I was delighted to see your timely and thoughtful entry, especially relevant in this campaign season as we consider what matters in choosing our local, state, and national representatives.
First, Jewish women candidates: having worked with Ellen Simon's campaign and being a CD1 voter, I have been surprised by how little religion (explicitly) has come up during the campaign. Simon and the incumbent Renzi are nearly opposite on most issues and personal characteristics. Where religious community does come up is in Simon's assertion of her personal history. Simon is the daughter of Holocaust survivors and speaks eloquently about reclaiming the America that her parents embraced. This appeal is salient, though out in Arizona seems to strike the nerve of liberty and pride rather than curiosity or sympathy concerning her family history. The conversation about Jewish women candidates also begs the question brought up in relation to the Torah as Parenting Guide: is there something currently appealing or hip about Jewish culture that would attract voters? Here, in CD1, this point has been moot. Simon, clearly a strong and eloquent woman who will (hopefully) make a better congresswoman than she does candidate, is much more in the vein of wealthy-lawyer-from-Cleveland-who-moved-to-Sedona-following-an- early-retirement. What seems to appeal here is the strength and independence Simon assert, this certainly derives in large part from her family history. These traits are attractive to Arizona voters because of they appeal to a "rugged individualism" and openness in politics that, according to the NYTimes and to policy-making procedures, seems to characterize the west. In CD1, with our Jewish woman candidate, what matters is the convergence of her personal fortitude and a cultural and political openness. As a side note, Simon's company on the democratic slate includes a sheep-hearder, several other female attorneys, a public school teacher, and several Latinos, and one Indian-American woman.
Your question about the relationship between our Jewish faith and politics is also particularly interesting right now and one that I've been thinking about a great deal lately, but it's election day, so more later!
I was delighted to see your timely and thoughtful entry, especially relevant in this campaign season as we consider what matters in choosing our local, state, and national representatives.
First, Jewish women candidates: having worked with Ellen Simon's campaign and being a CD1 voter, I have been surprised by how little religion (explicitly) has come up during the campaign. Simon and the incumbent Renzi are nearly opposite on most issues and personal characteristics. Where religious community does come up is in Simon's assertion of her personal history. Simon is the daughter of Holocaust survivors and speaks eloquently about reclaiming the America that her parents embraced. This appeal is salient, though out in Arizona seems to strike the nerve of liberty and pride rather than curiosity or sympathy concerning her family history. The conversation about Jewish women candidates also begs the question brought up in relation to the Torah as Parenting Guide: is there something currently appealing or hip about Jewish culture that would attract voters? Here, in CD1, this point has been moot. Simon, clearly a strong and eloquent woman who will (hopefully) make a better congresswoman than she does candidate, is much more in the vein of wealthy-lawyer-from-Cleveland-who-moved-to-Sedona-following-an- early-retirement. What seems to appeal here is the strength and independence Simon assert, this certainly derives in large part from her family history. These traits are attractive to Arizona voters because of they appeal to a "rugged individualism" and openness in politics that, according to the NYTimes and to policy-making procedures, seems to characterize the west. In CD1, with our Jewish woman candidate, what matters is the convergence of her personal fortitude and a cultural and political openness. As a side note, Simon's company on the democratic slate includes a sheep-hearder, several other female attorneys, a public school teacher, and several Latinos, and one Indian-American woman.
Your question about the relationship between our Jewish faith and politics is also particularly interesting right now and one that I've been thinking about a great deal lately, but it's election day, so more later!