 The
Sun
New York, Saturday, February 14, 2004
Pic of 'JFK' sex
storm girl By BRIAN FLYNN
in New York THIS is the girl at the centre
of a sex scandal that threatens Democratic
front-runner John Kerry's run for the White
House. Presidential hopeful Kerry, dubbed the new JFK,
has denied claims he had a two-year fling with
brunette Alex Polier. Alex, 27, was a
cross-country runner and in the world affairs club
at her Philadelphia school.  One
source said: "She was attractive, intelligent and
one of the leaders in her year."
She went on to graduate from Columbia
University, New York, and met Kerry, 60, as she
began a career as a freelance journalist. But a probe was under way yesterday into
allegations that twice-wed Kerry seduced her after
inviting her to join his campaign team in spring
2001. There is no evidence to support the claims.
Dad-of-two Kerry was set to seal the nomination to
take on George Bush in the November election when
the allegations surfaced. Alex, who is in Africa with her fiancé
Yaron Schwartzman, refused to
comment.
Cameron Kerry
and his in-laws talk of the Democratic
frontrunner By Sharon
Luckerman DETROIT, Feb. 12 - When
Cameron Kerry fell in love with Kathy
Weinman, he chose to convert to Judaism from
Catholicism. Little did Kerry know that he already had a
strong Jewish connection. His father's parents were
Jewish -- a fact uncovered last year when the
Boston Globe hired a genealogist to check
into the family roots of Kerry's more famous
brother, John Kerry, the Democratic
presidential frontrunner. The Kerry family, thought by many to be of Irish
background, was traced back to a small town in the
Austrian empire, now part of the Czech Republic.
There, the paper discovered that before immigrating
to America, the Kerrys changed their name from Kohn
and converted to Catholicism from Judaism. "It was mind-blowing," says Cam Kerry about
first learning of his grandparents' true history
from the newspaper story. Also surprising to him
was the number of Jews in his synagogue who came up
to him with similar stories. "It's an American
story," he says.  It
also could be a powerful Jewish story if John Kerry
wins the White House. He would be the first
president of the United States with Jewish
roots.
"If my zayda could see this election," says Anne
Weinman, Cam's mother-in-law, who originally
emigrated from Eastern Europe along with her
husband, Joe. "Joe, and I are first-generation Americans and
it was inconceivable back then that we could be
connected to the president of the United
States." Cam's wife, Kathy Weinman, says, "We have to
pinch ourselves once in a while. It's amazing to
have a ringside seat to history in the making." She and their two daughters, ages 13 and 17,
also have participated in this history. They were
in New Hampshire during the primary. Her daughters
campaigned for their uncle, knocking on doors,
making calls and holding up signs. Their elder
daughter worked in Iowa and volunteered for the
Kerry campaign last summer. Cam, 53, has taken time off from his law firm,
Mintz Levin in Boston, and from his position as an
adjunct telecommunications law professor at Suffolk
Law School there, to work on his brother's
presidential campaign. Last week, prior to the
Michigan Democratic caucuses on Feb. 7, he was in
Detroit stumping for his brother. He stayed with
his in-laws in Farmington Hills, where, Anne says,
she keeps a kosher kitchen, and Cam, who is
knowledgeable of Jewish dietary laws, is one of the
few people she trusts in it. Cam's wife, Kathy, 49, attended public high
school and went to Hebrew school in Southfield,
Mich. Her mother is a former English teacher and
her father was part owner of a company called
Murray Lighting, in Detroit. The Weinmans now
belong to Congregation Beth Ahm in West Bloomfield,
Mich. After graduating from the University of Michigan
law school in 1979 - magna cum laude - Kathy got
her first job at a law firm in Washington There she
met Cam, a magna cum laude graduate of Boston
College Law School The two were married in 1983.
Though brought up Catholic, Cam decided to convert
to Judaism before the marriage. "I was influenced by Kathy," Cam says. "Judaism
is deeply held and meaningful to her. Early on, we
established we would raise any children we had as
Jewish. So it flowed from that. To be a full
participant in their religious education, I would
convert." Cam says what appealed to him about Judaism was
the role of study in the religion, that it valued
learning and intellectual pursuits, which were
comfortable and a part of his upbringing. He adds that standing on the bimah, or synagogue
podium, for each of his daughters' Bat Mitzvahs as
a full participant made his religious commitments
well worth it. "Judaism is central to us," says Kathy, who is
active in her suburban Boston synagogue,
Brookline's Temple Israel. "Judaism is a core of my
life and important to our family." When asked how the Catholic and Jewish sides of
the family relate, Kathy says, "It's a terrific
relationship." She says that candidate Kerry was supportive
when his brother converted to Judaism. He and his
family have attended both nieces' baby namings and
Bat Mitzvahs. Kathy says she is very close to John
Kerry's two daughters. And the Weinman and Kerry families have become
mishpachah - family - says Anne Weinman. Cam's late
"blue-blood" mother, Rosemary, whose heritage goes
back to colonial times with family names like
Winthrop and Forbes, and his late father, Richard,
were wonderful people proud of all four of their
children: Peggy, John, Diana and Cam. She says the
Kerry family - including Cam's parents and John -
were present when Cam and Kathy's daughters were
named at the temple. "Religion has never been an issue between Cam
and his family," Kathy says. "John's always loved
participating in our happy occasions. He's always
been there and part of our family." The Weinmans say they are very active in the
Kerry campaign. They support the candidate because
of his stand on the environment and education, Anne
says. "I have a greater appreciation for the early
caucus and primaries and the role they play," Kathy
says. "Our country is so big and it's impossible
for everyone to know the candidates. But the Iowans
and the people of New Hampshire get that
opportunity. We saw them get to know my
brother-in-law and his opponents. They made their
judgment from the place of knowledge and
understanding." Of course, when asking Cam or the Weinmans why
people should vote for Kerry, one doesn't get a
strengths-and-weaknesses kind of answer. However,
the warmth and intimacy of the reply gives another
insight into this political family of diverse
backgrounds. "There's nobody else I want by my side in a
tough situation than my brother," says the
easygoing Cam, who has been at his brother's side
for all of John's campaigns for office. "In times of war and great economic challenge,
he's the kind of leader we need." | ![[]](../../std/dings/list.gif){kind=small}
write to David
Irving