Read the latest press releases, blog posts, and State of Belief episodes from our team in Washington, D.C., our network of faith leaders and affiliates across the United States.

WASHINGTON – Interfaith Alliance, a national leader in defending religious freedom and inclusive multi-faith democracy, is deeply concerned by a new I.R.S. court filing that says churches and other houses of worship can endorse political candidates to their congregations from the pulpit. This action by the Trump Administration violates the fundamental purpose and spirit of the Johnson Amendment, a decades-old ban on political campaigning and endorsement by non-profits, including houses of worship.
Last Thursday, during a rally to promote their disastrous new budget, President Trump took the stage and said: “No going to the banks and in some cases, borrowing from a fine banker, and in some cases shylocks and bad people.” Trump’s use of the word “shylocks” echoes a hundreds-of-years-old trope about hidden Jewish influences, moneylending and nefarious financial power.

New York State Assemblyman Zohran K. Mamdani won the Democratic nomination to become the New York City mayor. Despite his professed claims to the contrary and his repeated commitment to working with Jewish communities in New York, critics are accusing Mamdani of antisemitism and attacking him with a tremendous amount of anti-Muslim hate.