Beth Bendheim (VA): ‘I Want Expert Constitutional Lawyers Engaged With Tightening Laws’

Beth Bendheim (50), a Democrat from Richmond, VA,  was the development director for a Jewish day school in Richmond prior to working in finance. She also held public relations and marketing positions in the sports world, including with a cycling race originally sponsored by Donald Trump, known as the Tour de Trump. Bendheim was active in the 2018 Virginia Congressional campaign of Democrat Abigail Spanberger, who defeated Republican incumbent Dave Brat. 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? It’s worse than I expected. I never imagined a...

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Hannah Rosenthal (WI): ‘[Biden] Has the Empathy and Know-How to Heed Scientific Information’

Hannah Rosenthal (68), a Democrat from Madison, WI, originally thought she would follow her father, a 16th-generation rabbi, into the family business. Instead, she became a “professional Jew” and a “professional feminist.” Rosenthal has held a range of political and government roles, including Midwest regional director at the Department of Health and Human Services (Clinton administration) and the U.S. State Department’s Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat anti-Semitism (Obama administration). 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? Trump turned out to be even worse than expected. His...

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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...

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Shelley Berkley (NV): ‘It’s Too Dangerous to Insist that All Citizens Vote in Person’

Shelley Berkley (68), a Democrat from Las Vegas, NV, served in the U.S. House of Representatives for seven terms (1999-2013), representing Nevada’s 1st District, which includes Las Vegas. In 2012, she ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate. While in Congress, she was an outspoken supporter of Israel. At Touro University, Berkley oversees two medical schools—in Nevada and in northern California. 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? Yes. I did not believe that he had the knowledge, ability,...

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Dan Levin (FL): ‘I Am Deeply Worried About the Future of American Democracy’

Daniel Levin (50), a Democrat from Boca Raton, FL, is a past president of the southeast region of the Central Conference of American Rabbis and served as a member of the Reform Movement’s Think Tank, a group focused on planning the movement’s future. He has also served on the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County. 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 when he was elected back in 2016? Is it better or worse than you expected? In many ways, his presidency is what I...

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Stephanie Wudarski (PA): ‘I Have Wanted Kamala Harris as VP Since the Day She Dropped Out’

Stephani Wudarski (30), a Democrat from Pittsburgh, PA, does not belong to a synagogue but attends High Holy Day services with her family and went to Israel on Birthright. She works for a managed Medicaid company and has a background treating substance use disorders. She was a passionate supporter of Kamala Harris and volunteered for her campaign until Harris dropped out of the race in December. 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? It is basically exactly how I...

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Lou Weiss (PA): ‘The Whole Election Has Become Win-Win for Me’

Lou Weiss (63), a Republican from Pittsburgh, PA, grew up a Reform Jew in a “McGovern liberal family” in Pittsburgh. His conservative political views took hold in a college freshman political science class. Today, he belongs to four synagogues. He was president of Congregation Or L’Simcha, the synagogue that merged in 2010 with the Tree of Life congregation. He occasionally writes op-eds for The Wall Street Journal. 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? Many of his policies have been...

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Andrew Smith (OH): ‘Biden Just Needs to Smile, Keep Quiet, and Not Die if He Wants to Win’

Andrew Smith (57), a Republican from Columbus, OH, grew up in Maine where he was raised Conservative, “because that’s pretty much all we had up there.” He is a long-time Republican who can’t stand Trump, and he voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016. When he married Lavea Brachman, a Democrat, who is also being interviewed for this project, he went to work in his in-laws’ paint and resin business in Columbus. He is now CEO. 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...

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Mark Goldhaber (NC): ‘Donald Trump Should Utilize His Second Term to Rebuild the Economy’

Mark Goldhaber (67), a Republican from Raleigh, NC, is active in the Jewish Federation and AIPAC. He previously worked for a Republican member of Congress and the National Republican Congressional Committee, and he was a Reagan appointee to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. His wife is a Democrat and he’s a Republican, which they’ve “dealt with happily for 35 years.” 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? From a policy perspective, on many key issues, it...

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Ariana Mentzel (MI): ‘Joe Biden Can Win if People Vote’

Ariana Mentzel (34), a Democrat from Beverly Hills, MI, leads college students in conversations about anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at the Detroit Center for Civil Discourse. Named one of Detroit Jewish News’ “36 under 36,” she serves as the vice president Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit. Mentzel also served as former Oakland County Chair of the Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus. She runs a preschool Shabbat program at her temple. 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...

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