One would expect the answer from any religious person to be: nothing, my religion is perfect. How can I contradict the world of G-d?

That was my initial feeling, but after much deliberation, I realized what was wrong with my religion. We have a PR problem.

Yes, Isaac Mizrahi designs great shoes. Howard Schultz keeps us caffeinated. And Larry David makes us laugh about Jewish stereotypes. But that’s not what concerns me. The Jewish image needs to change.

There are a large number of Jewish people in the spotlight, subject to public scrutiny.

The ratio of Jews to non-Jews in the public eye is absurd, considering we are less than .3 percent of the world’s population. And each one of those people is the public face of the Jewish nation. This isn’t always a good thing, because while there are greats among my people, there are some rotten eggs as well. Does Jack Abramoff ring a bell?

In 2000, when Sen. Joseph Lieberman was running on the democratic ticket, Jews around the world were in awe. “A religious Jew in such a high American office?” they asked. “Really?” The thought was unreal. I was too young to vote at that time, but I was certainly excited, and my family voted for him with fervor.

Looking back, I’m actually happy a Jewish person wasn’t second-in-command during that time. The four years after the election unfolded in a way Americans had never seen before. Our national security was breached in the worst way possible, and no one felt safe. The policies the government took in regard to foreign policy were highly unpopular, but in my mind, they were inevitable.

Unfair as it is, I feel that in America one high-level Jew represents all Jews. That isn’t the case for all minorities or religions, but it is the case for the Jewish people. I wouldn’t have wanted Lieberman to face the same kind of scrutiny or mockery the Bush administration has.

Which brings me to our current presidential transition. Barack Obama announced his first appointee: White House Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel. Emanuel, an Israeli Jew, is already receiving much press for this reason. He is also being scrutinized for his AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) membership and commitment to Israel.

While I’m always happy to see a Jewish person successful in their career, I also care about the perception of my nation to the public. As I mentioned in my previous column, I care deeply about American and Israeli national security. I don’t, however, want any move made by the Obama administration to be misconstrued as part of Emanuel’s personal agenda.

So here it is, my plea to Rahn Emanuel: You are the face of the Jewish people in this White House; please don’t screw up.

Reach opinion editor Natalie Sikavi at opinion@dailyuw.com.