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Allen's Mother Revealed Jewish Heritage to Him Last Month

RICHMOND, Sept. 20 -- Henrietta "Etty" Allen said Wednesday that she concealed her upbringing as a Jew in North Africa from her children, including Sen. George Allen (R-Va.), until a conversation across the dining room table in late August.
- By Michael D. Shear

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Hey Salazar--George Allens mother concealed their Jewish heritage after coming to America because she doesnt want her children to live with the same fear she suffered during the war, and that her father was incarcerated in a concentration camp. Who does she expect to believe such non-sense? There has never been any Nazi concentration camp here in the states, so that fear is no longer valid. There are many documented and published stories of post-Holocaust Jews hidding their heritage out of fear. It certainly was not uncommon. For some people it was the only way they could think of to keep their children safe. Irrational and uncourageous, perhaps, but after what they had been through it seemed like a good idea. Recently there was a shooting at the Jewish Federation of Seattle. As one of the women was hiding underneath her desk she was thinking to herself I am a Jew, I am hunted. This was the headline of the Seattle Times. How do you suppose I felt that day as I passed the newspaper rack? Pretty damn fearful, and plenty paranoid.

By blanche52 | Sep 21, 2006 3:13:57 PM | Request Removal

This is sort of funny. I met Coach Allen at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel in the late 80s. We had arrived on a flight from Dulles and he and Mrs. Allen were standing right behind me on line at immigration. I said hello, told him I was a Skins fan from his day and we discussed a heartbreaker the team had lost that day or the day before its a long flight. He told me that he was there to give a talk at the Wingate Sports Institute and that after that they would be visiting Mrs. Allens birthplace in Tunisia Im pretty sure about that detail. They were both quite gracious. I remember they were a bit worried about handling their luggage by themselves and I was hoping to help them with it. But I lost track of them after going through the first immigration check BG Airport was a zoo in those days and assumed that the Institute would send someone to help them. I recall wondering what the Coach and his wife would think of Israel. Now that I know her story, Im even more curious to know how that trip went for her.

By nechmike | Sep 21, 2006 4:05:06 PM | Request Removal

Mr. Shear reports in this article that George Allens mother told him that she was Jewish in late August. I dont buy it. Allen made the Macaca comment August 11th. By August 15th the fact that his mother was Jewish appeared on a number of blogs. Here are three: Time to Cut Out the Macaca -- Sen. George Allen Goes Native: For ... 15 Aug 2006 by Fisch George Allen Goes Native: For those who havent heard yet, or seen the video, the incumbent US Senator from Virginia, George Allen really stepped in it this weekend. ... Allens mother is herself a French-Tunisian Jew. ...The Fisch Fry - - References Settling the George Allen Mess 15 Aug 2006 by Dana Blankenhorn Allens mother, Henrietta Lumbroso, was a Jewish immigrant of Tunisian/Italian/French background. I want you to think of that as you watch a sitting US Senator and potential President berate a young Virginian born in the USA of ...Dana Blankenhorn - 16 Aug 2006 by urizon His father George Herbert Allen was a legendary NFL coach who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002. His mother, Henrietta Lumbroso, was a Jewish immigrant of Tunisian/Italian/French background. ... Cognitive Diss - Was no one in the Allen campaign monitoring the blogs? Furthermore Wikipedia had that information in its biography of Allen before the macaca episode.

By publix | Sep 21, 2006 5:09:30 PM | Request Removal

It would be nice if the media would address our issues in lieu of badgering an 83 year old woman about her lineage. Both John Kerry and Madeline Albright found themselvesin the same boat with Allen, having Jewish ancestors that they were unaware of. In America, their lineage should not be an issue. Suddenly, it is - at least to the WP. Some think this revelation will destroy Allens base - which is just a back-handed way of saying that Virginians are racists. They would be sorely mistaken. What state had the first black governor in the US? I do believe it was that racist, redneck, confederate-flag waving Virginia! Obviously were not racist and a little Jewish ancestry wont deter those Virginians that support Allen. In fact, this religion-badgering might just gain him a few sympathy votes.

By mtnlaurl | Sep 21, 2006 8:40:57 PM | Request Removal

I think the reporter should be applauded. She displayed courage that too few American journalists have shown when reporting on the plethora of republican hoodwinkers whove taken over our beloved country over the last five years. She did her job, she exposed pertinent information, and Im grateful to her and her true American spirit. Allen is a hypocrite and a liar whos gone along with all the wrong doings of this Administration. Anyone who votes him back in office knowing all we know about him... and have really known for years, should be considered un-American. I hope he loses the election and that were rid of this Charlatan once and for all.

By NancyGoldstein08 | Sep 24, 2006 3:45:08 PM | Request Removal

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