Is Julia Sazalar Jewish?
Julia Sazalar is a so-called ‘Democratic Socialist’ – read ‘Social Democrat’ aka Communist – Democrat state senator for North Brooklyn and has the full support of the grassroots communist organisation ‘Democratic Socialists of America’ and more specifically its large and powerful New York branch. (1)
A hit piece in the jewish communal rag ‘Tablet’ by one Armin Rosen however touched off a bit of a firestorm when she was running for office in 2018/2019 with both the Jewish Daily Forward (2) and the Times of Israel (3) publishing defences of Sazalar.
Rosen’s article decisively disputed Salazar’s claim to have a jewish father by noting her political history, identification and development by pointing out that she originally identified as a conservative Evangelical Christian, (4) but about five years ago began to become extremely active in the pro-Israel Lobby – such as John Hagee’s Christians United for Israel (aka CUFI) and AIPAC. (5)
At around this time she began to claim to have a jewish father and a non-jewish Columbian mother, but as it turns out her brother Alex Salazar stated to Rosen that:
'There was nobody in our immediate family who was Jewish … my father was not Jewish, we were not raised Jewish.' (6)
Nor it turns out is Salazar an immigrant as she was born in Miami. (7)
So, no Julia Sazalar isn’t jewish.
Although she certainly wants to be a member of the tribe.
References
(1) https://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/269094/who-is-julia-salazar
(2) https://forward.com/news/breaking-news/408944/julia-salazar-forced-by-furor-to-clarify-her-jewish-background/ ; https://forward.com/opinion/408895/its-not-about-whether-julia-salazar-is-jewish-or-not-its-about-whether-she/ ; https://forward.com/opinion/409260/julie-salazars-lies-are-an-insult-to-converts-like-me/ ; https://forward.com/opinion/409192/julia-salazar-brouhaha-shows-that-if-you-question-israel-your-jewishness/
(3) https://www.timesofisrael.com/amid-controversy-ny-state-senate-hopeful-aims-to-clarify-her-jewish-identity/
(4) https://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/269094/who-is-julia-salazar
(5) Ibid.
(6) http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6107393/NY-Democrat-state-Senate-hopeful-claimed-shes-immigrant-Jewish-really-Christian-Miami.html
(7) Ibid.