Progressive Jewish group endorses Sanders for president

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) won the endorsement of a progressive Jewish group as the Vermont lawmaker consolidates progressive support for his White House bid. 

IfNotNow, a 35,000-member group dedicated to ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, said Sanders’s foreign policy embodies Jewish values of justice and supports his efforts to promote Palestinian freedoms. 

“We are inspired and moved to action by Bernie and the #NotMeUs movement, which deeply embodies the Jewish call to pursue justice and repair our broken world,” said Dani Moscovitch, IfNotNow’s co-founder and campaign director. 

“Like us, Bernie rejects the false choice between being a proud Jew and supporting Palestinian freedom,” she added. “He has embraced the common sense position that the Israeli military occupation of the Palestinian people should end — and that our tax dollars should stop funding it.”

Sanders, the only Jewish candidate left in the race, has been an outspoken critic of the Israeli government, hammering its policies in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as “racist.” He has gone further than any other candidate in the race with his proposals regarding Israel, saying he would leverage billions of dollars in military aid to Jerusalem over the practices toward the Palestinians. 

“They know, as I do, that the United States must play a major role in bringing people together to end Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories and build a future of security, dignity, and equality for all Israelis and Palestinians,” Sanders said of IfNotNow’s endorsement. “”As a strong supporter of Israel who also believes its people have the right to exist in peace and security through a two-state solution, I am proud to have their endorsement.” 

IfNotNow is just the latest in a string of activist groups to come out in support of Sanders after the withdrawal of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) from the presidential race, which cleared the progressive lane for the Vermont senator. 

Sanders in recent days has garnered endorsements from the Working Families Party, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee and Justice Democrats, among others.