jew.

With my gentile audiences, I try to clear up dangerous misconceptions and offer what I consider to be a useful theological show-and-tell. At the same time, I challenge people to willingly dislodge themselves from their own point of view and see things through other eyes and ears, at least for a while.

At certain times and places, my Jewishness issues a challenge to those who hear me to dislodge themselves from a sacred comfort zone. What I have to say is too new, too challenging, too different from long-held stereotypes. As a scholar, I challenge those who hear me to move away from their own center _ if just for a moment _ for a refreshing experiment with seeing the world through different eyes.

As the campaign unfolds, Joe Lieberman will be cast in the same role. He must be a knowledgeable candidate and savvy political pro as well as the winsome ambassador of Jewishness. It is a challenging tightrope, similar to the one my family has walked within our own community.

For now, we can thank Joe Lieberman for breaking down an important barrier and opening opportunities for discussion on his, and our own sense of spirituality.

We have clearly come a long way. While this is an exciting time, we will know we have arrived at an important destination when a person is judged by his or her accomplishments, rather than his or her religious affiliation.

DEA END GLAZIER