Josh Wander is an American perennial candidate who was the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

nominee for

Mayor of Pittsburgh The mayor of Pittsburgh is the chief executive of the government of the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, as stipulated by the Charter of the City of Pittsburgh. This article is a listing of past (and present) mayors of Pittsburgh. ...

in the 2013 general election. He was also featured in a segment on the

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'' Doomsday Preppers''. He is also a public relations consultant representing projects in, and around the Old City of Jerusalem. He holds

dual citizenship Multiple/dual citizenship (or multiple/dual nationality) is a legal status in which a person is concurrently regarded as a national or citizen of more than one country under the laws of those countries. Conceptually, citizenship is focused on ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

and

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

Early life, education and career

A native of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, Wander graduated from a rabbinical college in Israel with a

Bachelor of Talmudic Law The Bachelor of Talmudic Law (BTL), Bachelor of Talmudic Studies (BTS) and First Talmudic Degree (FTD) are law degrees, comprising the study, analysis and application of ancient Talmudical, Biblical, and other historical sources. The laws derived ...

and subsequently earned a Masters in Public and International Affairs from the

University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs The Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA) is one of 17 schools comprising the University of Pittsburgh. Founded in 1957 to study national and international public administration, GSPIA prides itself on its "Local to Global" di ...

. Wander maintained a

blog A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order s ...

titled "Jewish Preppers" where he wrote about

disaster preparedness Emergency management or disaster management is the managerial function charged with creating the framework within which communities reduce vulnerability to hazards and cope with disasters. Emergency management, despite its name, does not actual ...

for Jews.

Political campaigns

Wander's first attempt at public office was his election as constable of

White Oak, Pennsylvania White Oak is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 7,862 at the 2010 census. White Oak was named for a stand of white oak trees near the original town site. History White Oak was originally part of Versa ...

. Since then, he has unsuccessfully sought local offices four more times: twice for Mayor of Pittsburgh, again for Pittsburgh City Council, and yet again for Allegheny County Council. In the 2013 election for Mayor of

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

, Wander stated his "only chance of actually winning in the race is if the Democratic nominee drops dead." Less than two months before that election it was reported Wander, while still the

candidate for mayor, had left Pittsburgh entirely. According to the '' Pittsburgh Tribune-Review'', Wander sold his home in Pittsburgh and moved with his family to Israel. Republican officials expressed surprise and confusion on being informed of Wander's departure. Wander insisted he would continue his campaign for mayor of Pittsburgh from Israel, though some experts questioned the legality of such an arrangement.

Political views

In an episode of the National Geographic Channel program '' Doomsday Preppers'', Wander was quoted as saying that he was concerned "about a series of catastrophic terrorist attacks which will fundamentally change our lives as we know them." In 2019 Wander founded the organization Bring Them Home, dedicated to educating and informing Jews living in the Diaspora of the importance of returning home to Israel. He is a certified NRA arms instructor and gun rights advocate.

Personal life

Wander is married with six children. In a 2012 interview with the ''

Times of Israel ''The Times of Israel'' is an Israeli multi-language online newspaper that was launched in 2012. It was co-founded by Israeli journalist David Horovitz, who is also the founding editor, and American billionaire investor Seth Klarman.

'', he reported he is considering moving back to Israel because he feels safer there, as a Jew, than in the United States. As of 2015, Wander is living in East Jerusalem and is volunteering as a paramedic.

References

External links

Josh Wander for MayorSmart Voters PageOfficial site of the Bring Them Home Organization
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wander, Josh Jewish American people in Pennsylvania politics Living people Pennsylvania Republicans Politicians from Pittsburgh Israeli people of American-Jewish descent University of Pittsburgh alumni 21st-century American Jews 1970 births