Posted By James Besser
Is There A Rabbi in the House? / James Besser in Washington
Is Congress ready for its first blind rabbi? Dennis Shulman, a rabbi and clinical psychologist hopes New Jersey voters will give him a chance to find out after next November's congressional election.
Shulman, who has been a pulpit rabbi, practicing psychologist and author, is hoping to unseat Rep. Scott Garrett, a three-term Republican, in a GOP-leaning district that the Democrats hope will turn blue next year.
The Fifth District includes parts of Bergen, Passaic, Sussex and Warren Counties. Shulman campaign officials say the district is about 10 percent Jewish.
He is also the author of several books, including “The Genius of Genesis: A Psychoanalyst and Rabbi Examines the First Book of the Bible.”
“The trajectory of my life compels this decision,” he said before announcing his candidacy on Wednesday. “Now it is time to apply my experiences serving individuals and my congregants to serving my district and my country.”
He promised to stay in touch with the folks at home.
“Too often, the relationship between Congressmen and lobbyists is closer than the relationship between Congressmen and constituents,” he said.
And he said he would “apply common sense solutions to issues like Iraq, energy independence, and the incompetence and corruption of our government .”
Political observers say he has his work cut out for him.
“He’s an interesting personality, but the seat is an extraordinarily difficult one for a Democratic,” said Gilbert Kahn, a Kean University political scientist who closely follows New Jersey politics.
But if the national Democratic avalanche is as big as some polls suggest, Shulman might have a chance, Kahn said. “A good campaign and a Democratic landslide could change things dramatically."