Friday, March 31, 2023
Anti-Defamation League announces new outpost in Brooklyn, the ‘epicenter’ of antisemitic assaults
In a recent report on rising antisemitism in the United States, the Anti-Defamation League called Brooklyn "the epicenter of assaults." Now, the group is opening an office in the borough to respond to antisemitic incidents there.
The Brooklyn office will open at the end of next month with a staff of two, and will work under the auspices of the ADL's New York-New Jersey regional office. Brooklyn is home to some 600,000 Jews – a number that, according to the most recent available figures, represents a majority of New York City's Jewish population and nearly a quarter of the borough's residents. Brooklyn is also home to several large Hasidic communities.
"Brooklyn is the most Jewish place in the United States," Scott Richman, the ADL's regional director for New York and New Jersey, said in a statement. "We look forward to deepening our work in the Jewish community with our allies and partners to counter the rising tide of antisemitism and all forms of hate."
The announcement comes days after the ADL partnered with other Jewish security organizations in New York and New Jersey to form a new umbrella group called the Jewish Security Alliance.
0 comments
Wednesday, March 29, 2023
Hasidic rapper Nissim Black gives Fox weather report
Hassidic rapper Nissim Black joins a Fox meteorologist to give the South Carolina weather report before an interview with the local cable channel.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5IjXhIR2uGQ" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
0 comments
Monday, March 27, 2023
New York State Should Recognize the Benefits Brought by Hasidic Schools
Last September, the New York Board of Regents amended the requirements imposed by the state on private and religious schools, with the aim of pushing Orthodox educational institutions to broaden their secular curricula. Ray Domanico examines the complex pedagogical and constitutional issues at play, and reports on his own experience visiting ḥasidic schools in Brooklyn. Among other issues, he addresses the complaint that such schools take public funds while ostensibly failing to educate students according to state-wide standards:
Yes, there is some public money going into [ḥaredi] schools; but no, most of it could not otherwise be used to support public-school budgets. If New York State and the federal government provide funding for various educational and support programs to private schools, they cannot exclude religious schools from participation. However, schools receiving these funds are required to conform to the conditions of the funding. Failure to comply should have consequences. If the schools are using city-funded childcare credits inappropriately, that is a reason to tighten the regulations on how that money can be used by eligible families, not a rationale for overhauling the schools' curricula.
While their detractors claim that the most Orthodox schools contribute to poverty by failing to educate their students properly, or only cultivate members of narrow and parochial community, Domanico sees benefits that come from the ḥasidic way of life:
Every community has failings. But closed communities also create and grow social strength for their members. Sociologists refer to this as bonding social capital, the social capital within a group, or "people like us." It is distinguished from bridging social capital, which is between social groups. The two types of social capital are not in conflict; both produce public goods, and bonding social capital can be the forerunner of bridging social capital.
A main argument against yeshivas is that they deny their graduates the skills needed to succeed materially. But that criticism avoids the economic benefits that the tight community bonds found in these communities provide to its members.
Domanic concludes:
The Board of Regents should resist the urge to be heavy-handed in enforcing the [regulations governing religious schools]. Any expectation of activists that these schools exactly mirror the curriculum currently in New York's public schools will almost certainly be unmet. Further, the value of that public-school curriculum must be viewed in light of the actual outcomes of many public schools, as well as the intrinsic value present in the religious instruction in the yeshivas. . . . The ongoing low performance of numerous public schools and the state and city's insufficient response to those concerns also raise legitimate questions about the current focus on yeshivas.
0 comments
NY’s power to regulate religious schools trimmed by judge
Parents cannot be required to pull their children from private schools in New York that fail to meet state-designated standards, a judge decided, striking down a key provision of rules recently passed to strengthen oversight of such schools, including those specializing in religious education.
The ruling in a state trial court in Albany came in response to a lawsuit brought by ultra-Orthodox Jewish schools, called yeshivas, and related advocacy groups over education rules enacted last fall. Under the rules, the state's 1,800 private and religious schools must provide an education that is "substantially equivalent" to that of a public school.
Opponents in the ultra-Orthodox community say the rules improperly target yeshivas, some of which focus intently on religious instruction with far less teaching in secular subjects such as English, math and science.
Judge Christina Ryba on Thursday rejected an argument that the state regulations were unconstitutional. But she said state officials overstepped their authority in setting penalties for schools that don't adhere to them.
