Talk:Rahm Emanuel/Archive 1

Archive 1

Archive 2

Archive 3

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content removal

I've moved this here because it is unsourced criticism, out of place in "early history", and of dubious relevance:

He volunteered at an Israeli Defense Forces supply base during the Gulf War, which prompted some blogsphere speculation, never substantiated, that he might be a Mossad spy in the White House. In his first Congressional primary campaign which was a nasty battle over a prized Democratic Party safe seat, the president of the Polish American Congress, Ed Moskal — who was supporting Emanuel's main rival — claimed that Emanuel was secretly an Israeli citizen and served in the Israeli army. Both claims were denied by Emanuel. Moskal also called Emanuel a "millionaire carpetbagger who knows nothing" about "our heritage."

—Preceding unsigned comment added by Gamaliel (talk • contribs) Jun 16, 2006

IDF, Citizenship

Hi, can someone who is familiar with editing Wikipedia please add the information to his Personal section that Rahm holds dual citizenship (both U.S. and Israeli). Also, the section that says he volunteered as a civilian during the Gulf War to fix brakes in Israel could be clearer. Who did he volunteer for (Israel or the U.S.) and was he in a uniform? Did he carry a firearm and if so, was it under the flag of another country? Here is a link to a PDF of the Congressional Record also citing Nightline Transcript June 7, 2001. http://judiciary.house.gov/media/pdfs/renshon093005.pdf. I'll be brushing up on Wiki editing so if this doesn't get done I'll do it soon myself. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Edward mc (talk • contribs)

He does not hold dual citizenship as per http://www.ujc.org/content_display.html?ArticleID=68298. "Emanuel had served a noncombat stint as a volunteer in the Israeli army during the Gulf War, but he never held Israeli citizenship."--Wowaconia 02:59, 3 January 2007 (UTC)

"The Washington Post", July 7, 1992, Tuesday, Final Edition, Clinton's Lean Green Machine; Finance Director Rahm Emanuel And the Old-Fashioned Squeeze:

He was reared in the heavily Jewish 49th Ward on the North Side of Chicago, the middle son of a renowned pediatrician who grew up in Tel Aviv and was a member of the Israeli underground during the war of independence. Rahm retained dual citizenship until age 18, when he gave up his Israeli passport, but sometimes thinks "ambivalently" about moving permanently to Israel. It is now part of his legend that during the Persian Gulf War in early 1991, when Iraqi scuds were falling on the country where he spent many a childhood summer, he volunteered for 2 1/2 weeks on an army base near the Lebanese border, rust-proofing brakes for military vehicles.

" —Preceding unsigned comment added by 141.161.43.54 (talk) 22:13, 13 December 2007 (UTC)

Ynet news says he quit working for Clinton to go to Israel for Gulf war. Telegraph says it was after. Still researching to get to facts, fyi. Carol Moore 15:15, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

I think that service in the armed forces of another state is now (and in 1991 was) forbidden to American citizens without permission obtained in advance from the federal government of the United States. Am I correct? If so, did the subject of this biography obtain that permission? Firstorm (talk) 14:00, 7 November 2008 (UTC)

Citation 16 c does not mention anything about citizenship. I'm not sure about citation 17 as it is inaccessible to me (no membership). I added a failed verification tag to that section. Published sources seem be giving conflicting reports about whether or not he ever had dual citizenship. Dorje (talk) 20:58, 9 November 2008 (UTC)

For a child to be considered an Israeli citizen he or she needs to be registered with the state of Israel as a citizen. Neither of these citations suggests Rahm Emmanuel has done this. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 213.3.97.87 (talk) 17:56, 10 November 2008 (UTC)

FYI there was at one point good sourced info on this but like many other things it was removed by people wo don't want any info on the topic and one would have to go way back in archives around the 5th and 6th to find it again. If nothing shows up soon, and I run across it again, I'll stick it in. Carol Moore 18:23, 10 November 2008 (UTC)Carolmooredc

I found the source and stuck it in, hoping it sticks. By the way, note that this Haaretz article currently used as a reference labels Emanuel an Israeli. Pfeffer, Anshel and Shlomo Shamir (November 6, 2006). "Obama's first pick: Israeli Rahm Emanuel as chief of staff", Haaretz. Retrieved on November 6, 2008 However it proves no evidence for this headline. Carol Moore 00:07, 12 November 2008 (UTC)Carolmooredc

Once you get Israeli citizenship you can't give it up. So he either never had it, or received it and still has it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.232.31.120 (talk) 03:50, 12 November 2008 (UTC)

Father active in Irgun?

