The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of righteous memory, provided the inspiration for the federal Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, known by its acronym, WIC, according to new information gleaned in an interview with a former Senate aide.
Interview Unearths Details in Genesis of U.S. Food Allotment Program
The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of righteous memory, provided the inspiration for the federal Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, known by its acronym, WIC, according to new information gleaned in an interview with a former Senate aide.
The WIC program provides federal money to states, which in turn make available nutritious foods to households that fall below the poverty line. According to David Luchins, who for 20 years was a senior advisor to the late U.S. Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-N.Y.) and chairs the political science department at Touro College, its birth was a direct result of a conversation the Rebbe had with Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman elected to Congress, in 1968.
He revealed this story to Jewish Educational Media in an interview arranged through the office of Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky, chairman of Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch, the educational arm of Chabad-Lubavitch .
Representing New York’s 12th District, which included her own neighborhood of Crown Heights, Chisholm made headlines upon her election, but soon found her congressional career stunted at its start by race-related politics. Bowing to political pressures from southern politicians, the House’s leadership assigned Chisholm to the Agriculture Committee, a place where it was assumed that she could have little influence.
Zalman-s
We need to reevaluate our Rush Limbaugh influenced opinions on social responsibility. Frum doesn’t equal Republican. And right wing is not synonymous with Kedushah.
Mottel
I would say that on Social Welfare issues/ Gun control we may be liberals as at heart.
But when it comes to such issues as moment of silence, abortion, and foreign policy, we would be safer with the right . . .
Milhouse
1. . The story about Chisholm “turning what seemed to be a wall blocking her path into a tool to be used” is simply not true. In fact she refused the assignment, and was put on the Veterans Affairs Committee instead.
2. She had little or nothing to do with the passage of WIC, which happened in 1972, when she was on the Education and Labor Committee. WIC was originally introduced in the Senate, not the House, and was sponsored by Hubert Humphrey.
In other words, lo dubim, velo yaar.
And WIC is a huge waste of public money, which fulfills no need and has no purpose except to channel taxpayers’ money to agribusiness, and to employ public servants. If the Rebbe had been its inspiration this would not be to his credit.
Scratching his head
I googled her and wic etc for hours couldnt find a connection there, other than her being upset about the placement, and her getting out of there asap.
wic
Milhouse, I’m sorry that you don’t like the story, but it doesn’t mean that it didn’t happen!
zrcsm
Rabbi Elye Gross A"H brought wic into the crown heights neighborhood for all to benefit when it was part of Brooklyn Jewish Hospital. Now Brooklyn Hospital took over and they are no friends of ours.