Emanuel Downplays Being First Jewish Mayor
CHICAGO (WBBM/CBS) -- When he is sworn in on May 16, Rahm Emanuel will become the first Jewish mayor in Chicago history.
But as WBBM Newsradio 780 Political Editor Craig Dellimore reports, Emanuel downplays the achievement. His focus is on his strong roots in the city.
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"I think of it as a person whose family has been here in Chicago," he said. "My grandfather settled the family in Albany Park. My dad's first practice was a mile north of Albany Park. My uncle was a police officer in Albany Park."
If there's any sense of pride, Emanuel says, it is as the son and grandson of immigrants who never dreamed that he could grow up to be mayor when they settled in the city.
But many in Chicago's Jewish community expressed great pride in Emanuel's election.
Chicago-based Jewish United Fund president Steven B. Nasatir said on the JUF News Web site that Emanuel's election had brought "special pride within our Chicago Jewish community."
JUF also pointed out that anti-Semitism was also involved in some of the attacks on Emanuel during the campaign, including a flier that was distributed on the CTA Red Line earlier this month.