This comes from Christopher Bollyn, ex AFP writer. Bollyn claims to have gotten the details in an interview with Benjamin Emanuel. Chicago Tribune has him as "working in the underground" not blowing buildings up and shooting civilians. Benjamin denies gun running. [1] —Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.228.83.233 (talk • contribs)

The link your provided above is a dead link. The only sources that claim his father was in Irgun now available on the web are from blogs (which are unacceptable sources under wiki-standards). In your post above you state that this is denied by the Emanuel people, without a better source any claims of association to Irgun in his family must be deleted in accord with wiki-standards concerning biographies of living persons. If reliable sources can be found the information can be reposted otherwise it must be speedily deleted in accord with wikipedia's policy on slander.--Wowaconia 17:50, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

I have included the statement "that he was also a member of "the pre-independence Israeli underground". as this was from the Washington Post which is a reliable source but this is a great distance from saying he was in irgun.--Wowaconia 17:59, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

"The only sources that claim his father was in Irgun now available on the web are from blogs (which are unacceptable sources under wiki-standards)" No, on a hunt for sources I discovered a report from October 2006 predating the tainted Bollyn source.

"..but this is a great distance from saying he was in irgun" Indeed it is, weasel-worded probably. I added to your inclusion stating that his Father was reportedly in the terrorist organization the Irgun, citing that to Leon Hadar.

"In your post above you state that this [Irgun membership] is denied by the Emanuel people" No, I state that Benjamin Emanual denies running guns. In the original recounting of the telephone interview I saw Benjamin Emanuel reportedly described himself to the interviewer as "a simple soldier [in the Irgun]." His denial of gun running is paraphrased: "He told me that he had never met [Menachem] Begin and had not smuggled weapons into Palestine, other news reports notwithstanding."[2]

"The link your provided above is a dead link" No, the ChicagoTribune just changed how their site operated as the error message presented to you on trying to use it indicated. Removing the detail tagged to the end of the URL provides a working link [3].

The Bollyn piece also contains various other details, date of parents marriage, previous surname/origins of father etc. However, I am more than willing to concede (before the cause is made) that this source is problematic. The clear lopsideness of Bollyns reporting is the reason why I originally posted to the talkpage of the article instead of including the detail directly. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 82.29.229.254 (talk) 12:14, 12 February 2007 (UTC).

There is another Hadar source making the same statement in a peer reviewed journal which is a reliable source as per wiki, I added that. Hadar works for the Cato institute and several other respected orgainizations so his credentials are good. I dropped all the couching around the information as the responsability of the accuracy of this statement falls on the sources that first published it and as long as wikipedia cites the sources we are fine. I replaced the phrase "terrorist" with "militant" as this might be a POV arguement and a discussion on the nature of Irgun should take place on that page which this segment links to.--Wowaconia 16:38, 12 February 2007 (UTC)

Good work on the JSTOR cite, unfortunately its largely useless to those without access to JSTOR- can you quote Hadar from the actual article? Without the relevant passage/sentence included in the article readers (missing the necessary access rights) wont be able to apraise the source. As you say the accuracy of cited statements ..falls on the sources that first published it and as long as wikipedia cites the sources we are fine. Either way it would be nice to read what Hadar wrote.

In terms of phrasing i'm not particularly intested in the editwars that have arisen so far but for what its worth the word "militant" is Weasel-worded. "Miltant" hand out leaflet, protest, rally, campaign. Paramilitaries organize under arms, follow hierarchy of rank, engage in assassination,explosives,armed insurrection/reaction. Misleading the reader for the sake of not embarassing the subject shouldnt be an aim of an encyclopedia article.

