Staff Writer

Dorit Price-Levin spent Columbus Day weekend on Florida's sunny beaches, relaxing in the sand as she tried to convince her grandmother and her great-aunt to vote for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).

"The impression I've gotten is I don't think it's as bad as we think," said Price-Levin of the concern among Obama supporters that older Jewish voters are scared of their candidate. "There are some concerns and initial hesitation ... and many have reservations, but overall, they will vote for Obama when it comes down to it," said the D.C. resident who visited her grandmother's Delray Beach retirement community.

The 24-year-old was just one of many young Jews who made The Great Schlep to Florida as part of an activism program started by the Jewish Council for Education and Research. The group also runs Jewsvote.org, a pro-Obama Web site that educates voters on policy differences between the two candidates.

A pivotal swing-state that voted for George W. Bush in the last two elections, the organization is hoping that Florida will turn Democratic with the help of young Jews, their bubbes and zaydes.

"There are a large percentage of Jews who are still undecided or maybe saying, 'I'll just sit this one out,' " said Ari Wallach, co-founder of both the project and the Jewsvote.org Web site. Wallach said that because Bush won Florida by such a slight margin four years ago, he is confident the schlep has already "swung close to that" margin.

"It's a very toxic environment ... and particularly in the Jewish community," Wallach said. "The level of misinformation is really overwhelming."

To promote the effort, the JCER began a Web site of the same name, www.thegreatschlep.com, that offers participants four pages of talking points on Obama and arguments formulated to convince undecided relatives.

Melissa Frank, 28, a D.C. resident who was in South Beach to lobby her friend's grandparents and work with Obama's local campaign office, said it's great to see such a large expression of dor v'dor, generation to generation.

"I love this idea of partnering the generations together," Frank said. The schlepper also noted that contrary to the belief that older voters care mainly about social security and health care, she noticed a great concern among them for the plight of younger generations.

"I heard that a lot of issues important to the senior community are pretty much the same issues that are important to us," Frank said.

Between splash sessions in the water, Price-Levin said she discussed with her grandmother the entrance of Gov. Sarah Palin (R-Ala.) into the presidential race.

"If anyone was on the fence, picking Palin pushed them to Obama," Price-Levin said, explaining that older Jewish voters seem to be put off more by Palin than by Obama.

"I think of her as white trash," said Mildred Price, 82, Price-Levin's grandmother. "How [McCain] could choose her and people could go for her is beyond me," the retiree said, explaining that the choice helped cement her allegiance to Obama.

Frank said many older women who "have been fighting for women for years" are scared that Palin would work to abolish a woman's right to choose. Price also noted that her friends have expressed uncertainty toward McCain's experience with the economy.

The Republican Jewish Coalition could top more than $1 million in ad campaigns in Jewish newspapers across the country, according to observers, and Price-Levin said some voters in Florida appear to be buying into the rhetoric against Obama.

"A lot of them were using the words in these ads" in their arguments against the candidate, she said.

Her grandmother said that while she has not seen the RJC ads in her local Jewish newspaper, she has viewed several negative ads about Obama on television. In fact, while sitting by the pool the other day, Price says she overheard a man using negative rhetoric to talk about why he will not vote for Obama. She also said that one woman in her community will not vote for the Democrat solely because he is black.

"She's been listening to all the propaganda," Price said.

But NJDC executive director Ira Forman doesn't think the ad campaigns are effective. "They do two things: They gin up their own supporters and we get all this foaming at the mouth type of stuff, and then they get our [Democratic supporters] upset, too, and people keep sending me money to counter them," he said.

Asked if the misconception that Obama is a Muslim who will harm Israel is resonating with older voters, Price-Levin said those she met seemed aware that the information is erroneous.

Her grandmother concurred. "People were a little nervous about that" at first, Price said, but notes that her friends have come around since she explained Obama's stance on Israel to them.

"A lot of people weren't sure of [Obama's] original policies [on Israel] and feel he has shifted it just to get a vote," Frank explained, noting that most undecided voters she encountered were more concerned about Obama's short time in national politics.

On issues of race, the women interviewed said that doesn't appear to be a major factor.

Forman agreed. He said racial scare tactics and faulty religious claims probably don't affect the Florida race so much. "It's had an impact on the Jewish community in some way, [but] I think people are more scared right now about the economy," he said.

Of those who refused to endorse Obama by her trip's end, Price-Levin said, "They thought he was way too inexperienced and all talk." She added that "these are people who clearly have these conversations among themselves a lot."

In 2004, Bush took Florida from Democrat Al Gore, garnering 52.1 percent of the vote and wining all of the state's 27 votes in the electoral college. Jews make up 4 to 5 percent of the state's population, according to census data, with the majority living in the state's Southern areas.