Virginia Senator Reacts Angrily To Suggestion Of Jewish Roots

The Washington Post reports on an unusual exchange between a reporter and Republican U.S. Senator George Allen in a debate yesterday between Allen and his challenger in the November election, Democrat Jim Webb. Last week, the Forward (a Jewish newspaper) reported that Senator Allen, a practicing Presbyterian, has Jewish roots. It said his Tunisian-born mother comes from a Sephardic Jewish family. In yesterday's debate, according to the Post, when a reporter asked Allen about this:

Allen recoiled as if he had been struck. His supporters in the audience booed and hissed. "To be getting into what religion my mother is, I don't think is relevant," Allen said, furiously. "Why is that relevant -- my religion, Jim's religion or the religious beliefs of anyone out there?"

Allen also lectured the reporter about the importance of "not making aspersions about people because of their religious beliefs." In the past, Allen has denied that his mother was Jewish, but has said that his grandfather was incarcerated by the Nazis in World War II.

UPDATE: The New York Times reports that on Tuesday, Sen. Allen issued a statement confirming his Jewish ancestry, saying "I embrace and take great pride in every aspect of my diverse heritage..."