On the word Murder|Terrorist:If JSTOR states his involvement explicitly and the word "murderer/terrorist" is applicable to his activities then the word "murderer/terrorist" should be used. The word "murderer" was already removed from the article once.[4] Calling Mr.Emanuel a "murderer" based on the counterpunch article isnt possible. The claims of his involvement in the assasination of Folke Bernadotte originate with Bollyn's telephone interview article and without access to Bollyns recording of the conversation its uncitable reliably.

On the phrase 'militant Israeli group': A combination of wording which was removed from the article previously; "the Irgun, a radical Zionist paramilitary organization"[5] appears to be an entirely accurate description which strikes a balance between terrorist/freedom fighter polemics. The IZL article itself uses the rather clunky phrase "a clandestine militant Zionist group" which overall seems particularly generous to those who perpetrated the King David Hotel bombing amongst other atrocities. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 82.29.229.254 (talk) 18:17, 12 February 2007 (UTC).

I would like to think that the original wording I suggested ("a radical Zionist paramilitary group") is about as bland and encyclopedic as one could get in describing an outfit like the Irgun (almost to the point of being charitable.) As for describing the Irgun as "terrorist", although this is in many ways an appropriation designation for a group whose tactics were similar to (even arguably more extreme than) the IRA, ETA, PKK, Sendero Luminoso, etc, it's still ulimately subjective and doesn't help to illuminate what the Irgun was really about. I think it suffices to establish reference material for an affiliation that been evaded in many recent mainstream bio pieces (not to mention Rep. Emanuel's own website), leaving gentle encouragement for able and alert Wikipedia readers to explore this intriguing subject matter further. No need to gild the lily here, as it were. Whiskey Pete 00:39, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

I would also like to point out that Irgun is NOT and was never recognized as a terrorist orginization - few very libreral new orginizations called it one but that does not make it one. The addition of that sentence is biased and unfactual.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.237.246.202 (talk • contribs)

You must be living in a fantasy world. Irgun is a terror gang credited with numerous terror attacks against civilians, i.e. The Deyr Yassin massacre which resulted in the murder of 94 people, many women and children. It is worth noting that 25 of the survivors were paraded in West Jerusalem as trophies, who later were brought back to Deir Yassin and murdered.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 195.41.29.43 (talk • contribs)

The Irgun was not considered a "terrorist" group. Whoever writes these statements is extremely anti-Semitic and should not be allowed to write anymore. It should also be changed to say the Irgun is an Israeli Zionist organziation. —Preceding unsigned comment added by :65.91.21.4 (talk) 16:02, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

Please do not WP:attack other editors. Repeated attacks can lead to blocking of your IP. Only discuss sources and their reliability. Four sources have been presented for this assertion. Dozens more easily could. (Finding a few more with internet links would help.) Carol Moore 16:07, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

At the time, the Irgun was considered a terrorist group by the British. Wanted posters for many future Israeli politicians from that era are still available. That is historical fact. Of course post 1948, things changed. Whether they were really terrorists or not is immaterial (much like Hamas) - the governing authorities then though so, much like most western powers think Hamas is today. In my opinion, both groups are more complicated than simply being 'terrorists' - but both have been regarded as such. Anyways, I don't think the Irgun should be discussed in this topic very much - just a brief mention that his father was involved, and that the Irgun was a resistance movement and considered militiant/terroristic at the time. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Fermat1999 (talk • contribs) 17:30, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

Obviously it's going to be a constant revert war on this issue; i've reverted it all I can for today. What dispute resolution process should we follow? Not to mention protecting the page from Anonymous IPs who will be trashing article and talk page for next couple weeks. Carol Moore 18:35, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

Haaretz writes: Emanuel, a former Bill Clinton adviser, is the son of a Jerusalem-born pediatrician who was a member of the Irgun (Etzel or IZL), a militant Zionist group that operated in Palestine between 1931 and 1948. This is to make the point it's important info. Though I think it should be described as a terrorist group, though that does not mean all members carried out terrorist acts. Carol Moore

