Washington (CNN) Bernie Sanders is opening up about his religious views and his Jewish heritage, saying he believes generally in God, but not necessarily organized religion.

The man who has the potential to become the nation's first Jewish president has generally shied away from talk of his upbringing and his faith, but in an interview with The Washington Post published Wednesday , Sanders said he was not "actively involved with organized religion."

"I think everyone believes in God in their own ways," he told Post. "To me, it means that all of us are connected, all of life is connected, and that we are all tied together."

Sanders has often limited talk of his upbringing to a single line in his stump speech about his father emigrating from Poland and raising his family in a rent-controlled apartment in Brooklyn.

But the decision to open up comes just a few days before Iowa Democrats head to caucuses throughout the state. And with polls showing him running just slightly ahead of Hillary Clinton, Sanders and his campaign have been slowly introducing more about the man better known for railing against Wall Street and unfettered campaign donations.

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