26 Aug
Josh Mandelbaum

Josh Mandelbaum (IA): ‘A Healthy Democracy Relies on Citizen Participation’

Josh Mandelbaum (40), a Democrat from Des Moines, IA, comes from a long line of Iowans and attends Temple B’nai Jeshurun, the congregation his great-great-grandfather helped found in 1873. He works for the nonprofit Environmental Law Policy Center on clean energy and clean water issues. He has volunteered for political campaigns for more than 20 years and currently serves on the greater Des Moines Jewish Federation Board. 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? Is it better or worse than you expected? I think Donald Trump’s poor...

Continue reading

04 Mar
Josh Mandelbaum

Josh Mandelbaum (IA): ‘Folks Are More Comfortable Now Coming Out and Spewing Things’

“I’m very concerned; the number of incidents that we’ve seen across the country is alarming. Anti-Semitism is something that many people thought was in the past or was less of an issue today. It’s been a real wake-up call. We had a community meeting at the temple after one of the attacks in New Jersey. All of the Jewish facilities around town have invested in security measures—doors are locked, people filter through just one door. We are more often hiring armed off-duty Des Moines police officers on regular Shabbats. So, yeah, I would say I’m very, very alarmed.”

Continue reading

31 Oct
Josh Mandelbaum

Josh Mandelbaum (IA): ‘Trump Is an Existential Threat’

Josh Mandelbaum (40), a Democrat from Des Moines, IA, comes from a long line of Iowans and attends Temple B’nai Jeshurun, the congregation his great-great-grandfather helped found in 1873. He works for the nonprofit Environmental Law Policy Center on clean energy and clean water issues. He has volunteered for political campaigns for more than 20 years and currently serves on the greater Des Moines Jewish Federation Board. 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 traits are you looking for in a candidate? I want someone who can grapple with a lot of information, ask questions, think critically and communicate effectively. They can be informed by an...

Continue reading