Fellow fans of Angelina Jolie might be impressed that her dad was spotted in Israel with United Jewish Communities’ vice president for public policy and director of the Washington office William Daroff.

If Jon Voight’s lucky, his daughter might score a photo with Vice President Daroff, too.

Our good friend and Nobel Peace Prize winner-in-waiting William Daroff merits this big Slate mention

William Daroff is vice president for public policy and director of the Washington office at United Jewish Communities, an organization representing America’s Jewish federations. In other words, he’s a lobbyist. Daroff is also one of the country’s better-connected Jewish operatives. In recent months, he has been called upon to moderate dozens of panels aimed at Jewish activists and professionals, dealing with the hot topic of the day: the 2008 election and the Jewish community.

This election has reignited an old debate: Which party is better for Israel—the Republicans or the Democrats? Assuming that Jewish voters care about this question, the parties have to make their case if they want Jewish voters to support them.

Read the whole piece here.  Or, just consider this photo…

Regarding John McCain’s running-mate:

“We just started this process of getting together a list of names,” McCain told radio host Imus yesterday, telling reporters later they had 20 names.

Of course, we’re always curious if any Jews make the list.  But until we learn that officially, let’s check in with loyal reader William Daroff, and his thoughts on the selection process.  From the Jerusalem Post:

“There is visceral angst among Jews about the hard Christian right and their involvement in American politics, and if McCain picked the ‘wrong’ person, that would have a negative impact on how Jews would vote for the ticket,” said William Daroff, who heads the United Jewish Communities’ Washington office and is a former Republican Jewish Coalition official. He added that there might be some evangelical candidates who wouldn’t be problematic.

On the other hand, should McCain go full court press on the bipartisan front, he might maintain his current Jewish support and then some. One of the names frequently floated under this rubric is that of Joseph Lieberman, who ran as the Democratic vice presidential nominee in 2000. The Orthodox Jewish senator is now an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, as well as a strong supporter of McCain’s who campaigned for him during the Republican primaries.

Daroff pointed out another quality that Lieberman would contribute to the ticket: “pizzazz” to compete with a Democratic candidate who would be either the first African American or the first female presidential nominee.

“If excitement’s important [to McCain], maybe having a Jewish Democrat with a Republican nominee would be something to show that he’s a maverick and that not just the Democrats, but also the Republicans, can make history on their side of the aisle,” Daroff said.

Here at the glass-enclosed nerve center of pro-Sephardic Extreme Mortman, we’re giddy with excitement as Purim approaches.  But truth be told, we’re even more excited this morning to spot loyal reader William Daroff merit multiple mentions in today’s Dana Milbank story on Barack Obama rep Dan Kurtzer:

The videos of Wright’s sermons — in which the pastor also condemned “rich, white people” — escalated Obama’s racial and ethnic problems, and he has scheduled a “major” speech on race for this morning in Philadelphia. If Ambassador TBA’s reception at the United Jewish Communities event is any indication, Obama has difficult work ahead.

Security guards with Israeli accents turned away people at the door as the room overflowed. McCain’s representative and Clinton’s representative struck up a conversation on stage, leaving Obama’s man to his own thoughts. As moderator William Daroff introduced Kurtzer “on the far left” of the stage, Eagleburger interrupted.

“Where he belongs!” the former secretary of state announced. …

The skepticism continued through the question time. Daroff said he had “heard in the hallways here” that Obama “doesn’t see the U.S.-Israel relationship as much of the mainstream of the Senate or the Jewish community sees it.”

Kurtzer blamed such sentiment on “attack dogs” and writers of scurrilous e-mails. “He’s right within the mainstream of American society and Jewish community concerns,” TBA said.

To which we can only add, as the United Jewish Communities might say: Blog Generously.  It does a world of good.

Need proof that reading Extreme Mortman sets you up for wild success and great career achievement?

Look no further than loyal reader and future Nobel Peace Prize nominee William Daroff, who’s making the brave jump from this blog to, dare we say, A PRESIDENTIAL APPOINTMENT!