The haaretz reference keeps getting removed, as does his father being in Irgun. This is notable information. Imagine any politician even having a german grandfather being a Nazi, or a terrorist - it would be notable. The Irgun were not nazis or even close - but were considered a terrorist organization by the British and most American media, including the New York Times and most jewish american groups. His father being an active member is notable. I suspect this will eventually have to go to tribunal. Fermat1999 (talk) 19:15, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

I'm not sure what you mean by tribunal, i.e. WP:Dispute resolution wise. Would it mean people could revert back the info in question all they wanted? Meanwhile finding better and better sources important. Plus keeping eyes open for any WP:RS opinions and controversies about this. Carol Moore 21:31, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

Wikipedia is such a farce. I can't believe how four legitimate citations have disappeared since yesterday. I hope all those insane "Party Members" who spend their time on wikipedia trying to edit history by placing critical knowledge into the memory hole (ie, deleting it under some bs argument) have trouble sleeping at night. Revisionist fuckers.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.71.9.155 (talk • contribs)

<----Indent By the way one piece of relevant info that keeps getting removed is: Benjamin passed secret codes for Irgun leader Menachem Begin. REF: Elizabeth Bumiller, The Brothers Emanuel, New York Times, June 15, 1997. Carol Moore 18:33, 10 November 2008 (UTC)Carolmooredc

The detail is removed because it is not relevant - this is an article about Rahm, not Benjamin. As it is, matters relating to Israel are getting undue weight here. Tvoz/talk 23:00, 11 November 2008 (UTC)

Claim that Emanuel earned $18m in three years in investment banking is unsourced

It’s certainly an extraordinary assertion—that one can earn $18 million by working in a different profession for just three years. The article should cite some supporting evidence. 216.193.37.6 06:39, 13 January 2007 (UTC)

Investment banking is one of the highest paid professions in existence, so this isn't "an extraordinary assertion"; it's also now sourced. Harro5 01:38, 14 January 2007 (UTC)'

Now. About time.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.22.191.171 (talk • contribs)

The article is internally inconsistent on this. First it states that "He left the White House to accept a well-paid position at Dresdner Kleinwort investment bank in Chicago, where he worked from 1999 to 2002 and reportedly earned US$18 million." In the next section, it says that "Following the end of the Clinton presidency, Emanuel went into investment banking, reportedly earning $8 million in his three years as managing director of Wasserstein Perella & Co./Dresdner Kleinwort." This should be made consistent by someone who knows more about this than I. I've also seen $10m as the figure: [6]. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Jzahradka (talk • contribs) 06:46, 8 November 2008 (UTC)

Spoof video

The Democratic caucus just put out a video promoting Rahm Emanuel for vice president, featuring people li ke Nancy Pelosi and James Carville. I think it's supposed to be funny, but I don't know the guy well enough to fully get the joke. If anybody want to add something, the video can be found here. Lampman (talk) 18:59, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

President Obama's chief of staff?

Rumors are already running that he may be president elect Obama's chief of staff. AugustinMa (talk) 07:27, 5 November 2008 (UTC)

Confirmed by ABC News this morning, President-Elect Obama has offered him the job. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.32.43.205 (talk) 15:44, 5 November 2008 (UTC)

Update: NBC just retracted it's claim that he accepted the position.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.78.119.199 (talk • contribs)

Way to go Wikipedia. Publish rumors.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.22.191.171 (talk • contribs)

Huffington Post reporting that MSNBC and AP are reporting that Emanuel accepted the offer. [[7]] --solonmonkey (talk) 21:22, 5 November 2008 (UTC)

Emanuel needs to be confirmed by Congress before he gets the job. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ktyler6183 (talk • contribs) 00:01, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

Pretty sure that's not true. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Nickwolf (talk • contribs) 04:54, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

Alright, so there seems to be an edit war brewing, adding and deleting the sentence that said he's been tapped by President-Elect Obama for CoS. Given the number of reputable sources reporting that he's been officially picked by Obama, I think we should consider this worthy information to keep in the article. I have cited three articles that attest that it is not a rumor but fact. Valley2city 06:46, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

FOX is reporting that he's accepted, as is the the UK Daily Telegraph. I've updated the entry. -- Gaius Octavius | Talk 10:44, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

Chief of Staff position(2)

