As Jennifer Siegel reports this week, Senator Rick Santorum is turning to Jewish supporters to help him score a comeback victory against Democrat Bob Casey Jr. And, she notes here, at least one New York-based Chabad rabbi is answering the call.

Now the Santorum campaign is touting the recent proclamation from a leading Philadelphia-area ultra-Orthodox rabbi, Shmuel Kaminetsky, urging followers “to vote for those who strengthen our nation — whether materially or spiritually — and also support our Jewish brethren living in the Land of Israel.”

As it turns out, the proclamation — which the Santorum campaign sent out — does not mention any specific candidate. And Kaminetsky, dean of the Talmudical Academy of Philadelphia, told the Forward that the statement was not intended to be a direct endorsement of Santorum. The rabbi quickly added, however, that he would be voting for Santorum and encouraging others to do so because of the senator’s support for Israel and the Jewish people.

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The good feelings are mutual.

In a statement sent out at the end of the day Thursday, the Santorum campaign quoted the senator as saying: “I look forward to Rabbi Kaminetsky’s guidance and sage advice in the years to come.”

The statement noted that the senator had met with Kaminetsky early in October and that they discussed “school choice… the sanctity of marriage, religious freedom, the threat of a nuclear Iran, and a safe and secure Israel.”

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