Nathan Guttman, staff writer, was the Forward’s Washington bureau chief. He joined the staff in 2006 after serving for five years as Washington correspondent for the Israeli dailies Haaretz and The Jerusalem Post. In Israel, he was the features editor for Ha’aretz and chief editor of Channel 1 TV evening news. He was born in Canada and grew up in Israel. He is a graduate of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Congress is in for the lame duck session and Jewish groups have their wish lists ready for their last chance to get legislation through before Republicans take over the House of Representatives. Many bills Jewish organizations are advocating for have to do with social benefits, and for those, chances look slim. If a Democratic-led Congress…
With ratification of the Russian–American nuclear arms-reduction treaty becoming a political football, pro-Israel groups are caught in the middle of a congressional showdown. The Obama administration, seeking to bolster support for Senate ratification of the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, known as START, is privately urging Jewish groups to come out in favor of the…
It’s that time of year again, when Jewish politicos go latke-hopping from one Hanukkah event to another, making sure to be seen at the right menorah-lighting events. And there are many to choose from in the nation’s capital. First, naturally, comes President Obama’s Hanukkah reception at the White House. This is a tradition handed down…
While we’ve been busy keeping track of how well Jewish candidates did in the November mid-term elections, James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, is counting representatives of Arab descent. His list includes Justin Amash, the new Republican to represent Michigan’s 3rd congressional district. Amash’s father immigrated from Palestine 54 years ago and settled…
A new poll of Palestinian public opinion offers a mixed bag in terms of supporting the Middle East peace process. The poll, conducted by The Israel Project, a pro-Israel organization based in Washington, found support for peace talks and for the leadership of Mahmoud Abbas and Salam Fayyad, but also detected a reluctance to see…
The fate of convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard could be turning into a partisan issue. On Thursday, Democratic lawmakers, joined by Jewish communal leaders, held a Capitol Hill press conference presenting a letter to President Obama that called for Pollard’s release. The letter, signed by 39 House Democrats, argued that Pollard had received a disproportionate…
The faith-based initiative was among the more delicate inheritances left to President Obama and his fellow Democrats by the Bush administration. The initiative — which basically entails using federal funds to support social services provided by religious organizations — was viewed by liberals as problematic at best, since it blurred the lines of separation between…
Steven Emerson has made his reputation by scrutinizing American Muslim organizations and individuals, trying to uncover their possible ties to terror groups. But lately he is being scrutinized himself, by a Nashville, Tenn., daily newspaper digging into the finances of his operation. Now, under pressure to introduce more transparency to his tax-exempt charitable organization, Emerson…
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