This article needs to be updated. President-elect Obama selected Emanuel as his Chief of Staff today. —Preceding unsigned comment added by MrsWang (talk • contribs) 00:51, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

Rush Limbaugh in his program November 5, 2008 expressed his disappointment with Obama's choice of Emanuel as Chief of Staff due to his history of being a "Clinton operative and thug for the liberal left". He opined that this appointment does note bode well for any expectation that Obama will reach across the isle to act in a bipartisan way.Rrsjd (talk) 03:06, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

Limbaugh had a negative opinion about Obama? Perish the thought! Mind you, I think the NY Post had a fun blurb: H.R. Haldeman, White House chief of staff to President Richard Nixon, famously said, "Every president needs a son of a bitch, and I am Nixon's." And many observers believe Emanuel fits nicely in that slot. Overall, it's a good move - having a tough Chief of Staff means Obama can still play good cop while Rahm takes out the trash. -- Gaius Octavius | Talk 10:50, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

Rep. Rahm Emanuel of Illinois has been offered the White House chief of staff position, and is reported to have informally accepted the offer. Emanuel spokeswoman Sarah Feinberg has contradicted such reports, denying the acceptance as of November 6, 2008.

• -- Yellowdesk (talk) 14:06, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

And now it's official. AP reported it a few minutes ago. -- Gaius Octavius | Talk 18:10, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

Amy Rule

Under Personal Life, it states that Amy Rule, was non-practicing before converting to Orthodox Judaism. For clarification purposes, what was she non-practicing? There needs to be a reference to what she was not practicing. Factcorrect12 (talk) 21:54, 5 November 2008 (UTC)

When I first clicked on that article this am I could find no ref to her Judaism at all; then 20 minutes later when I clicked it was a dead link (unless I goofed first time). Anyway I found a much more up to date source and in what it says. I'm sure people will be coming in and fixing up all such sloppiness in the article if he accepts appointment. Carol Moore 14:23, 6 November 2008 (UTC)Carolmooredc

David Robinson link wrong, no link for Bruce Reed...

the first David Robinson wiki link on the Rahm Emaunuel Wikipedia page links to a politician from Australia, not David Robinson of Ohio. This page is semi-protected or I would've updated it myself. Here's the correct David Robinson URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Robinson_(Ohio_politician).

No link to Big Ideas For America co-author and DLC President Bruce Reed's wikipedia page near the top of the Raum Emanuel page (third paragraph from the top when I typed this): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Reed

—Preceding unsigned comment added by Darinmarshall (talk • contribs)

Schools

For what it's worth, the junior high school and high school listed are incorrect given his age. Wilmette Junior High School wasn't formed until 1979, when Rahm was 20 years old. He would have attended Locust Junior High School most likely, or else Avoca or Howard. Also, from 1965 until 1981, he would have attended either New Trier West High School or New Trier East High School, there was no single New Trier High School during the 1970s when Rahm was a teenager. If his enrollment at Romona Elementary is correct, then New Trier West is the likely choice, which would fit with the description in the Bumiller/NYT story of their house as being in west Wilmette. However, it's not documented when the family moved to Wilmette from Chicago, and the Bumiller story says it was as Zeke was about to enter high school. This timing suggests that Rahm, two years younger, would have been in Junior High School (grades 6-8) not elementary (K-5). The Henderson/Post story cited only refers to New Trier, and not East or West or any K-8 schools in Wilmette. More documentation is needed. 75.22.201.143 (talk) 01:04, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

A Tribune article November 12 2006 and an article November 6 2008 confirm Emmanuel as a 1977 graduate of New Trier West High School. 75.22.201.143 (talk) 14:50, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

School is not Conservative

The Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School is not affiliated with the "Conservative" Jewish movement as the article suggests. The Anshe Emet Synagogue, with which is shares a building is Conservative, but the school is pluralistic. Students at the Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School are drawn from many forms of Judaism, including secular Jews. I propose making this modest change in the description of the school

Old version:

Amy is “heavily involved with the Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago. They have three children, son Zacharias and daughters Ilana and Leah. The children attend "the Conservative Jewish day school, which Emanuel himself attended as a child".

