Republicans React to Jewish Campus Life Under Trump

By Jackson Richman March 6, 2017

The media has shown us months of outraged reactions over Donald Trump’s election, particularly among students. Campus protests frequently appear on our TV screens and in our newspapers. But, few are talking about students who walk past the rallies that protest the result of their vote – or their presumed vote as Republicans. Few are…

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Jewish pluralism — and its limits

By Amram Altzman March 15, 2016

The Jewish community has always been in the project of negotiating itself — what people are part of the Jewish community, what opinions are acceptable, and what are not. We also have a tradition of ideological pluralism which dates back centuries — indeed, to some of the earliest rabbinic literature. Throughout all that tradition, some…

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Trump, Sanders, and the rhetoric of Jewishness

By Amram Altzman December 8, 2015

There seems to be many ways for presidential candidates to pander to Jews. One might look to the 2012 election, during which Republican candidate Michele Bachmann said she loved Israel so much that she put aside her fiscally conservative values to join a utopian socialist kibbutz when she was eighteen. Donald Trump, however, seems to…

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Challenging “The J Street Challenge” (or, Why I Didn’t Go To AIPAC This Year)

By Amram Altzman March 17, 2014

I am an American. I am neither an Israeli, nor am I a Palestinian. However, I am a Jew, and a pro-Israel American, who lives in a country which has strong, positive relations with Israel. As a Zionist, I see it as my job to defend Israel as a Jewish State, and that means protecting…

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Meet the first Jew for Jesus; Santorum out of GOP race; and more. [Required Reading]

By John Propper April 11, 2012

Meet a Jew for Jesus… err, the first Jew for Jesus [Forward] Ever wanted to meet the founder of Jews for Jesus? (Hey, where’d everybody go?) Moishe Rosen is a curious personality whose life and theology are being explored in a new biography. This article from The Jewish Daily Forward explores highlights of Rosen’s life…

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Meet Anna Epstein, a Jew for Romney

By Zach C. Cohen March 21, 2012

Correction appended “He still seems to be the most viable candidate,” Epstein said, even as media elites predict a Santorum-Gingrich ticket in a brokered convention. Epstein is no casual voter. She is currently taking a class taught by Democratic strategist James Carville, where she and her peers are studying the presidential election with the help of…

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Your (Republican?) grandparents pick Romney [Florida!]

By Zach C. Cohen February 1, 2012

The Jewish state has spoken. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney should be president. Oh, sorry, I was talking about Florida. It may not be the most Jewish state in the Union, but it’s certainly the first in this presidential primary voice to have a sizable Chosen People population choosing. The GOP’s Favorite Lukewarm Son won Florida…

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Thanks for watching ‘Wipeout’ on ABC. Stay tuned for the debate!

By Zach C. Cohen January 9, 2012

Republican contenders for the White House faced off not once, but twice, in New Hampshire this weekend in an effort to sway voters, a last ditch plea before tomorrow’s primary. Ssounds like a reality series gone awry. Don’t worry, it was definitely not nearly as exciting as ABC’s “Wipeout,” which preceded Saturday night’s debate. Six remaining candidates…

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Ken Mehlman is gay, not a hypocrite.

By Ben Sales August 25, 2010

In what will surely be a hot news topic during the next few days, former chair of the Republican National Committee Ken Mehlman has just come out. Mehlman was also President Bush’s campaign manager in 2004, and held these influential positions in the GOP as the party mounted a significant anti-gay rights charge. This is…

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