Senator Barbara Boxer talks about faith, hope, and politics

By Mariecar Mendoza - Desert Sun (CA)
Monday, May 05, 2008 - Web Link
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May 5, 2008

Sen. Barbara Boxer reconnected Sunday with her Coachella Valley constituents in a rare, intimate conversation about her religious roots and how it has influenced her position on national and global concerns.

As part of a twice-monthly "Coffee & Conversation" series at Temple Isaiah in Palm Springs, , where she is a new member, Boxer spoke about her "upbringing as a Jewish girl from Brooklyn" and how itaffects her work as one of California's senators.

"I don't really talk about my upbringing and religion in speeches, because one of the things my parents taught me was that you don't wear your religion on your sleeves so I'm very cautious about it," Boxer told the crowd, "but I still feel that my childhood and being raised in a Jewish family tells a lot about me."

For the dozens of Jewish and non-Jewish attendees that packed the venue, it was an experience that left some feeling like they just had breakfast with a family member.

"Personally, being Jewish, it's nice to see a senator much like my mother," said Alex Schild, 17, a senior at Marywood-Palm Valley School in Rancho Mirage.

"She gave us an amazing insight into almost every pressure issue of the day," Arthur Wilhelm of Palm Springs chimed in. "She has a message everybody should hear."

Part of Boxer's message criticized President George W. Bush and she also lamented the war in Iraq and growing global warming.

"This is a national security issue for us," Boxer said, referring to global warming. "It will be a cause of war for us in the future and all I want to do is avert disaster. No more. No less."