180. George Santos and the Jews

Talking Tachlis Podcast

George Santos was elected to the US Congress in New York’s 3rd District, representing parts of Long Island and a small part of Queens, and is to be sworn into office today, on January 3rd 2023.

In mid-December, the NYT exposed Santos’s lies, including: false degrees from NYU and Baruch, non-existent work stints at Citi Group and Goldman Sacks, a fake charity, financial crimes. But most interesting to us, he also falsely claimed to be Jewish, and that his grandparents fled the Holocaust.

This week, Uri and Rivky discuss, is Santos different than other politicians? Is the fact that his lies are worse mean that he can’t be trusted in this position of power? Are his lies, including his Jewish identity, offensive? And what does his claim to Jewish ancestry says about the place and perception of Jews in America today?