Senator George Allen of Virginia became Jewish sometime Monday night. On Monday, he accused a reporter of "making aspersions" when she asked about his mother's Jewish heritage during a debate. By Tuesday, he had become proud of his Hebraic roots.
“I embrace and take great pride in every aspect of my diverse heritage, including my Lumbroso family line’s Jewish heritage, which I learned about from a recent magazine article and my mother confirmed,” Mr. Allen said in a statement.
“Some may find it odd that I have not probed deeply into the details of my family history, but it’s a fact,” Mr. Allen’s statement said. “We in the Allen household were simply taught that what matters is a person’s character, integrity, effort and performance — not race, gender, ethnicity or religion.” [Link (reg. req.)]

BTW, the referenced article from The Forward is here, and argues that, given his maternal lineage, "Senator Allen would be considered Jewish in the eyes of traditional rabbinic law, which traces Judaism through the mother."
