--- title: Bernie Sanders: 'I'm Very Proud to Be Jewish' description: Vermont Sent. Bernie Sanders responded to a question about his faith at the Democratic Debate on Sunday canonical: https://time.com/4249209/democratic-debate-bernie-sanders-jewish-faith/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-03-07T03:50:21.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-05T08:49:36.149Z article:section: Politics og:title: Watch Bernie Sanders Explain Why He’s Proud to Be Jewish og:description: Vermont Sent. Bernie Sanders responded to a question about his faith at the Democratic Debate on Sunday og:url: https://time.com/4249209/democratic-debate-bernie-sanders-jewish-faith/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt92f435ecb1f339fb/698880733c16393adf45c50e/bernie-sanders-democratic-debate-flint-michigan-2016.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3500 og:image:height: 1969 og:image:alt: Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Bernie Sanders heads to his podium at the start the Democratic U.S. presidential candidates' debate in Flint og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Watch Bernie Sanders Explain Why He’s Proud to Be Jewish twitter:description: Vermont Sent. Bernie Sanders responded to a question about his faith at the Democratic Debate on Sunday twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt92f435ecb1f339fb/698880733c16393adf45c50e/bernie-sanders-democratic-debate-flint-michigan-2016.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Watch Bernie Sanders Explain Why He’s Proud to Be Jewish > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. 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Brief (Washington politics, twice weekly), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=4603bfcf-7144-484e-8136-ef1f0674015d&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: 2016 DEBATE FLINT: SANDERS IS PROUD OF HIS JEWISH FAITH [Watch (HLS stream): 2016 DEBATE FLINT: SANDERS IS PROUD OF HIS JEWISH FAITH](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/GRnmeMsQ.m3u8) (0:40)  _Published 2016-03-07_ by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Mar 7, 2016 3:50 AM UTC by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Mar 7, 2016 3:50 AM UTC Sen. Bernie Sanders spoke at length about his faith at the [Democratic debate](http://time.com/4248784/clinton-sanders-flint-debate/) on Sunday, balking at [suggestions that he’s not proud of being Jewish](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/25/us/politics/bernie-sanders-jewish.html). When asked about his religious beliefs by an audience member at [Sunday’s debate in Flint, Mich](http://time.com/4249183/democratic-debate-flint-full-text-transcript-seventh/)., the Vermont Senator was candid about his heritage and faith. “I’m very proud to be Jewish,” Sanders said. “Being Jewish is so much of what I am.” He opened up about his father’s relatives, who he said was “wiped out by Hitler in the Holocaust,” adding that he learned very early in life the implications of “crazy and radical extremist” politics—an apparent dig at leading Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. It hasn’t gone unnoticed that Sanders often [avoids direct mention of his Jewish heritage](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/25/us/politics/bernie-sanders-jewish.html); at previous debates and during speeches, he answers questions about his religious beliefs with general remarks about how spirituality influences his progressivism. When he mentions his father, a Jewish immigrant from Poland, he has often referred to him as simply a “Polish immigrant.” Sanders’ remarks gained traction among among viewers following the debate on social media; Twitter said it was the third most-talked-about moment on the site. Clinton was also asked about her faith, and she replied by describing what she prays for, including humility and the wellbeing of people in authority. ## Transcript I am very proud to be Jewish and being Jewish is so much of what I am look. My father's family was wiped out by Hitler in the Holocaust. I know about what crazy and radical an extremist politics mean. I learned that lesson as a tiny, tiny, tiny child when my mother would take me shopping and we would see people working in stores who had numbers on their arms because they were in Hitler's concentration camp. i am very proud of being Jewish and that is an essential part of who I am as a human being. 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