Jewish Alliance hosts Congressional District 1 candidate forum

Questions focused on issues of particular concern to the Jewish community. There were only four questions asked.

Aug 18, 2023

The Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island hosted a community forum for the Congressional District 1 special election at the Dwares JCC last Thursday. Candidates included Gabe Amo, Stephanie Beauté, Walter Berbrick, Sandra Cano, Don Carlson, Stephen Casey, John Goncalves, Sabina Matos, Ana Quezada, and Aaron Regunberg.

Requirements for participation were a formal announcement of candidacy, compliance with FEC filing requirements, and demonstration of campaign support by receiving at least $1,000 in campaign donations by the end of the first quarter.

The forum was moderated by Rabbi Sarah Mack. Candidates were given two minutes to respond. Questions focused on issues of particular concern to the Jewish community. Topics included the rise of antisemitism and hate against marginalized communities, political divisiveness, and the role of Congress as it relates to Israel/Israeli affairs. While the questions were not made available to candidates ahead of time, they had been made aware of the topics. There were only four questions asked.

You can watch the forum here:

Links to the questions and answers:

Question 1: Antisemitic incidents rose 36% in 2022. It is the third time in five years that the taly of harassment, vandalism, and assault against Jews because they are Jews has reached a new, record high. Locally, 41 incidents of antisemitism were reported to the Jewish Alliance between July 1, 2022, and July 1, 2023, I'm sorry to say. This does not include incidents that were reported directly to law enforcement or to other agencies such as the ADL [AntiDefamation League].

Question 2: A poll from February 2021 found a powerful consensus across political affiliations that the nation needs to move beyond the destructive divisiveness that plagues our politics. If elected, what policy issues would you work on across the aisle to build broad consensus?

Question 3: The President and many members of Congress have weighed in on the Israeli government's proposed judicial overhaul, with some expressing concerns about the future of Israeli democracy and others expressing that it is an internal Israeli affair where the United States has no role to play.

What is your view on how the United States should approach this issue, and more broadly, what is the proper role of members of Congress when it comes to Israeli affairs?

Question 4: If you are elected, what two policy areas are you most committed to addressing, and what is their impact on our local Rhode Island community?

See my Congressional District One race interviews here:

See my other articles on the Congressional District One race interviews here:

Steve Ahlquist

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