Jewish Democratic mayor resigns from Maryland golf club over Obama membership debate
Woodmont was founded by DC-area Jews in 1913 because Jews were banned from joining other clubs.
By JTAUS President Barack Obama(photo credit: REUTERS)
A Democratic activist has resigned his membership from an exclusive, mostly Jewish golf club in Maryland following a contentious debate over whether to admit President Barack Obama for membership because of the US decision to abstain from a UN vote against Israeli settlements.Jeffrey Slavin resigned from the Woodmont Country Club in Rockville in an email to the club’s general manager, the Washington Post reported Monday. Slavin also is the mayor of the Montgomery County town of Somerset.He wrote in his email, sent Monday, which was Martin Luther King Jr. Day:“I can no longer belong to a community:Where Intolerance is accepted,Where History is forgotten,Where Freedom of Speech is denied,And where the nation’s first black president is disrespected.”Some members of the club have said they would not welcome Obama for membership over his decision not to veto the anti-settlements resolution at the United Nations Security Council on Israeli settlements.Slavin told the Post that he has spoken to many other country club members who say that Obama should be welcome, but that they rather stay in the club to make that happen rather than resign.
Obama has played at the club four times during his presidency. He has not indicated whether he will seek a membership at the club.Slavin said he wants the club to publicly state that Obama is welcome as a member even before he decides to ask for membership.“I decided that unless someone did something bold, the club would do nothing,” he told the Post. “I felt I couldn’t let this go on any longer.”The exclusive club charges members an $80,000 initiation fee and $9,673 in annual dues.The Obamas are planning to remain in Washington, DC, after Jan. 20, Inauguration Day for Donald Trump, the president’s successor.Woodmont was founded by DC-area Jews in 1913 because Jews were banned from joining other clubs.