Jewish Experiences

Colorado teen kills self as sign of Nazi allegiance: “I have crippling depression but I shall cure it by killing Jews”

Oct 17, 2016 | Conservativism, Elections, Elections - Presidential (2016), Extremism, Jewish Experiences, Political Ideologies, Race and Racism

Published: Salon (October 17, 2016) The suicide of a Colorado teenager has been linked to a Nazi-themed Facebook group that the young man apparently led. The teenager apparently believed that killing himself would “show his allegiance to the Nazi Party and the killing of Jewish people,” according to local law enforcement officials. The theory stems from a message he wrote shortly...

Jews must speak out against Islamophobia: Standing with our Muslim brothers and sisters is critical

Sep 14, 2016 | Jewish Experiences, mic, Race and Racism, Religion and Religious Issues

Published: Salon (September 14, 2016) When news first broke earlier this week that a mosque in Orlando had been set on fire, presumably because it had been attended by Omar Mateen, the man who in June shot 49 people to death at the nightclub Pulse, I immediately thought of Alaa Basatneh. Three weeks earlier I’d interviewed the Syrian-American journalist and activist and had been struck by her...

Jews have a special responsibility to fight Donald Trump

Jul 9, 2016 | Civil Liberties, Class Issues, Elections, Elections - Presidential (2016), Jewish Experiences, mic

Published: Quartz (July 9, 2016) Donald Trump’s anti-Semitic tweet—I’m sorry, his allegedly anti-Semitic tweet—is still in the news in the US, and with good reason. The presumptive Republican nominee has repeatedly refused to apologize for linking Hillary Clinton, corruption and Judaism all in one ill-advised meme. Meanwhile, his Jewish son-in-law Jared Kushner is being publicly pressured by one...

Right-wing media is just this gross: Donald Trump has unleashed forces more destructive than Fox News

May 19, 2016 | Elections, Elections - Presidential (2016), Immigration, Jewish Experiences, Race and Racism

Published: Salon (May 18, 2016) It’s hardly surprising, that Breitbart recently referred to William Kristol as a “renegade Jew” in one of its headlines. The conservative website has been shilling pretty hard for Donald Trump over the past year, so it makes sense that the less savory aspects of Trump’s political style would eventually rub off on them. What is that style, though? Outlets from The...

Why Bernie Sanders lost the Jewish vote

Apr 21, 2016 | Elections, Elections - Presidential (2016), Foreign Policy, Jewish Experiences, mic

Published: Quartz (April 20, 2016) Senator Bernie Sanders is the most successful Jewish presidential candidate to date. But he did not prevail in the Apr. 19 Democratic primary in New York–despite the state’s massive Jewish community and his personal ties to Brooklyn. Even if Sanders does not end up the Democratic nominee, his efforts to push Americans politics to the left will be remembered for...

My thoughts: Donald Trump’s Nazis

Mar 11, 2016 | Conservativism, Elections - Presidential (2016), Extremism, Jewish Experiences, Other Media, Political Ideologies, Political Parties, Race and Racism, Republicans

Interview with Kris Welch. Want to hear what I had to say (cue it up to around the 23:30 mark for my section)? Radio Interview

What it actually feels like to be targeted by Donald Trump’s neo-Nazi fan club

Mar 10, 2016 | Autobiographical, Elections, Elections - Presidential (2016), Jewish Experiences, mic, Political Parties, Race and Racism, Republicans

Published: Quartz (March 10, 2016) With 458 delegates under his belt so far (and counting), Donald Trump is now more than one-third of the way toward receiving the Republican presidential nomination. Although millions of Americans both inside and out of the Grand Old Party are reacting to this prospect with justifiable disgust, millions more find nothing wrong with a frontrunner reluctant to...

Why Bernie Sanders’ Judaism is so important

Feb 11, 2016 | Democrats, Elections, Elections - Presidential (2016), Jewish Experiences, Liberalism, mic, Political Ideologies, Political Parties, Race and Racism, Religion and Religious Issues

Published: Salon (February 11, 2016) With his New Hampshire primary victory now in the books, Bernie Sanders has done more than simply guarantee that Hillary Clinton won’t have a free ride to the Democratic nomination. Indeed, even if Clinton ultimately bests Sanders in the upcoming primaries, the Vermont senator has still achieved something of lasting significance: He is the first Jewish...

Why do Jews eat Chinese food on Christmas?

Dec 24, 2015 | Holiday Season, Jewish Experiences, Race and Racism, Religion and Religious Issues, Satirical Essays

Published: The Good Men Project (December 24, 2015) Much to my horror, I discovered earlier today that my favorite local Chinese restaurant isn't open on Christmas Eve. This may not seem like a big deal - heck, you could even say that I'm a bit of a scrooge for faulting the establishment - but it's important to remember that, as an American Jew, being denied Chinese food on this holiday is a bit...

Why Jews Like Me Fear Trump

Dec 3, 2015 | Elections - Presidential (2016), Jewish Experiences, Race and Racism, Republicans

Published: Salon (December 5, 2015), The Good Men Project (December 3, 2015) If you are a Jew, you should be very afraid of Donald Trump. For a while I explained this sentiment thusly: Trump may not be personally anti-Semitic, but anti-Semites sure seem to love Trump. After all, I've received countless emails attacking me for being Jewish when I've written articles criticizing the Republican...

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