Worcester Native Could Make History as First Rabbi in U.S. Congress

If Elected, Dennis Shulman Would Be First Rabbi - and Blind Rabbi - in U.S. Legislature

By Lorne Bell

If Worcester native Dennis Shulman wins his campaign for the U.S. Congress this year, he will have more than a seat at the Capitol building: He will have a seat in history as the first blind rabbi - and, for that matter, the first rabbi - to serve in the U.S. Legislature.

"To be blind and successful you have to be a problem solver, and that is the most important thing a congressman or congresswoman should be," said Shulman. "I am struck by the fact that when I look back at life I realize that when I set my heart on something, I have always succeeded."

Shulman is running as a Democrat representing New Jersey's 5th district. He has made a career - or, to be more accurate, several careers - out of overcoming the odds. Blind since the age of 13, the former Brandeis and Harvard graduate is also a practicing clinical psychologist, author, and educator.

"Psychology is all about truth-seeking and truth-speaking, and one of the most troubling things I've seen is that there has not been enough truth-seeking and truth-speaking in Congress over last seven years," said Shulman.

Shulman will face his district's third-term incumbent, Rep. Scott Garrett (R-Wantage), should he win the primary race for the Democratic nomination. But the rabbi doesn't just represent a changing of the guard. He advocates for a phased withdrawal from Iraq, further stem cell research, and the State Children's Health Insurance Program - all stark contrasts to Garrett's views.

"[Shulman] inspires people, is very bright, and has a very good command of issues that are facing our country," said Nancy Kaufman, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston. "He calls himself a sensible Democrat and I think that's what he is - a mainstream centrist who represents all that is good about America."

Kaufman and Shulman graduated from Brandeis together in 1972. She said she remembers him as an active member of the campus community and "an amazing human being."

"He was always very positive and never exhibited any bitterness about his blindness," said Kaufman.

Shulman went to great lengths to overcome his disability, and said he is grateful to the tight-knit Jewish communities of Worcester and Boston for supporting his efforts to succeed in school and in life. He also credits his blindness with providing him a sense of empathy.

"It made me conscious and aware of not only my own struggles and of the work I needed to triumph over challenges, but also of other people's struggles," he said.

And although Shulman lacks political experience, he is confident he is up to the challenge of working in Washington. His decision to run, he said, was inspired by civil rights activist Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel.

"I felt it was serious to take action and to take what I learned as a psychologist in an individual context, and a rabbi in an ethical and a spiritual context, and apply that to the public forum," Shulman added.

That kind of perspective, combined with a passion for helping people, has always been behind Shulman's successes, according to Phyllis Baumann, professor of law at Northeastern University and Shulman's sister-in-law.

"A lot of people have a feeling of being powerless, but we all just sort of sit around," she said. "[Shulman] brings a sense of energy that we should be doing something."

Source: TheJewishAdvocate.com [1]

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