Who’s in town: Surprise visitor to JCF — it's Gephardt

Certainly, presidential hopefuls have taken extraordinary steps to court the Jewish vote — photo-ops at synagogues and Jewish community events. But last week Rep. Richard Gephardt did something different. He walked unannounced into the San Francisco Jewish Community Federation building, where staffers gathered to hear his views on the Mideast.

"I would take this on in the beginning, make it a high priority," said Gephardt (D-Mo.), who is seeking the Democratic nomination for president.

"We can't tell them what to do, but we can provide help and leadership to resolve differences."

Gephardt's last-minute appearance was sponsored by Friends of Israel Tach.