No question about it—Bernie Sanders was born a Jew. So what? Why is it that being born Jewish makes a person identified as a lifetime Jew, while being born a Christian or any other religion, requires some continuous practices, belief and affirmations of the religion, in order to maintain a religious identity?
To a serious, practicing Jew, the fact that Bernie Sanders makes use of his Jewish birthright, is somewhat disturbing. Senator Sanders has done almost nothing Jewish throughout his entire life. His disdain for Israel, his recent support for Linda Sarsour, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, his hatred of Prime Minister Netanyahu, makes him much more of a “Sonay Yisrael—an Israel hater,” than a supporter of the Jewish state.
So why is it that a Jew, who has dropped virtually everything Jewish from his life, from keeping Kosher to observing the Sabbath to even marrying Jewish, is still regarded as a Jew - of course, halakhically, he may be, but why should the media care about that? Why does the mainstream media refer to the Senator as if he were a Torah scholar who prays 3 times a day facing Jerusalem? The truth is that Bernie Sanders refers to his religion of birth only to validate his socialist and progressive core beliefs, which are actually quite removed from Jewish teachings and values.
Bernie Sanders refuses to confront the reality that his children are not Jewish; nor does he wish to face up to the concept that 3500 years of Jewish lineage in the Sanders family has ended with him. Yet Sanders holds on to the Jewish label because it happens to be his only vehicle to any historical credibility. His beliefs are so far out of the mainstream of American values, that Judaism is his only identifier that comports in any way with the American Founding Fathers’ ideals.
Unfortunately, Jews born Jewish - and some who are not halakhically Jewish because only their fathers were Jews - keep their religious label, no matter how little they practice or how badly they behave. Jeffrey Epstein, Bernie Madoff, Harvey Weinstein and so many others are identified in the media as “being Jewish.” Not once were Charles Manson, Ted Bundy, The Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy, or any of the recent mass shooters, identified as Christians in the media, although they were born to Christian parents. Yet their Jewish equivalents have consistently been described as “Jews."
Real life Christians need to, at the very least, go to church on occasion and speak about the Jesus thing to be called that. Unfortunately, Jews are stuck with every Goldberg and Cohen, even if they never did anything Jewish—whether they are an atheist, never had a bar or bat mitzvah, hate Judaism, find Israel contemptible, and even protest against the existence of a Jewish state - and even if they are not Jewish, just have a Jewish name..
President Donald Trump recently criticized Jewish Americans who vote for Democrats, saying "it shows either a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty,” referring specifically to the Democrat Party not distancing itself from the current 4 congressional female pro BDS Israel-bashers. Yet Senator Sanders somehow found Trump's statements distasteful, but not the Fab Four kvetchers.
What we have here is a man whose only connection to being Jewish is a circumcision, a Bar Mitzvah and working on a kibbutz 55 years ago, compared with a President who has moved the American embassy to Jerusalem, closed the PLO offices in Washington, tore up the dangerous Iranian nuclear agreement, recognized the Golan Heights as part of Israel, and has shown a special passion for the Jewish state.
In addition, President Trump has an Orthodox Jewish daughter and son in law, with Jewish grandchildren who attend Jewish day school. Ivanka Trump’s family observes every Sabbath and Jewish holiday, and her dad is involved in their Jewish lives. What comes into play here with Sanders and every other Trump hater is The 10th Commandment—“coveting.” Why would “jealousy" make it into the 10 most important laws of the Bible? Do not murder and do not covet are equally important? Exactly. Because the brilliance of the Torah shows us that while jealousy is not dangerous, “extreme jealousy,” which is the act of “coveting," can become truly destructive and irrational.
Jealousy means I would like a life like Donald Trump, with perhaps a bank account or job like Donald Trump’s. But “coveting” is on a completely different level. It means I want his life and his job. That is the obsession of all those Democrats and media types who call the President a Nazi, a white supremacist, a racist, a criminal, and every other despicable label.
Of course the Trump haters dislike the president with an unhealthy passion. He has succeeded to the top of 3 different, quite difficult public careers—Real Estate, Hollywood TV and Politics. These are the dreams of most politicians and most media/public figures who cherish the false god of money, power and fame. And The Donald has it all—including an incredible wife and family. Of course Trump’s detractors will never admit to the Of course the Trump haters dislike the president with an unhealthy passion. He has succeeded to the top of 3 different, quite difficult public careers—Real Estate, Hollywood TV and Politics.
root causes of their hatred. Donald Trump—a man who was never in politics, one day announced he wanted to be President—and then, he actually did it. Those fraudulent career politicians who covet the President's life, cannot sleep at night, because Trump’s successes magnify their own failures.
Bernie Sanders “covets" almost everything about Donald Trump. His respect for Judaism, his love of Israel, his success in business and his winning the Presidency. How dare Bernie and all his leftist buddies use that powerful Jewish trademark fraudulently for their own personal “fake” description. The President has done more for Israel and the Jewish people than any American politician in history.
Senator Sanders keeps saying he is a proud Jew, but has done so much to harm Israel including recently, not supporting a resolution for upholding Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas. Sanders is no more a proud Jew than the Jewish pedophile who recently committed suicide in prison.
Irwin N. Graulich is a motivational speaker and author on ethics, morality, Judaism, religion and politics, and president of Bloch Graulich Whelan Inc., a leading marketing, communications and branding company in New York City.