Bernie Sanders on his Jewish heritage CNN TownHall

[Uncle Joe]

Link to tweet

[still_one]

1. Let me ask Simone Zimmerman about that?

https://forward.com/opinion/439475/a-jewish-candidate-has-never-been-closer-to-the-presidency-than-sanders/

[OneMoreCupOfCoffee]

3. Or my hometown Jewish Journal

https://jewishjournal.com/rosnersdomain/310299/bernie-sanders-and-the-jews/

[OneMoreCupOfCoffee]

5. Are you serious? The LA Jewish Journal is a liberal magazine.

Next your claim the Forward is right-wing as well?

[Tiggeroshii]

10. Self-deleted because I don't know what I'm talking about.

Sorry.

[scheming daemons]

2. Frankly, that was Bernie's best answer to any question in a long time

I say this as someone who is in the "anybody but Bernie" camp for the nomination (though I will vote for him in the GE).


Great answer.

[Nanjeanne]

6. Why would anyone quote opinion pieces regarding Sanders that have nothing to do with

his response to a question on his Jewish heritage at a town hall?

It is so incredibly sad to see hatred of Sanders so deep that a moving response to how his faith has colored his beliefs be commented on with articles that have nothing to do with the OP.

Nothing surprises me any more. Even people's inability to simply not respond. And yet . . . I still have difficulty understanding it.

[Uncle Joe]

7. Desperation.

I agree with you on all counts Nanjeanne.

[Nanjeanne]

8. Yeah. Sad.

[OneMoreCupOfCoffee]

9. His faith? Sanders claims attachment to his Jewish "heritage." Fair enough.

But where has he ever claimed attachment to Judaism as his "faith position?"

He did not speak of his faith in the town hall. Who doesn't sympathize with the millions of victims of Nazism--including the members of Sanders family--who were killed in the holocaust?

Jews writing in Jewish publications have every right to question the policies and the people that Bernie Sanders has aligned himself with and to ask themselves if this is who they want leading our country.

[Nanjeanne]

11. As a Jew I was moved by Sanders' response. As a Jew I am very offended by your insistance that you

have made yourself an aribter over whether his response to a question about how his religion informs his policies was appropriate. His response was HIS response about HIS feelings. You don't like it - fine but it has nothing to do with being "right" or "wrong" for the country.

Jews writing in Jewish publications have every right to question policies of Bernie Sanders or anyone else. It has zip zero nada nothing to do with the OP that was posted.

If you want to have a discussion about which Jews feel Bernie's policies are bad for the country - then write an OP and we can all go ahead and post articles from Jews who believe otherwise. The OP was not about that and your response was simply another way to say "Oh look - this Jewish writer doesn't like Sanders". Sad and pathetic but not unexpected.

[JudyM]

13. Exactly how I, as a Jew, feel, as well. The post slams Sanders for not being a good enough Jew,

the opportunistic irrelevance to the OP being glaringly obvious.

[Nanjeanne]

14. +1

[OneMoreCupOfCoffee]

15. I'm not an "arbiter" of Bernie Sanders faith position. But--in point of fact--

he never mentioned having any "Jewish faith" in this answer at the Town Hall and has on many occasion said that he is not religious. Fair enough. One can have a strong Jewish identity without being religious.

No person of conscious isn't horrified by the horror of the holocaust. And I have zero doubt that Sanders, who lost family, is impacted by this evil period very profoundly and sincerely. Trust me, he's not alone there.

I'm all for him expressing his feelings on the holocaust. Anti-Semitism is a danger that persists to this day, and something that must be resisted with full force.

[Nanjeanne]

16. OK you win. He never mentioned the words "Jewish faith". The question was about his religion and

how it informed his policies. Shame on him for never mentioning the words Jewish faith. I understood him completely. But obviously he didn't answer the way you wanted so by all means post a Jewish opinion writer who thinks he's a poor choice. Makes a lot of sense.

And by all means, shame on Bernie for talking about HIS religion the way HE wanted to express himself.

[OneMoreCupOfCoffee]

17. The question WAS NOT about religion.

He was asked about his Jewish heritage, not his religion.

No one questions Sen. Sanders' sense of his Jewish heritage. He himself has said he is not religious and he did not mention faith in his answer. He did not need to do so, as a great many Jews fully embrace their Jewish identity without being observant or being people of faith.

He does not need to talk about his religion (or lack thereof) and there is no shame involved here. No one (certainly not I) doubts the sincerity of the horror and anguish he expressed over the holocaust. I share those feelings 100%.

[Nanjeanne]

18. Oh his religious HERITAGE. Oh well - then I'm completely wrong and you are absolutely right. Thank

for explaining it to me. He should have talked about his religious HERITAGE. Not responded how he did. What a schmuck he is.

Thanks for making it so clear now.

[OneMoreCupOfCoffee]

19. Jewish heritage. Not religious heritage. He was not asked about his religion.

And he did not speak about his faith (or lack of faith). No shame in that.

He did speak of how the horror of the holocaust impacted him, his family, and his community. I'm right with him on those lines.

You are trying to create insults where none have been made. I did not call Sanders a schmuck.

You should stop.

[Nanjeanne]

20. I give up. I'm sorry he didn't answer the way you wanted. Like I said. Shame on him.

[OneMoreCupOfCoffee]

21. No. He answered the question just fine.

It just wasn't a question about his faith (as you suggested), but was a question about his Jewish heritage. Two different things. Both valid. But distinct areas of inquiry, with different answers.

You are the only one saying things like "shame" and schmuck."

Why are you doing that?

Sanders has a very understandable connection to the horrors of the holocaust, both though losing family, being Jewish, and growing up in a heavily Jewish community. I'm right there with him.

[Nanjeanne]

22. Ok whatever you say. I mispoke. I used the word "faith". I'm the schmuck.

Edited the rest because I hate it when I'm as ridiculous as the person I'm responding to!

[OneMoreCupOfCoffee]

23. I'm not being ridiculous and you are the only one of us

using words like schmuck and shame.

After admitting you were wrong you offer me insults?

What's that?

[Nanjeanne]

24. Oh God. Where's the *sarcasm" notation. Insult? Admiring? I'm so confused. Look, I was being

sarcastic when I called Bernie a schmuck for talking about his religion in a way that didn't work for you. I was being sarcastic for calling myself a schmuck for using the "wrong" word according to you.

I don't care any more. I have no insults for you. I just don't care what your writer wrote about Bernie. I simply responded to a positive OP about Bernie, who I support, and who moved me with his response when I watched it. It offended you for some reason and you felt it necessary to post an opinion piece that had nothing to do with the OP. I commented on how sad this place has become when something that moved people is a bad thing. You insist on keeping this going.

Are you just trying to get your post count up? I mean for someone who just got here . . . you sure do want to talk a lot!!!!

[OneMoreCupOfCoffee]

25. And you keep repeating falsehoods.

Sanders did not speak about his religion and I did not judge him for that.

He spoke of his Jewish heritage and how the losses of millions affected him personally and I feel the same way. 100%.

Making up bad intentions and suggesting ulterior motives is supremely uncool.

You should stop.

[still_one]

27. +++

[mitch96]

12. My question is the country ready for a Jewish prez?

Lots of noise when JFK ran being a Catholic... oh the horror!!
m

[denem]

26. Nitpicking this answer. Disgraceful.

Bernie is a private man. He is much more comfortable taking about policy than his personal story. Here, he is opening his heart; it is not an easy thing for him to do. He deserves our respect. As racism is on the march, the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz passing us by, we must not forget. Thank you Senator Sanders.