Tag Archives: Burlington

Jew of the Week: Bernie Sanders

Bernie Sanders

Bernie Sanders

Bernard Sanders (b. 1941) was born in Brooklyn. He studied political science at the University of Chicago in the 1960s, and was a leader of the Civil Rights Movement on campus, for which he was once arrested. After graduating, he spent some time in a kibbutz in Israel. In 1971, Sanders joined the socialist, anti-war Liberty Union Party. He ran for governor and senator many times, but never won. In 1981, he was elected mayor of Burlington, the largest city in Vermont. Sanders brought Burlington back to life, balancing the city’s budget, rebuilding its downtown area, and making Burlington the first city in US history to finance community housing. Sanders was an extremely popular mayor, and was re-elected for four terms. He then briefly taught political science at Harvard before finally winning a Congressional seat in 1990. This made him the first independent to be elected to the House of Representatives in 40 years. He served as a Representative until 2007, and as a Senator since then. That makes him the longest-serving independent Congressman in American history, as well as the only Congressman to openly identify as a socialist. Sanders opposed both wars in Iraq, the bailout of banks in 2008, the NSA, and the unpopular Patriot Act, along with many other bills aimed at expanding government powers. As a member of the Senate Budget Committee, he has focused on “rebuilding the middle class” and is working towards raising minimum wages and social security. He has also been voted the top senator with regards to environmental action, and won an award for his support of war veterans. Not surprisingly, Sanders has won essentially all of his elections by huge landslides, and holds a very high approval rating, making him among the most popular senators in the US. In 2010, following his incredible 8.5 hour speech to Congress that focused on helping the disadvantaged, many began urging Sanders to run for president. On April 30, 2015, he finally announced his candidacy. True to his beliefs, he rejected large “Super PAC” donations, and said he will finance his campaign through small individual contributions. Within 24 hours of this announcement, he raised $1.5 million through small donations averaging $43. By July 2nd, his campaign already raised $15 million through 400,000 donors (nearly triple the number that Obama had, and in less time). The day before, his speech in Wisconsin was attended by over 10,000 people, making it the largest turnout thus far for any presidential candidate. Among other issues, Sanders’ platform is focused on wealth inequality, “getting big money out of politics”, free university education, Wall Street reform, media reform, and investing in more renewable energy sources. He is now considered a top candidate for winning the presidency, which would make him the first Jewish president in American history.

Words of the Week

A guy named Adolf Hitler won an election in 1932. He won an election, and 50 million people died as a result of that election in World War II, including 6 million Jews. So what I learned as a little kid is that politics is, in fact, very important.
– Bernie Sanders

Jews of the Week: Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield

Ben & Jerry’s

Jerry Greenfield and Ben Cohen

Jerry Greenfield and Ben Cohen

Bennett Cohen (b. 1951) and Jerry Greenfield (b. 1950) were both born in Brooklyn, and met each other in a junior high gym class – the only two who couldn’t run a mile in under 7 minutes. The bond grew beyond their school years and the two rented an apartment together in their 20s. Greenfield worked as a lab tech while trying multiple times (unsuccessfully) to get into med school. Meanwhile, Cohen jumped through many odd jobs – McDonald’s cashier, janitor, taxi driver, delivery man, crafts teacher. In 1977, the two friends decided to realize an old dream to start their own business. They initially wanted a bagel shop, but finding it too expensive, decided on an ice cream parlour. Cohen had previously learned to make his own ice cream at home, and Greenfield had worked as an ice cream scooper in his teenage years. The two took a $5 ice-cream making course, then scouted a location for their business, looking for a warm place with many college students. They found that all the warm college towns already had popular ice cream shops – except Burlington, Vermont. There they leased an old gas station, and with $8000 in combined savings, along with a $4000 loan, opened the first Ben & Jerry’s. Due to Cohen’s anosmia (lack of smell and taste), they loaded their ice cream with chunks and pieces to give them unique textures – an instant hit. At the same time, they focused on running their business in a fun and socially responsible way. By 1980, Ben & Jerry’s moved to a larger facility, distributing their ice cream in pint-sized containers. The following year, the first franchise opened. Today, there are over 200 Ben & Jerry’s shops in over two dozen countries around the world. The company has built a reputation for philanthropy and social activism, speaking out against GMOs and bovine growth hormones, funding a handful of important causes with the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation, and continuing a policy of paying their employees at least double the minimum wage. Though Ben & Jerry’s has been bought out by Unilever, Cohen and Greenfield remain active in the company, and continue to run their own philanthropic ventures (including launching a campaign to support Citizens United, which works to reduce the influence of corporations in political matters). They have been described as “two real guys [who] built a business with a social conscience and a sense of humor.”

Words of the Week

Those who cut down healthy trees see no blessing in their work.
– Talmud, Pesachim 50b