Bethany Mandel
Bethany Shondark Mandel is a conservative American columnist and political and cultural commentator who writes for "Deseret News" and "Ricochet." She was named one of "36 under 36" by "The Jewish Week" in 2013, one of the "Forward 50" in 2015, and one of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency's "50 Jews everyone should follow on Twitter" in 2019. Early life and education. Mandel was raised by her mother near Rochester, New York, at times in poverty. Her mother died of lupus when Mandel was 16, at which time she was estranged from her father, and the guardians named  in her mother's will appropriated much of her inheritance. Her father died by suicide when she was 19, after struggling with an addiction to opioid painkillers. She transferred to Rutgers University in 2005 for its strong Jewish Studies department and Jewish student community, and worked full-time while a full-time student, graduating in 2008 with a degree in history and Jewish studies. During her college years, she adopted conservative views after finding that Medicaid and other government welfare programs she had expected to help her after her mother's death were inefficient and ineffective, objecting to the idea  that as someone who had grown up in poverty, she had any 'white privilege,' as well as due to the influence of college friends and the writings of Ayn Rand. Born Bethany Ann Horowitz, she changed her name at age 18 to Bethany Shondark Murphy, with Murphy being her mother's maiden name. Career. Upon graduation, Mandel moved to Washington, DC and worked for Washington Hebrew Congregation while looking for a position in conservative politics. After reading about the Jay Pritzker Academy near Siem Reap in Cambodia, she wrote and asked to teach at the school, becoming a fifth grade  teacher there for a year. Returning to Washington, DC in 2010 to pursue an Orthodox conversion to Judaism, she found work as a fundraiser and writer at the Heritage Foundation, and then as a marketer, editor and blogger for "Commentary" magazine. Her advocacy for conservative causes led to her being named as one of "36 under 36" individuals reinventing Jewish life by "the Jewish Week" in 2013. Since 2013, she has been a freelance writer and commentator while working from home to raise her children. Section::::"Heroes of Liberty". Mandel edits the children's book series "Heroes of Liberty," which consists  of biographies of right-wing cultural and political figures marketed to conservative families. These books in this series avoid mention of issues that could cause discomfort to conservative parents, such as LBGT identities or the out-of-wedlock birth of Alexander Hamilton. In January 2021 an advertising account linked to Heroes of Liberty was temporarily banned by Facebook for violating Meta’s policy on “Low Quality or Disruptive Content.” It was later restored following backlash on social media and from prominent Conservative commentators and politicians such as Senator Ted Cruz. In a Heroes of Liberty video launched in February 2021 , Mandel accuses the Scholastic Corporation of indoctrinating children by publishing books with themes concerning racism, LGBTQ identities and general anti-Americanism, marketing such books through school book fairs to children from families that would not intentionally purchase books with such content. Views. Comments on refugee resettlement in the U.S.. In 2015, Mandel spoke publicly against the resettlement of Syrian refugees in Highland Park, New Jersey, arguing that without sufficient support to find good jobs, these refugees might become radicalized. However, in 2021, she criticized the Biden administration for not doing more to speedily resettle Afghan refugees in the U.S. Opposition  to COVID-19 lockdown continuation. During the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, Mandel was outspoken in her opposition to the continuation of lockdowns after the initial month. In one tweet, she said: Following this, the term "Grandma Killer" trended on Twitter, and Mandel added "Grandma Killer" to her Twitter bio. Mandel opposes mask mandates for children, a position she states in her opinion columns and on Twitter. Personal life. Mandel was born to a Catholic mother and a Jewish father, and sought out Rabbi Barry Freundel for an Orthodox conversion that would make her Jewish status universally recognized. She has  also said that she left the Reform movement in which she originally affiliated because of its close association with progressive and liberal politics. She completed her conversion in 2011, and in 2014 learned that the rabbi had filmed her naked while preparing her for conversion. She wrote an article entitled "The Convert Bill of Rights" that went viral, making her a spokeswoman for the many victims of the Freundel scandal. She served on a committee appointed by the Rabbinical Council of America to suggest safeguards against future abuses in the conversion process. For this work, the "Forward" named her one  of the "Forward 50" in 2015, and the Rutgers University Hillel honored her with its Young Alumni Award at its 2016 Annual Gala. She has also said that it became clear to her that the RCA did not want to enact meaningful changes to its conversion program, that she resigned from the committee when she understood this, and that the experience left her disenchanted with Orthodoxy as a whole. As a consequence, she and her husband stopped participating in Orthodox Jewish institutions, such as synagogues and schools, before finding a supportive synagogue in Kemp Mill several years later. She is  married to Seth Mandel and the mother of 5 children.