Gerson: Former Sen. Joseph Lieberman was a proud Jew and great American statesman

I was saddened to learn of the death of former Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman on March 27.

There were two areas of his life that stood out to me, and were very significant in my eyes.

First, Lieberman was of my Jewish faith.  I was very proud that he, a Jew, was a very distinguished senator.  In his political life, he never hid his Jewishness.  He was, in the midst of his busy Senate life, a visibly observant Jew.  On Saturdays, he walked to synagogue in the traditional mode, not riding in a car on the Sabbath, and observed other Sabbath practices.

He once joked to his constituents, "I will be a busy senator; I work for you diligently; you can count on me 'twenty-four six'" (less Saturday).  Of course, on rare occurrences, if he needed to be on the Senate floor on Saturday for a vote, he would walk there.

In 2000, he was picked by Al Gore to run for vice president on the Democratic ticket, the first Jew to achieve this honor.

There were some Americans who could not accept this.  I recall seeing a letter in a newspaper in rural Georgia in which the writer asked:  "How can we have a Jew in the high office of vice President?"  I felt compelled to reply.  I mentioned , "Many Jews (including my dad of blessed memory) fought for this country in World War II; they certainly are eligible to run for any political office."

But, there was also something else about Lieberman which strikes me.

Against the backdrop of today, at a time when the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate are often characterized by bitter partisanship, mean-spirited attacks on each other, and public heckling as in the recent State of the Union addresses, Lieberman was a model of dignity, uprightness, and morality.

In 1998, he was one of the few in his Democratic Party who had the courage and moral integrity to speak out against President Bill Clinton, fellow Democrat, on the wrongness of his affair with Monica Lewinsky.  He later said:  "It was a very hard thing for me to do because I liked him ... but I really felt what he (Clinton) did was awful."

Also, in 2000, running for vice president, following the razor-thin election, ultimately decided by the Supreme Court giving the victory to George Bush, Lieberman accepted the results with dignity and grace, wishing Bush the very best.

As an American and a Jew, I salute the life of Lieberman.  May this true statesman rest in peace.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Gerson: Sen. Joseph Lieberman was a proud Jew and great statesman