Monica Lewinsky’s Rabbi Will Deliver Benediction After Bill Clinton Speaks, Will It Be Awkward At The DNC?

Rabbi David Wolpe of Los Angeles' Sinai Temple has been very vocal about the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal in the past, and the odd juxtaposition has some wondering if the encounter might create an awkward moment for the ex-president, who admitted an "inappropriate relationship" with the then-young intern in 1998.

Sinai Temple is the synagogue where Monica Lewinsky and her family were members of the congregation for decades, ABC News reported.  She also attended religious school there.

When news of the affair broke in 1998, Wolpe vocally expressed his opinions on the matter.

"He [Clinton] was a brilliant, talented, extraordinary child, and for the leader of the United States we need an adult," the rabbi reportedly said to his congregation, according to a 1998 Associated Press account. The rabbi continued that Clinton had to "cleanse his soul."

Wolpe also wasn't pleased when Clinton finally admitted wrongdoing, saying the president hid behind a "flinty legalistic apology."

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency said: "Wolpe said his prayer on Wednesday evening will focus on the ideals animating the United States. ... This year, Wolpe was named the most influential rabbi in America by Newsweek magazine and one of the 50 most influential Jews in the world by The Jerusalem Post. He is the author of seven books, and is widely known as a newspaper columnist and radio and television commentator."

"During the Lewinsky scandal, it was the lying and smearing of Monica Lewinsky that marked the low point of the event, not the sex, which was primarily an issue for the individuals and families involved," Wolpe wrote in the Washington Post.