An appeal to young Jewish voters

Even if you can't schlep all the way to Bubbe's in Florida, maybe you can make it to your great-aunt's in Center City.

"The Great Schlep" - a political action committee's call for young Jewish voters to persuade their elders to vote for Barack Obama - is coming to Philadelphia and other major cities Friday asking people to go out in "mah-jongg parlors, bingo halls, living rooms, dens" and anywhere old folks congregate, according to the Great Schlep's Facebook page. It's not billed as a formal gathering - there's no specific meeting place or rallying spot - but instead a way to encourage young Democrats to talk about their candidates across the country on a given day.

"The goal is to allow people to self-organize," said Mik Moore, co-executive director of New York City-based Jewish Council for Education and Research, the three-month-old PAC behind www.jewsvote.org and the Great Schlep movement. "We can provide them with the resources to be the most effective advocates they can be, with talking points and videos."

Comedian Sarah Silverman's Internet video calling young Jews to schlepping action was released last month. It drew one million viewers in its first 24 hours and it remains a popular download, Moore said. You also can watch it on YouTube.

At the start of the clip, Silverman, in her characteristically deadpan way, announces that if Obama loses in November, she will blame the Jews, specifically the older ones who live in swing states, and especially the all-important voting bloc in Florida. That's why she wants Jewish grandchildren to go to these states and persuade their grandparents to vote for him. Friday's Great Schlep meetings include those in Miami Beach, Akron, Cleveland and Las Vegas.

She directs her viewers to www.thegreatschlep.com for downloadable talking points that include, "Barack Israel and so do you" and "He's Black! Let's talk about it!"

"Use threats," she says. "If they vote for Barack Obama, they're going to get another visit this year. If not, let's just hope they stay healthy until next year."

While Silverman is alternately sweet - giggling at the woman playing her "Nana" - and distasteful - pointing out that African Americans and older Jews are the same because "all their friends are dying" - the concept is a serious one, Moore said.

"The purpose is to underscore the importance of Jewish voters in this election, particularly Jewish voters in Florida," Moore said.

Political analyst Larry Sabato of the University of Virginia said he found many parts of Silverman's video offensive - "I still think Jack Benny is funny," he said, explaining his comedic preference - and wondered if it would bring in more votes for Obama.

"I suppose the whole thing is based on the fact that Al Gore lost by 537 votes in Florida and there's a very large Jewish vote in South Florida in particular," Sabato said.

If the 2008 election is as close as the 2000 race, maybe this call will make a difference, but "I couldn't imagine this would produce many votes one way or another."

In fact, Silverman's use of obscenities could backfire on Obama, Sabato said.

Moore, who took leave as communications officer at Jewish Funds for Justice to start this PAC, believes differently. While Silverman's humor isn't for everyone, it definitely gets attention.

"Sarah could have done a very sober video that wouldn't have been her and wouldn't have been seen by a million people in the first 24 hours," Moore said. "I wouldn't expect a single person would be persuaded to support Obama from watching that video. That wasn't the intent. It was to galvanize people, particularly younger Jews."

He sees a ripple effect with one grandchild convincing one grandparent, who convinces friends, who convinces friends, and so on. As of Monday, about a dozen Philadelphians had publicly committed on Facebook to schlepping.

"Every person's mind you change, you touch dozens of people," Moore said.

Of course, there's no guarantee that Nana won't just lie about whom she voted for in order to get another visit, but Moore doesn't think that's likely, at least among the Bubbes he knows.

"I can't imagine," he said, "a grandma lying to her grandchild about something so important."