Specifically, she said education officials lack legal authority to make parents take their children out of schools that fall short of the requirements, and they don't have the authority to order that those schools be closed.
Ryba said parents of those children could still receive required instruction in combination with sources, such as home schooling.
A co-plaintiff cheered the judge's rejection of the "draconian penalties."
"In striking those provisions of the regulations, the Court agreed with parents and non-public schools across New York State who opposed these regulations," read a prepared statement from the group Parents for Educational and Religious Liberty in Schools.
The state Education Department said the decision validates its commitment to improving the educational experience for all students.
"We remain committed to ensuring students who attend school in settings consistent with their religious and cultural beliefs and values receive the education to which they are legally entitled," read the prepared statement.
It was not clear if any aspects of the ruling would be appealed.
0 comments
Friday, March 24, 2023
Hasidic Jewish rapper Nissim Black coming to St. Louis shares his story through music
Clean Speech St. Louis will wrap up its 30-day Clean Speech Challenge with a performance and Q&A with rapper, songwriter and record producer Nissim Black. The finale event takes place at 7 p.m. (doors open at 6) Sunday, March 26 at the Jewish Community Center's Staenberg Family Complex in Creve Coeur.
Clean Speech St. Louis presents its 30-day challenge during March to encourage the community to show their commitment to using positive speech every day when speaking to others, striving to use kinder, less hurtful and offensive communications.
Nissim Baruch Black (born Damian Jamohl Black) and his wife Adina, with whom he has seven children, were initially married in 2008; they participated in an Orthodox Jewish marriage ceremony in 2013 at the Sephardic Bikur Holim Congregation after both had converted. Black and his family continued to live in Seward Park, the Seattle neighborhood where he grew up, until making aliyah to Israel in 2016 and settling in Jerusalem. He self-identifies as a follower of Breslov Hasidism and makes pilgrimage to Uman every Rosh Hashanah.
Under the stage name D. Black, he released the albums "The Cause & Effect" (2006) and "Ali'yah" (2009) and was featured on producer Jake One's debut album "White Van Music" (2008). He retired in 2011 to focus on his conversion to Orthodox Judaism, but soon returned under his new legal name Nissim Black and began focusing on Jewish hip hop.
0 comments
Wednesday, March 22, 2023
Orthodox Leader Warns of Jewish Exodus to Florida If School Choice Bill Passes
A leader at a major Orthodox Jewish advocacy group is sounding the bell on the possibility of thousands of Jews fleeing New York and New Jersey for warmer climates if a school choice bill becomes law in Florida.
Maury Litwack is the managing director of the Orthodox Union and the founder of a group dedicated to lobbying for government funding for non-public schools, Teach Coalition. He says Florida's HB1, which would create education savings accounts of $7,500 for non-public school students to spend on the schools of their choice, could draw thousands of Jewish families to the Sunshine State.
For most Orthodox Jews, sending one's children to public school is not an option. They believe that it is incumbent upon them to enroll their children in day school or yeshiva in order to fulfill a religious obligation to educate one's children in biblical studies and Jewish law.
Doing so can be tricky when the tuition at Modern Orthodox day schools in the greater New York area can be between $20,000 and $40,000 a year for high school. (For fervently Orthodox schools, with less robust secular offerings, the price tends to be less — between $10,000 and $20,000 in annual tuition.) That's for day school, with no room or board included.
It adds up for Orthodox families who, according to a 2013 Pew survey, have an average of four children per household. Larger families can find themselves shelling out more than $100,000 in tuition annually for years on end.
This leads to what Mr. Litwack calls a "tuition crisis" in which families have fewer children and even leave community schools. Orthodox Jews also begin thinking about the tremendous financial obligations they'll have at a young age, Mr. Litwack says.
"I spoke to a college student who is a sophomore in a New York school who told me that he and his friends are trying to pick the right career so they can pay tuition," Mr. Litwack told the Sun. "That's how they're thinking about which profession they should pick in college."
A recent study found that the top concern among Orthodox Jews is the rising cost of Jewish education, with 82 percent of respondents saying it is an issue that the community must address in the next decade.
While several other states have passed education savings account programs like the one proposed in Florida, none of them — Arizona, West Virginia, Arkansas, Iowa, or Utah — has the Jewish infrastructure of Florida.
"Florida — which has a very large Jewish population with lots of kosher food and lots of Jewish amenities — is potentially passing a bill which will provide a major incentive for parents to move to Florida," Mr. Litwack said, adding that parents are already incentivized to do so "because there's no state income tax."
The Sunshine State has the fourth largest Jewish day school population, following New York, New Jersey, and California — and tuition at Florida Modern Orthodox day schools is already lower than comparable ones in New York.
If the bill passes, Mr. Litwack only expects Florida's Jewish population to grow. He encourages policymakers in northeast states to view their states as businesses that are potentially about to lose thousands of clients.
"New York and New Jersey legislators have to pay attention to this because when parents leave, that is tax revenue that is leaving the state," Mr. Litwack said. "When Jewish schools and Catholic schools close down, those are jobs that are closing down with them."
The jobs are far beyond teaching, including construction, security, maintenance, transportation, and administrative posts. "Everything that goes into that incredible infrastructure that is a Jewish day school or Catholic school," per Mr. Litwack.
"If you're a legislator in New York or New Jersey, and you care about the future of the state, you've got to look at this and say to yourself, 'We have to figure out a way to compete,'" Mr. Litwack said. "Because they will lose children and families in the states of New York and New Jersey if this bill passes."
0 comments
Monday, March 20, 2023
Haredi man killed, 18 injured in Antwerp crash
One person was killed and 18 more injured when a minibus carrying Hasidic Jews crashed into another car early Sunday morning.
The incident occurred at approximately 3:30 a.m. local time in Antwerp, Belgium Monday morning, after a group of Hasidic Jews from London had completed a trip to Antwerp, during which they met with the Pshevorsk Rebbe, who hosted the group over the Sabbath.
The Hasidim left the rebbe's residence late Saturday night, preparing for their return trip to Britain, when the minibus they were riding in collided with an oncoming car.
The driver, 60-year-old Shimmy Segal, was killed in the crash, with 18 passengers injured.
Two of the injured, one of whom was identified by Yeshiva World News as a 15-year-old boy, are listed in serious condition. Most of the other passengers were lightly injured.
Emergency first responders, including local Jewish emergency teams, were dispatched to the scene, treating the victims before evacuating them to local hospitals.
According to a preliminary investigation, the crash occurred when the driver of the minibus lost control of the vehicle.
0 comments
Friday, March 17, 2023
Dublin Orthodox synagogue goes on sale for £6.6 million
Dublin's Orthodox synagogue, Terenure, has been put up for sale for €7.5 million (£6.62 million). But the president of the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland, Maurice Cohen, insists the move does not reflect diminishing Jewish life in the Republic.
Although the breakdown of religions from the latest Irish Census is awaited, Mr Cohen anticipates the figure for the Jewish community will exceed the 2,557 recorded in 2016, itself an increase of 28.9 per cent on the 2011 figure of 1,984. And as he points out, not everyone declares their religion on the census form.
He believes a more accurate gauge of the community's well-being is its Stratford schools in Dublin, where around 30 Jewish teens attend Stratford College and 50 are enrolled at the Stratford National School, its primary section.
Mr Cohen added that other signs of communal health are small but growing groups in Cork, Galway and Limerick, which gather to hold services or hook up online with other communities.
In Dublin, he estimates that Terenure (Dublin Hebrew Congregation) and the Progressive shul each involve around 200 people. Terenure has acquired smaller premises to cater for its longer-term needs. The congregation runs a kosher shop and kosher options in the city will imminently be boosted by the opening of a Chabad centre, incorporating a deli and restaurant.
Some Jewish newcomers had moved because of Brexit. "Israelis are coming because of high tech. They like Ireland, they like their jobs. The only problem is that housing is expensive and difficult to come by."
New arrivals might not join a shul but some attend festival celebrations and social events, connecting through Facebook or community pages.
"On my travels, I find people always talk about the same thing — how we define Jewish life today. There are those who still feel it's about shul-going.
"Others think that going to services is not how people treat religion. It's not who is a Jew but what is a Jew and what makes a Jewish community." To this end, a Jewish arts and culture programme is being developed, Mr Cohen reported.
And Dublin's Jewish Museum was "a huge asset to the community — a great way of explaining what Jews are about to schoolchildren and the general public".
There has also been an influx of 80 Ukrainian Jews, who are housed around the country. "A few are being hosted — it wasn't for the want of offers. The main aim is to get them their own accommodation."
Having chaired the representative council for almost ten years, Mr Cohen is "desperately looking to replace myself. I'm implementing a plan for a job share."
Succession issues were widespread, another example being three Stratford school trustees with a combined service of around 130 years stepping down.
"But the seeds are there of younger people wanting to take responsibility."
0 comments
Thursday, March 16, 2023
Will Newsom defend the Left’s relentless attack on Jewish schools?
It violates some people's sense of purity when a public service comes into contact with a religious institution.
If the county gives free mulch to a playground owned by a Lutheran church, there are people who earnestly argue that the sacrosanct wall of separation between church and state has been breached.
If a state scholarship program for private-school students is available to Catholic school and Islamic school students, there are plenty who seem to believe the state is establishing Catholicism and Islam as state religions.
And if a disabled child at a Jewish school gets state accommodation for his disability, California seems to fear — well, something.
California uses public funds to accommodate the disabilities of students in public and private schools, unless those private schools are grounded in a belief in God. If your really expensive Bay Area private school is grounded in being "progressive" and is "dedicated to diversity, inclusion, and social justice," then the state will accommodate your students with disabilities. But if your children go to Resurrection parish school in Los Angeles, the state says your child's difficulties are your problem.
This is blatant anti-religious bigotry codified into California law. And fortunately, Jewish parents are suing to strike down the law.
0 comments
Wednesday, March 15, 2023
Family of phony Hasidic dad accused of sexually abusing adopted sons defend him
The family of a phony Hasidic father who found fame on TikTok for adopting nine boys is defending him after he was charged with sexually abusing most of them.
Hayum Nissim Cohen, 38, regularly shared videos of his family in Houston on social media, gaining 200,000 followers on TikTok before one of his adopted sons, 17, raised the allegations against him to the BlindSkinnedBeauty podcast.
But Cohen's oldest son, Avshalom, 22, rushed to support his father as he claimed his brother was lying and suffered from multiple personality disorder, autism and cognitive issues.
"My father never abused me," he told DailyMail.com.
"He's a great father that would never hurt any of us. If I saw anything out of order by anyone, I would have done everything in my power to protect my brothers."
Cohen — who claimed to be a Hasidic Jew from Brooklyn despite being born Jeffrey Lujan Vejil in the Lone Star State with aspirations to be a priest — was arrested last month on 12 charges of abuse against six of his nine sons.
Cohen was already out on bond in an earlier child sex case when investigators busted him after looking into his son's phone call, where he claimed he was sexually assaulted since he was 11 and that Child Protective Services never took action despite being called out at least eight times.
CPS declined to comment on the case.
Along with the 17-year-old, five other kids — ages 9, 10, 14, 15 and 16 — also came forward with their own allegations, prosecutors said, with the minors placed into CPS.
Avshalom, who is defending his father with two other siblings, said he has gone to a family court in Houston to try and get custody of the six younger brothers.
"I haven't spoken with them since they were removed from our house," he said. "I'm hoping in the near future I'll have them back home."
Cohen's mother, Corina Lujan, 71, insisted that he would never abuse his adopted sons because it was his goal to "help kids that nobody wanted."
"My son is innocent of the charges against him,' she told the Mail. "He loves his children. He would never hurt them in any way.
"They were for the most part a big happy family who got along. This is all a big bad dream. I'm still in shock by it all."
0 comments
Monday, March 13, 2023
Cape Coral Chabad Jewish Center attacked by vandal
The Rabbi of the Chabad Jewish Center of Cape Coral says an "angry man" used bricks to try and bust in the front door just after their Saturday services ended.
While many of the worshipers had already left, several were still inside, according to Rabbi Yossi Labkowski.
"Then we hear this loud noise," he said. "I was approaching the door and I see somebody picking up a brick and just yanking it, throwing it at the door."
The man threw the brick at the front door of the Jewish center several times. Before he did that, he's accused of knocking over a decorative painting of a menorah in the parking lot.
He wasn't able to break through the impact-resistant glass, so he turned his attention to the Rabbi's car sitting in the parking lot. Again, using bricks to smash the front windshield and passenger side door.
0 comments
Friday, March 10, 2023
Man who allegedly shot 2 Jewish men outside their LA synagogues pleads not guilty to hate crime
A man who allegedly shot and wounded two Jewish men as they left synagogues in Los Angeles last month pleaded not guilty Thursday to federal hate crimes, authorities said.
The shootings Feb. 15 and Feb. 16 brought fear into LA's Jewish community after officials said the victims were targeted because they wore clothing that identified their faith, including black coats and head coverings. Both survived the violence.
Jaime Tran, 28, is charged with two counts of hate crimes and two counts of using, carrying and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
He entered his not-guilty plea Thursday in federal court. He remains held without bail.
Kate Corrigan, one of Tran's attorneys, said she expects to receive discovery-hearing evidence within the coming days as she prepares his defense.
"We'll be looking at the overall scenario in this case and addressing the charges," she said Thursday.
Tran told law enforcement that he looked online for a "kosher market" and decided to shoot someone nearby, according at an affidavit filed by the FBI. He also admitted to shooting someone the previous day, the affidavit said.
Tran has "history of antisemitic and threatening conduct," an FBI affidavit said, citing a review of emails, text messages and unspecified reports.
In 2022, he emailed former classmates using insulting language about Jewish people, and he threatened a Jewish former classmate, repeatedly sending them messages like "Someone is going to kill you, Jew" and "I want you dead, Jew," according to the affidavit.
0 comments
Wednesday, March 08, 2023
Jewish community concerned about antisemitic flyers in Gaines Township
On Sunday, March 5, plastic bags with antisemitic messages inside were tossed on people's lawns in the Crystal Springs neighborhood.
Several people who live there told FOX 17 they were disgusted and threw them away immediately. However, they questioned why it would be in their neighborhood, which they described to be quiet, friendly and multicultural.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said they weren't surprised by this tactic. It's how the group behind the flyers operates.
"I'm always concerned when anybody does anything that is antisemitic or hateful or bigoted in any way," said the ADL's Carolyn Normandin during a Zoom interview with FOX 17 on Tuesday. "This particular group typically focuses on propaganda. They're trying to bring people into their brotherhood. They're trying to bring people into their conspiracy theory."
Normandin is the regional director with the ADL. She said they've been tracking this group, which she will not name because the name itself is derogatory. They have a huge following online and have activity, sometimes aggressive, throughout the country including in California, Texas, Georgia and New York. They just started operating in Michigan over the last year.
"It's important to be concerned about it," Normandin said. "These little baggies are often found by young children or teenagers who may not be able to even decipher what the message is, but they see symbols like the Star of David along with a terrible statement, and so I really feel like it's something that people should take notice of."
The state has taken notice of the antisemitism flyers. Michigan's Attorney General Dana Nessel said the incidents in Gaines Township were "upsetting."
"More than anything, I think people should know that it's dangerous and it leads people to believing things that are obviously false," Nessel said during a Zoom interview. "But, unfortunately, that sort of hate speech, can and does lead to hate crimes. And that's when it becomes an issue for us here at the Department of the Attorney General."
According to the ADL, antisemitic incidents nationwide topped 2,000 incidents every year since 2019. Additionally, the American Jewish Committee Survey of American Jews stated that four out of ten Jews feel less safe than they did a year ago.
"We have an Ethnic Intimidation Act that we enforce. There are many other laws, of course, that apply potentially to different sets of circumstances," Nessel said. "And for people who engage in illegal behavior, people will be held accountable. But when you look at what leads to that kind of behavior it starts with some of the circumstances that you're seeing right now. It starts with an effort to get people to hate others."
Nessel was among the Jewish government officials who were recently targeted by a man online, threatening to kill them. He's since been charged and will be arraigned next week. However, Nessel believes one area where she seeing an increase in attacks is on social media.
"But also, you know, I just see a lot of language from public officials that I don't think we traditionally saw years ago and I don't think would have been accepted many years ago," Nessel added. "So, you hear a lot of language that I think is coded. So, when you hear talk of, you know, globalism or global elites or media elites or, a lot of language that doesn't seem in and of itself to be antisemitic. But then when you read a little further into it, you understand what those individuals are talking about."
0 comments
Monday, March 06, 2023
Speaker Kevin McCarthy Makes Trip to New York Hasidic Town to Tout Parents’ Rights in Education
Greeted with a rockstar welcome to the entirely-Hasidic town of New Square, about an hour north of New York City, the Speaker arrived to streets decked out in star-spangled banners and signs that read: "Village of New Square Welcomes the honorable Kevin McCarthy," ahead of a meeting with the local sect's chief leader, Rabbi David Twersky.
Hundreds of people, among them many school children, gathered around a riser set up next to one of the local yeshivas, where McCarthy spoke alongside newly-elected Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), representing New York's 17th district — a high-profile upset race that unseated former Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair.
"First of all, I feel so blessed to be here," McCarthy began, to the applauding crowd forming a mosh pit a city-block deep. "I'm glad the children are up front; be true to your faith, be proud of your heritage, and never let someone say anything different about it," McCarthy continued, in a jab at the local Democratic government currently threatening to shut down the community's religious schools if they do not implement a state-approved secular curriculum.
"I will always defend you, I'll defend the right for your education," McCarthy went on, cut off by applause. "It's not just me, it's your congressman, because we introduced the 'Parents' Bill of Rights.'"
"This is one of the first places I've come as Speaker of the United States House, because you matter to me," the Speaker said. "We will always defend your right to your religion and your freedom," he continued, before thanking the crowd for electing Lawler.
0 comments
Friday, March 03, 2023
Man who posed as Hasidic Jew, adopted 9 boys, charged with sexual assault
A man who presented himself as a Hasidic Jew but in fact is reportedly not even Jewish was charged with multiple counts of sexual abuse of several children he had adopted, the Houston Chronicle and several local news channel KHOU11, a CBS TV affiliate, reported earlier this month.
The single man, known as Hayim Nissim Cohen – his real name is Jeffrey Lujan Vejil – had adopted nine boys and abused eight of them.
Cohen, 38, was active on social media, posting many videos that presented a happy family and him as a fun and loving father.
Police learned about the allegations after one of his adoptive sons told podcast listeners of the abuse he had been suffering for several years.
However, this was not the first time he was charged. In 2019, he was charged with felony indecency concerning a Spanish exchange student who had stayed at the home the previous year. Cohen was released on bail.
Six of Cohen's adopted sons, who are minors, are now in foster care, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services said.
Cohen was wheeled into a courtroom Thursday morning, but prosecutors say he's faking a terminal illness and has no need for the chair.
0 comments
Thursday, March 02, 2023
Gunman dressed in Hasidic disguise during 2021 NYC murder arrested
The suspect who was dressed in Hasidic-style clothes when he shot and killed a man in a 2021 caught-on-camera ambush in Queens has been arrested, police said Thursday.
Ron Reeder, 52, was busted in New Jersey late last month and extradited Thursday to New York, where he was slapped with murder and weapons charges, according to cops.
Reeder, of Teaneck, NJ, allegedly shot 46-year-old Jermaine Dixon at point-blank range on South Conduit Avenue near 132nd Street in South Ozone Park on the morning of Sept. 6, 2021.
The gunman, disguised in apparent religious garb, had tried to make off with the $10,000 in Dixon's pocket — but ran away before he could grab the cash, law enforcement sources said at the time.
A second person had also been keeping watch, and the pair waited several hours for Dixon to walk up to his car before ambushing him, the sources said.
Reeder was arrested on Feb. 23 when the Bergen County Regional SWAT Team and the NYPD stormed his apartment on Teaneck Road, according to New Jersey officials.
He is also facing weapons, drug, identity theft, and financial charges as part of a separate criminal case in the Garden State.
It was not immediately clear if police were still looking for a second culprit.
Dixon, of Georgia, was killed not long after he was released from prison, where he'd been incarcerated on drug charges.
0 comments
Wednesday, March 01, 2023
NY GOP county chair who offended Hasidic Jews tries mending fences
Surprising many in the midterms, Republicans picked up four congressional seats in New York and gave the incumbent Democratic governor a far closer race than she expected. The GOP credits in part its aggressive outreach effort to Orthodox voters who traditionally gravitate toward Republicans but support incumbents, no matter their party, in their reelection campaigns. Now, a candidate for the party's state chair who has clashed with the Orthodox community in the past is hoping to build on this GOP momentum to improve his chances.
Rockland County Republican Party chair Lawrence Garvey, who was implicated in a 2019 video that was widely deemed antisemitic, is seeking to succeed Nick Langworthy, the past chairman of the GOP state committee who was elected to Congress in November.
Garvey is one of at least four candidates angling for the job. The election, in which 450 delegates from across the state choose the chairman, was initially set for Feb. 17 but has been delayed for at least 30 days.
Rockland County, about an hour north of New York City, has the largest Jewish population per capita in the nation. Democrats hold a 2-1 registration advantage over Republicans.
0 comments