New version:

Amy is “heavily involved with the Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School, which is a pluralistic Jewish Day School that shares a building with the Conservative Anshe Emet Synagogue in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago. They have three children, son Zacharias and daughters Ilana and Leah. The children attend "the Jewish day school, which Emanuel himself attended as a child".

Jstoper (talk) 01:46, 6 November 2008 (UTC) Jon Stoper

I've changed it in a different way than you requested. I've tried to remove a lot of the quotes for readability, which necessitated rewording it. I took the opportunity to remove the Conservative label, but I don't feel comfortable adding in that it's pluralistic without a source, especially since the cited article clearly states that it's Conservative. If you can find a source, please post it here and add another editsemiprotected template above it. Thanks!--Aervanath lives in the Orphanage 05:13, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

Controversies

Speculation has been raised regarding the connection of Emanuel's Congressional election success to convicted former Chicago water department boss Don Tomczak.

Is it proper to include speculations in an encyclopedia? If it is, 'boss' should at least be changed to the more neutral 'First Deputy Commisioner' which was the position Donald S. Tomczak held until january 2004 according to the U. S. Department of Justice [8]
--DanniDK (talk) 03:36, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

Hiding the truth about the Irgun

Some user on here is trying to protect Rahm Emanuel by hiding the truth about the group that his father was a member of between 1931 to 1948. Rahm Emanuel's father was a member of a Zionist terrorist group known as the Irgun. The Irgun was responsible for many atrocities and crimes against humanity against Arab civilians and British soldiers. There is a lot more information about the Irgun on wikipedia and other websites. Type in "Irgun" in the search bar and read about them. The American people have a right to know all there is to know about the people running this great country. You cannot hide important facts just because they make you look bad.Patriot007 (talk) Patriot007

Enough about Israel

Okay, we get it! He's part of the grand Zionist conspiracy and undoubtedly a puppet of eeeevil Jews. Could this article possibly have made any more references - howsoever trivial - as background? Geez... Of course, any attempt to clean this up will be seen as part of a Grand Zionist Black-Op Coverup. Good grief. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 124.170.188.184 (talk) 11:06, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

Plus, it can't any of it be true, because only Republicans are pro-Israel! 198.169.65.1 (talk) 17:54, 7 November 2008 (UTC)

First it is wp:attack to make slurs about those who add factual info so please stop it - and consider deleting your first comment, oh anonymous IP. Second, obviously Emanuel serving even as a civilian in another govt's military is relevant, whether he stays in congress or even more so becomes chief of staff. If it turned into several paragraphs, then one could claim WP:Undue but that's hardly the case now. Carol Moore 14:27, 6 November 2008 (UTC)Carolmooredc

The consistent push to sterilize this article of any possible political controversy amounts to censorship. People come to Wikipedia to be educated, not indoctrinated. I for one would appreciate if personal political agendas were removed from what should be an academic article. Prereantiposticated (talk) 00:35, 9 November 2008 (UTC)

There is no reason I can possibly think of to omit this information or attack those who add it in. It's as relevant as anything else, and in fact, is a prominent feature of Rahm's political background. It should get the attention it deserves. LamaLoLeshLa (talk) 20:12, 10 November 2008 (UTC)

:Feel free to opine the same in the below section where it is argued that in second paragraph of Personal life section Irgun should not even be described as a paramilitary group, not to mention that it engaged in attacks on civilian and govt targets. I am willing to give up calling it "terrorist" for this article. This despite words "combatant" and "killed in skirmish with Arabs" are used in previous paragraph. People have constantly re-added this info to the page and complained hereit was deleted and it keeps getting deleted, despite many articles stressing that Irgun "militants" were not just chanting loud in the streets, or other innocuous but militant activity. I'm not sure what other WP:RS has been deleted today. Carol Moore 00:04, 11 November 2008 (UTC)Carolmooredc

Why are people making such a huge effort to broadcast to the world that this guy is Jewish. He is Jewish so what. No need to keep pushing this fact by repeating it 100 times in the article.Mike Babic (talk) 13:56, 12 November 2008 (UTC)

