TAMARAC, Florida (CNN) -- "Schlep."A Yiddish word meaning to pull, yank or tug, schlep is a good way of describing what it took for Mike Bender to persuade his grandparents to vote for Sen. Barack Obama for president.
Bender's grandparents, Kenny and Selma Furst, 90 and 87 years old, should have been an easy sell to support the Democratic nominee for president.
Like many of the estimated 650,000 Jews living in Florida, the Fursts are lifelong, passionate Democrats and a crucial vote for any Democratic candidate hoping to win the battleground state.
But when Bender -- who is not affiliated with Obama's campaign but supports him -- brought up the idea of voting for Obama over Thanksgiving dinner last year, he was met with an uncharacteristic silence.
"Their reaction was, as they said, 'I'm a little meschugah,' " Bender said, adding that the expression meant "crazy."
For Selma Furst, voting for an African-American for president seemed unthinkable. 
Watch a "few little known Jewish facts" on Obama »
No comments:
Post a Comment