Josh Mandelbaum (IA): ‘Folks Are More Comfortable Now Coming Out and Spewing Things’
"I’m very concerned; the number of incidents that we've seen across the country is alarming. Anti-Semitism is something that many people thought was in the past or was less of an issue today. It's been a real wake-up call. We had a community meeting at the temple after one of the attacks in New Jersey. All of the Jewish facilities around town have invested in security measures—doors are locked, people filter through just one door. We are more often hiring armed off-duty Des Moines police officers on regular Shabbats. So, yeah, I would say I'm very, very alarmed."
What AIPAC and Super Tuesday Taught Us About the Presidential Race
Joe Biden, the comeback grandpa, had the best Super Tuesday anyone could have imagined. In fact, he performed so well, from solid wins in southern states, to surprise victories in Massachusetts and Minnesota, and an unbelievable upset in Texas, that some are already speculating that it’s all over and Biden is on a safe path to clinch the Democratic nomination.
There’s still a long road ahead, and if anything, Biden has proven time and again that he has a rare talent for ruinous missteps. But still, he is now the frontrunner in a narrowed-down Democratic field.
For JPVP Participants, AIPAC Was a Bipartisan Affair
In the weeks leading up to their annual policy conference, AIPAC made headlines with its controversial ad attacking “radical” Democrats and Bernie Sanders’s public boycott...
“Incitement” Takes Us into the Mind of Rabin’s Assassin
The filmmaker went to major lengths to use what he called distancing devices—shots at odd angles and no melody—to keep the audience from identifying with the murderer.
Ask the Rabbis | What Is Anti-Semitism?
Anti-Semitism is a culture of commonly held malicious assumptions and attitudes toward Jews and Judaism.
Book Review | When the Ivory Tower Closed Its Gates
Imagine a U.S. law that kept thousands of European Jews and others from obtaining visas to the United States in the 1930s, leaving many of them to deportation and death.
From the Editor | Know Thine Enemies
Last month, more than 100 members of a white nationalist hate group, Patriot Front, marched on the National Mall here in Washington, DC.
Ariana Mentzel (MI): ‘Trump is Just One Lie, One Transgression, One Lawsuit After the Other’
"I think truth is so important because how do you know if you can trust someone if they're a perpetual liar? There's a difference between making a mistake or changing your mind as opposed to lying to deceive, confuse, or worse. Trump is just one lie, one transgression, one lawsuit after the other. It's exhausting. I wouldn't trust him. I wouldn't leave him alone at my house with my children or with my husband. And I wouldn't trust him to make a business deal. "
Mixed* Marriages
When the couple visits friends and family, liberal Democrat Amy Weiss has a simple admonition for her conservative Republican husband, Lou: “Just don’t be yourself.”
Ariana Mentzel (MI): ‘I See Similarities Between Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump’
"I don't like anyone who reminds me of Donald Trump and has that cult mentality of a sort of populist candidate; someone who thinks they're the best person and only they can do what needs to be done. I see similarities between Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump and it bothers me. Bernie’s not on my radar for support. I want someone diplomatic, someone who will actually move the needle forward and knows there's another side of the aisle to deal with. I don't think he's the person that would move the needle forward. I think, like Trump, he's more of a divisive type. "
Beshert | My Great-Aunt and I
I’m named after my great-aunt Lillian, my maternal grandmother’s older sister. She was born in Paris, France, in 1938 and moved to Brooklyn, New York...
Following the Nevada Caucus, Who Do Our Voters Support?
As we head into Super Tuesday, we asked participants in the Jewish Political Voices Project whether they have changed their candidate choices following the first three contests in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada.