Chaptzem Blog!      

I was dismayed to read this Community View by a self-identified journalist. It has given me reason to be skeptical of what I read in newspapers. My view of journalists in the United States, regardless of the chatter about fake news, is that they're dedicated professionals trained to be objective. They're generally not manipulators or antagonists. Mark Dery does his colleagues and profession a great disservice. ‎

Ironically, this journalist targeted me on social media and left me with no choice but to block him. Furthermore, he then appeared in the Rockland County Legislature chamber and verbally harangued me. Finally, he emailed me and other Rockland legislators, pushing his imaginative narrative. 

Though I did not respond to any of his verbal assaults, I choose to now respond not to Dery, but to the citizens whom I deeply respect.

Dery criticizes my social media references to YAFFED Executive Director Naftuli Moster. Moster is a public figure by nature of his very public activities. Moster's Facebook page is in the public domain. The tax-exempt filings of his organization, YAFFED, are a matter of public record. Linking and postings to any of the above can hardly be considered an effort to intimidate. I'm not shocked that Dery would suggest otherwise. What shocks me is what I see as brazen journalistic malfeasance. 

I am criticized for using the name "Nicholas" to reference Moster. All I did was reference his Facebook page with his name Nick, which I took as the nickname of Nicholas.

Not a single tweet that I sent out in the course of my campaign to reveal who Moster is was ever intended to intimidate. I retweeted a tweet that linked to public records exposing the attorneys for Yaffed, Moster's organization. One of those documents happened to have Moster's phone number on it.

When I was told by folks in Albany that "Orthodox Jews" are lobbying to change the Orthodox education system, referring to Moster's work, I was compelled to inform elected officials that, according to Orthodox Jewish principles, Moster was disingenuously and selectively portraying himself as a religious Jew.

It's hypocritical of Dery to criticize me, when Moster (a self-proclaimed education advocate) attacks the Hasidic community on issues unrelated to education, such as mocking the driving etiquette of Hasidim or admonishing those accommodating religious Jews on airplanes. If it is harassing Dery is looking for, he might start with monitoring and reporting on Moster's anti-Hasidic tweets.

As an elected official, it is my right and obligation to defend and advocate for my constituents and community. It is extremely disturbing to see a journalist, of all people, penning an Opinion article seeking to silence or censure anyone for freely exercising their First Amendment rights.‎ One would think a journalist would understand and appreciate the value of that freedom. Then again maybe Mark Dery is indeed fake news.