Summary

Thomas Fahr Steyer, who has identified as Jewish, was born in 1957 and is a businessman, philanthropist, and activist. He ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for U.S. President in 2020.

Tom Steyer’s father was Jewish and was part of the team that prosecuted Nazi war criminals in Nuremberg after WWII. He graduated from Yale University in economics and political science, and later received his MBA from Stanford Business School.

In 1986 Steyer founded Farallon Capital Management, a leading hedge funds, especially known for its management of university endowments. In addition, he has been involved in multiple social and political causes, making him a renown liberal activist.

In 2008 he helped quash an effort to end California’s winner-take-all electoral allotment, and two years later he played a key role in the defeat of Proposition 23, which sought to suspend a state law that called for substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. In 2013 Steyer became the founding president of NextGen Climate, which was largely involved in environmental issues. Steyer gained a more national profile in 2017, when he launched a campaign calling for the impeachment of President Donald Trump.

So far, Tom Steyer has a very limited record of public positions on issues important to the Jewish community.

Mr. Steyer supports reentering the existing nuclear agreement with Iran. 

After Israel’s decision to ban the entry of Democratic Congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, Mr. Steyer criticized President Trump in a statement: “Donald Trump’s demand that Israel bar the entry of Representatives Omar and Tlaib as U.S. officials is an affront to core American ideals. His divisive demands of our allies are contrary to the principles of free speech and open, vigorous dialogue.”

Mr. Steyer supports the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and believes that the that the right of return to Israel for Palestinians should be decided during direct negotiations between the two parties. Mr. Steyer said that he “would consider making military aid to Israel conditional based on freezing settlement construction.” He believes that the U.S. should move back its embassy to Tel Aviv from Jerusalem.

Mr. Steyer suggested that there was some kind of “dangerous” connection between President Donald Trump’s decisions to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal and move the embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, and GOP donor Sheldon Adelson’s donation to the Congressional Leadership Fund. He is quoted as saying that “Trump walked away from the Iran treaty and moved the embassy to Jerusalem, and Sheldon Adelson gave the RNC $30 million the next day. So, there is something going on here that is very scary and very dangerous.” Mr. Steyer stated that the U.S. should move back its embassy to Tel Aviv from Jerusalem.