During the recent Democratic debate in Michigan, CNN moderator Anderson Cooper asked Sen. Bernie Sanders about whether he keeps his "Judaism in the background." Sanders had this to say:
“No. I am very proud to be Jewish, and being Jewish is so much of what I am. Look, my father’s family was wiped out by Hitler in the Holocaust. I know about what crazy and radical, and extremist politics mean. I learned that lesson as a tiny, tiny child when my mother would take me shopping, and we would see people working in stores who had numbers on their arms because they were in Hitler’s concentration camp. I am very proud of being Jewish, and that is an essential part of who I am as a human being.”
As proud as Sanders is of his faith, compared to other candidates for President, and for other offices, he does not put his faith front and center. Is this unique to Bernie? Is it something Jews must do when they run for office in America? Are Judaism and American politics at odds? Or do they interact in unexpected ways? Does politics attract secular Jews and not religious Jews? What does it mean to be Jewish in American politics?
Part of why Jews seem to focus less on faith when they run for office is practical. There is not much of a Jewish base. American-Jewish candidates for office must ask for votes from Americans of all backgrounds. The Jewish population in Vermont, Sanders’ home state, is around 1 percent. Throughout the United States it is around 2 percent. In no state does it make up more than 10 percent of the population. For that reason, it seems obvious that Sanders would focus, first and foremost, on the issues that matter most to voters—jobs, education, healthcare, taxes, national security.
I can relate. The Jewish population in Wisconsin is less than 1 percent. It has been my approach on the campaign trail and in my work as a legislator to focus on issues that I believe matter to all people. Throughout his campaign, Senator Sanders has expressed something I continue to believe: that all Americans share a desire for a better future, regardless of our many faiths. Perhaps this appears to some as keeping ones’ faith in the "background."
I believe that the other reason Jewish candidates eschew rhetoric on faith is philosophical. Judaism declares the radical oneness and universality of divine power. Sanders put it this way during the same debate:
“I think when we talk about God whether it is Christianity, or Judaism, or Islam, or Buddhism, what we are talking about is what all religions hold dear. And, that is to do unto others, as you would like them to do unto you…We are in this together.”
Perhaps Jewish politicians avoid talking about faith because it is so deeply ingrained in our identity that its expression takes form through action without overt reference to it.
I cannot speak for Sanders, or any other Jewish politician, but the more I work in politics the more it continues to gradually occur to me how much my own faith is an essential part of my identity and purpose. Even where we disagree, I understand that Senator Sanders means to say that his Judaism inspires his vision, but his vision is meant for all Americans. America has been a land of promise and opportunity for most American Jews. Our task as Americans is to make it a land of promise and opportunity for all Americans. Members of both parties and all faiths ought to agree on that.
Rep. Daniel Riemer, a Democrat, represents the 7th district in the state Assembly. The district is a thin slice of the Milwaukee area, running roughly from Miller Park to Grange Avenue. Riemer has announced he supports the Hillary Clinton campaign.
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