Hebrew translation of name

Curious why we have a Hebrew translation of his name on this page. He isn't Israeli and this is not normal for US Congressmen articles (even those who are Jewish). Is this some kind of finger pointing about how pro-Israel he is? I vote it be removed. 81.149.153.146 (talk) 11:48, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

I think it's interesting enough to warrant mention. I mean, *I* was curious about where the name came from. That being said, I think it should remain as part of the "Miscellaneous" section, near the bottom. It's not significant enough to be at the top of the article. -- Gaius Octavius | Talk 12:16, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

It's a Hebrew name and usually when the name is not common it's acceptable to mention the origin of it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 93.173.168.143 (talk) 14:42, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

Miscellaneous or personal would seem more appropriate. Go for it. Carol Moore 14:46, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

I think we should keep his Hebrew name in there. His first and last name ARE both Hebrew names bestowed upon him by his Israeli parents. He also served in the Israel Defence Forces during the first gulf war. I think that merits his Hebrew name, the name he was referred to when he lived in Israel (which, again, happens to be his birth name, entirely a Hebrew name). Valley2city 17:04, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

I disagree. Many English names, such as Miriam, Deborah and Maia, are also Hebrew names. My three (American Jewish) nieces all have Hebrew names, but it would be weird for them to write them in Hebrew characters except in a religious setting. I think the Hebrew transcription of his name should only appear in the Hebrew translation of the page. Espertus (talk) 23:16, 9 November 2008 (UTC)

This isn't hugely important but is also not so clearcut. He did serve in the IDF, and his father is Israeli - that makes him pretty close to Israeli. However, I don;t see Hebrew characters attached to many other Israeli American figures' names on English wikipedia. And actually I'll admit that I'm not sure I, as an Israeli, want his conservative views on Israel to be associated with my native language. You know, there's that whole world-jewish-conspiracy thing. He is after all an American and he is going to be Chief of staff in the US, not of Israel.LamaLoLeshLa (talk) 23:19, 9 November 2008 (UTC)

According to this source, he did not serve in the IDF, but volunteered for a few weeks as a civilian doing support work. Tvoz/talk 03:48, 11 November 2008 (UTC)

BTW, can somebody tell how his first name 'Rahm' is pronounced? 'Raam' or 'Rachm' or so? --Cspan64 (talk) 15:13, 10 November 2008 (UTC)

Raam. Tvoz/talk 03:48, 11 November 2008 (UTC)

Thank you. --Cspan64 (talk) 16:47, 11 November 2008 (UTC)

I have removed it. What is the "standard" for including Hebrew translation for Americans? TIA --Tom 18:31, 10 November 2008 (UTC)

Cameo unsourced?

The statement, "made a cameo appearance at the same restaurant as Josh Lyman in the 7th season episode "The Wedding."," is marked with the "citation needed" tag. This seems counter-intuitive. The source is listed in the statement (the 7th season episode of the West Wing, "The Wedding"). Do we need a footnote that says, "the 7th season episode of the West Wing, "The Wedding"," or is this a disagreement about his being in the credits for that episode? If the latter, perhaps there could have been a better way to request confirmation than to request that an inline citation be cited (which would be as odd as <ref>...</ref>{{fact}}). -Miskaton (talk) 18:48, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

It needs to be verifiable other then watching the episode for the credits. IMDB does not list him in the episode[9] and g'hits only show WP mirror sites. Gtstricky^{Talk or C} 19:01, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

Some citations to add to current version

Since this page is currently locked down, here are some citations for the current version. For his support of the US Public Service Academy Act, http://uspublicserviceacademy.org/in-congress/ he is listed as a co-sponsor For his political beginnings at the consumer rights organization Illinois Public Action, http://www.house.gov/emanuel/aboutrahm.shtml Bsx (talk) 19:49, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

The page has been unprotected. Go for it. Gtstricky^{Talk or C} 20:47, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

Misspelling

{{editsemiprotected}}
I'm unable to make the change. "Emanuel" is misspelled as "Emmanuel" in section 3, "White House Chief of Staff" —Preceding unsigned comment added by MarkFitz (talk • contribs)
 Done Gtstricky^{Talk or C} 20:08, 6 November 2008 (UTC)