US Presidential hopeful Barack Obama has promoted his adviser on Jewish and Middle East issues to the position of senior policy adviser and Jewish outreach coordinator.
Daniel Shapiro's appointment has been hailed as an increased effort by Democrat Mr Obama's campaign team to court America's Jewish vote ahead of the country's November general elections.
The campaign announcement said Mr Shapiro, who joined Mr Obama on his recent trip to Israel, would be working with Jewish vote director Eric Lynn to "augment and expand" the Jewish outreach effort.
It added: "The Obama campaign is reaching out aggressively to the Jewish community through the creation of Jewish community leadership councils in cities around the country."
Following his appointment, Mr Shapiro, who began advising the Obama campaign last year, but will now become one of its full-time staff members, told Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post: "Senator Obama is the candidate who best represents the Jewish community's values and ideals, and he will pursue the policies in the Middle East that will best serve US interests and protect Israel's security. I am excited to join his winning team."
Before becoming an adviser to Mr Obama's campaign team, Mr Shapiro had worked as a Washington lobbyist as well as in several congressional offices and the National Security Council during Bill Clinton's administration.
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