MAY 25, 2015, 9:16 PM LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, MAY 25, 2015, 9:31 PM
BY MIKE KELLY
RECORD COLUMNIST |
THE RECORD
The man who calls himself “America’s rabbi” sat in a Starbucks in Englewood on a recent afternoon and touted himself as just the right guy to bring values back to politics.
These are ambitious days for Rabbi Shmuley Boteach.
Critics dismiss him as a shameless publicity hound, backed by powerful and wealthy special interests. Admirers describe him as a courageous, much-needed voice in the public arena. But who is he anyway? Why does he need to be heard — so much and so often?
America’s rabbi may actually be America’s latest political mystery.
Until recently, Boteach, 48, was known primarily for writing the best-seller “Kosher Sex”; for counseling Michael Jackson; for dispensing marital advice in a reality TV show, and for losing by almost 50 percentage points in his quest three years ago to become the first rabbi elected to Congress.
Now Boteach unabashedly says he is perfectly suited to become a major player in politics – maybe even a force in the 2016 presidential race, through his foundation The World Values Network. As he noted, “We are expanding the organization significantly. The demand is there.”
Whether Boteach, who runs his foundation from his sprawling stone estate on Englewood’s East Hill, can find his footing in the crowded and unforgiving American political landscape remains to be seen. But it’s not for lack of trying.
Another charlatan.
Is he trying to look like Fidel ?