Who will replace Ben Ray Lujan as our Member of Congress?
Ben Ray is running to become New Mexico’s next senator (replacing Tom Udall, who is retiring). There are 9 Democratic primary candidates and 4 Republican primary candidates who would like to replace him.
With the exception of 1997-8, when Republican Bill Redmond finished Bill Richardson’s term and was then defeated by Tom Udall, the district has been “blue” (Democrat or D) since it was created in 1983. It is very likely CD3 will continue to be a stronghold of Democrats.
SFMEW has chosen to offer the top four D candidates an opportunity to meet with our members to discuss their views on Israel, anti-Semitism, Iran, the Middle East, and other issues of interest to the pro-Israel community.
Because there are no polls of the district at the time of this writing, we are assessing the viable leaders by the proxy of how much money they have raised based on FEC filings.
This is a great opportunity to be a fully informed voter.
Save the following Thursdays at 5:00 pm:
- January 16 – Valerie Plame – confirmed
- January 23 – John Blair – confirmed
- February 6 – Teresa Leger-Fernandez – confirmed
- February 13 – Marco Serna – not confirmed
Admittance is only by RSVP. If you wish to attend any of these confirmed candidates, send an email to info@sfmew.org to get the detailed information for the locations. Because space is limited, please state in your email which of the events you would like to attend (dates and/or names of candidates).
We are still awaiting confirmation from Marco Serna for February 13.
Save the Date: Monday, February 24 – Israel Advocacy Workshop – Santa Fe
Save the date and plan on attending the next Israel Advocacy Workshop, sponsored by SFMEW, the Jewish Federation of New Mexico, and AIPAC. Hear speakers from AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee), AJC (American Jewish Committee), CUFI (Christians United For Israel), and other experts on Israel advocacy – media (print and audiovisual), political, and conversational. Learn skills to improve your own pro-Israel advocacy with confidence, poise, and efficiency.
If you have friends in Albuquerque, tell them to attend the same workshop, which will be held on Sunday, February 23.
Details to follow.
Are Jews a nation?
One of the most misunderstood and/or mistreated (in the press) executive orders is the Executive Order (EO) on Combating Anti-Semitism, issued by President Trump on Dec. 11. If you want a brief and complete background and understanding of this EO, including its history going back to Title VI from 1964, and the interpretations of presidencies of George Bush and Barack Obama, listen to this People of the Pod episode starting at minute 8:00 – Mark Stern, Chief Legal Counsel by AJC. People of the Pod is an excellent podcast about Jewish and Israel-related items, brought to us by AJC and the Times of Israel. Here’s their self-subscription:
People of the Pod is a weekly podcast analyzing global affairs through a Jewish lens. A partnership between AJC and The Times of Israel, People of the Pod examines political events, the people driving them, and what it all means for the Jewish people and Israel. Check out all of our episodes … You can also subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, or Spotify. If you like what you hear, subscribe, rate it, and spread the word.
SFMEW is a beneficiary organization of the Jewish Federation of New Mexico.