Bernie Sanders is the longest-serving independent in U.S. congressional history and currently serves as the senior federal Senator from Vermont. Born into a working-class Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York, his father was a Jewish immigrant from Poland, and many of his relatives perished in the Holocaust. This family history profoundly shaped his political identity. For Sanders, his Jewish heritage is not just cultural lineage but a moral engine that drives his commitment to civil rights and opposition to oppression. Having worked on an Israeli kibbutz as a young descendant of Polish Jewish immigrants, his early life experiences intertwined with his later democratic socialist ideals, making him a unique and resilient figure in American politics.
Throughout his decades-long career, Sanders successfully shifted issues such as Medicare for All, a higher minimum wage, and climate justice from the fringes to the mainstream political agenda through two presidential campaigns (2016 and 2020) that profoundly reshaped American politics. Known as the “Amendment King,” he is celebrated in Congress for advancing legislation that benefits everyday working people. As the former Chair of the Senate Budget Committee and the current Chair of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, he has utilized his significant influence to challenge the power of Wall Street and major corporations. His achievement lies not only in specific legislation but in inspiring an entire generation of young people to rethink the roles of fairness, justice, and government.
This pursuit of fairness and justice extends to his rigorous scrutiny of Middle East policy, making him one of the most influential defenders of Palestinian human rights in Washington. Sanders has not only publicly condemned the “racist” policies of the Netanyahu government but has also repeatedly introduced resolutions in the Senate to block the sale of offensive weapons to Israel and advocated for conditioning U.S. military aid on improvements in human rights. He has consistently restated that supporting the Palestinian right to life and dignity is not antisemitic but is instead a fulfillment of the universal moral values he holds as a Jew. Through symbolic acts, such as boycotting Netanyahu’s speeches to Congress, and his persistent calls for a ceasefire and humanitarian aid during the Gaza crisis, he has forced the American political mainstream to confront Palestinian suffering and challenged long-standing political taboos regarding unconditional support for Israel.