Why Does Diane Rehm Think Bernie Sanders Is Israeli?
Josh Nathan-Kazis June 10, 2015
No, Bernie Sanders does not hold Israeli citizenship.
That much was apparent to all but a few internet oddballs. Or so we all thought till this morning, when nationally syndicated NPR host Diane Rehm quizzed the Jewish Democratic presidential candidate about the topic.
In an interview on The Diane Rehm Show today, Rehm stated, wrongly, that Sanders was Israeli.
“Senator, you have dual citizenship with Israel,” Rehm said.
“No, I do not have dual citizenship with Israel … I don’t know where that questioning came from,” Sanders said, taken aback. “No, I’m an American citizen, period.”
Rehm went on to attribute the question to “a list we have gotten.”
“That’s some of the nonsense that goes on in the internet, but that’s absolutely not true,” Sanders said.
“Interesting,” Rehm responded.
Interesting, indeed.
Sanders, who is Jewish, has enjoyed an early surge since he declared his presidential candidacy in May, drawing large crowds to campaign events in Iowa. Polls still have him running a distant second to frontrunner Hillary Clinton.
UPDATE: In a statement posted to Facebook, Rehm apologized for the misstatement of fact.
Rehm noted that she had apologized to Sanders on the air. “I want to apologize as well to all our listeners for having made an erroneous statement,” she wrote. “I am sorry for the mistake. However, I am glad to play a role in putting this rumor to rest.”
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!