From a White House announcement this week:

The President intends to appoint the following individuals to be Members of the Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad:

William C. Daroff, of Maryland, for the remainder of a three-year term expiring 02/27/10

And on February 28, 2010, we’ll welcome William back to Extreme Mortman. Until then, William, go git them evildoers! And cut my taxes.

UPDATE: This just in from the Orthodox Union blog:

Our partner and friend, UJC’s Veep for Public Policy, William Daroff has been appointed to the US Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad, which protects property in Europe that is part of the heritage - religious or ethnic - of U.S. citizens. Of note to the Jewish community, the Commission has worked with European governments to ensure protection of Jewish cemeteries, former synagogues and Holocaust sites including the concentration and death camps.

Arabic glasnost, anyone?

Check out the Jerusalem Post – and who’s admitting the Holocaust happened

In stark contrast to Iran’s promotion of Holocaust denial, Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the US Turki Al-Faisal attended a Capitol Hill reception condemning anti-Semitism on Wednesday, and one of his diplomats told The Jerusalem Post the Holocaust was a “horrible” episode.

Agreeing to speak to an Israeli newspaper, Saudi diplomatic official Jamal Khashoggi, who accompanied Al-Faisal to the event, told the Post that the Holocaust is a “historical fact. It did happen.” …

[snip]

“The tie between anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism is very clear, and coming to an event that is fighting anti-Semitism is tantamount to coming to an event that is fighting anti-Zionism,” said the reception’s host, William Daroff, director of the United Jewish Communities’ Washington office, who couldn’t recall seeing the Saudi ambassador at a similar function. “Coming to this event is a step forward.”

Extreme Mortman has been tracking the $25 million allocated annually from homeland security funding for nonprofits.

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency reports:

Most of the 2005 funds were allocated to Jewish groups seeking protection at synagogues, schools and community centers. Until this summer, the Homeland Security Department had held up allocation of the 2006 funds, saying it preferred to save them for actual instead of potential threats.

Following meetings among Jewish lobbyists, department officials and the staff of the relevant Senate appropriations subcommittee, however, officials now say they expect the department to disburse the 2006 funds and both houses of Congress to agree to appropriate $25 million for 2007.

“We have had very productive conversations with the Department of Homeland Security,” said William Daroff, vice president for public policy of the United Jewish Communities, the federations umbrella that, together with the Orthodox Union, has led lobbying for the funds. “We are in a pretty upbeat position with legislative and administration support. Now it’s a matter of getting through the endgame.”

The BBC is the latest big media outlet trying to understand “the power of the Israel lobby in the United States.” As formula dictates, the Beeb focuses on AIPAC, but also offers this about Jewish orgainizations:

“There’s not a great conspiracy where at seven o’clock in the morning we meet in a cave and discuss strategy together,” says William Daroff from the United Jewish Communities, an umbrella organisation for American Jewish groups. “Of course we speak with other Jewish groups about Israel, but there’s no co-ordinated programme.”

Unique spellings of Senators’ names aside, check out how Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz is covering American politics and acts of anti-Semitism in the U.S.:

Three U.S. senators - Arlen Spector, Barbara Mikulsky and Patty Murray - met on Capitol Hill to discuss how to spur Homeland Security into allocating money to protect non-profit organization that are likely terrorism targets. Many of these institutions are synagogues, and the $25 million earmarked for them through the assiduous lobbying of William Daroff of United Jewish Communities and Nathan Diamant of the Orthodox Union is being held up by petty officials who opposed the congressional decision to divert funds to someplace other than their original destinations.

… what’s next?

Tomorrow’s Forward newspaper reports:

In such cities as Cincinnati, Boston, Denver and Miami, armed security guards have been in front of the federation building since the shooting. … Miami has been tense, in part because two synagogues and two Jewish businesses were hit Sunday with graffiti that included swastikas and the message “U R Next.”

“We are now contending not just with the escalating tension amid the Mideast crisis, but also with well-founded reports that there are Islamic radicals mobilizing in this country who espouse Al-Qaeda’s terrorist ideology, but who are not formally linked to the group,” said William Daroff, vice president for public policy at the United Jewish Communities.