Alan Zimmerman (VA): ‘[Trump’s] Only Hope Is a Strategy of Massive Voter Suppression’

Alan Zimmerman (61), an Independent from Charlottesville, VA, was president of Congregation Beth Israel in Charlottesville during the Unite the Right march in August 2017. Zimmerman remembers standing on the steps, watching armed neo-Nazis shouting “Heil Hitler.” He was “not surprised that there is anti-Semitism in America—I’m not naïve—but that it could be displayed so brazenly and even proudly in the streets of an American city was frankly shocking.” We are providing the unfiltered opinions of voters interviewed for this project. Those views are based on their understanding and perception of facts and information from a range of sources. In some cases, that information may be misleading or incorrect. Has Donald Trump’s presidency turned out the way you thought it would back in 2016 when he was first elected president? Anyone who was at all familiar with Trump’s record up...

Continue reading

Alan Zimmerman (VA): ‘I Think It Is Important for People to Get Out There and Be Counted on This Issue’

Alan Zimmerman (61), a Democrat from Charlottesville, VA, was president of Congregation Beth Israel in Charlottesville during the Unite the Right march in August 2017. Zimmerman remembers standing on the steps, watching armed neo-Nazis shouting “Heil Hitler.” He was “not surprised that there is anti-Semitism in America—I’m not naïve—but that it could be displayed so brazenly and even proudly in the streets of an American city was frankly shocking.” We are providing the unfiltered opinions of voters interviewed for this project. Those views are based on their understanding and perception of facts and information from a range of sources. In some cases, that information may be misleading or incorrect. What are your reactions to the protests occurring across the country? I am saddened that it took so much time and so many innocent lives, and that so much pain has...

Continue reading

Alan Zimmerman (VA): ‘This Tragic Failure Will Define Trump’s Pitiful Legacy’

Alan Zimmerman (61), a Democrat from Charlottesville, VA, was president of Congregation Beth Israel in Charlottesville during the Unite the Right march in August 2017. Zimmerman remembers standing on the steps, watching armed neo-Nazis shouting “Heil Hitler.” He was “not surprised that there is anti-Semitism in America—I’m not naïve—but that it could be displayed so brazenly and even proudly in the streets of an American city was frankly shocking.” We are providing the unfiltered opinions of voters interviewed for this project. Those views are based on their understanding and perception of facts and information from a range of sources. In some cases, that information may be misleading or incorrect. What do you think about the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic? The federal response has overall been criminally negligent. Two months were wasted while Trump denied there was a problem, and...

Continue reading

Alan Zimmerman (VA): ‘I Don’t Think It’s Anti-Israel to Be Critical’

Alan Zimmerman (61), a Democrat from Charlottesville, VA, was president of Congregation Beth Israel in Charlottesville during the Unite the Right march in August 2017. Zimmerman remembers standing on the steps, watching armed neo-Nazis shouting “Heil Hitler.” He was “not surprised that there is anti-Semitism in America—I’m not naïve—but that it could be displayed so brazenly and even proudly in the streets of an American city was frankly shocking.” We are providing the unfiltered opinions of voters interviewed for this project. Those views are based on their understanding and perception of facts and information from a range of sources. In some cases, that information may be misleading or incorrect. How would you describe your politics? For most of my life, I considered myself a Democrat. But in the last two years I’ve felt that the party system isn’t working for...

Continue reading