Monsey Elections heating up
THis is a letter I got in my Email
Setting the Record Straight
An Open – and Signed – Letter Regarding the Upcoming Elections
Dear YDN Parents and Monsey Residents:
I am writing to you to set the record straight and to share with you my thoughts regarding the ads that appeared in the latest edition of two Monsey newspapers, The Rockland Bulletin and The Monsey Advocate. There were many ads placed, some supporting specific candidates and others employing innuendo and scare tactics with dire warnings about what will occur if 'Preserve Ramapo' candidates are elected.
Several points are in order:
1) Firstly, my name was accidentally signed on an ad that appeared in page 30 of the Monsey Bulletin endorsing a slate of candidates. (There was a meeting of menhalim last week that I was unable to attend due to extenuating circumstances. My name was automatically added to the ad since I am a member of YARC, the umbrella organization of Monsey menhalim.)
As a matter of policy, and following the advice of our Yeshiva's attorney, I never endorse any candidates in any elections, and I would not have signed that ad.
2) Then there is the issue of these unsigned ads, which are a danger to the kavod of our rabbonim and the dignity of our community (''Better and Safe Community'', for example took one of the ads – with no names signed). Additionally, the cowardly use of the postal service to spread unsigned letters is not the way of our Torah and should be repudiated by all members of our kehilos – Rabbonim, lay leaders and community members alike. If unsigned accusatory ads are allowed to run in our community papers and unsigned letters opened and validated by us, where does it end? Can anyone be attacked in the public square? And where can one go to complain if his name is dragged through the streets?
I am also deeply, deeply troubled by the tone of many of the ads in these 2 newspapers – many of which are unnecessarily negative, accusatory, defamatory, and frankly rather primitive. Positive, appropriate ads encouraging our kehila to show hakoras hatov to Mr. St. Lawrence would have accomplished the same objective without all the needless rancor.
I propose that moving forward, all newspapers should absolutely refuse to run ads unless there are names of the sponsors printed prominently and people held accountable for their content.
(For the record, my feelings on this matter of unsigned letters sent in the mail have been consistent throughout my years in public life. Several years ago, when there was an unsigned letter circulated in our community which defamed certain members of a local mossad, I immediately wrote and disseminated a letter similar to this one – defending those who were besmirched and repudiating the underhanded and cowardly tactics of those responsible for the mailing.)
3) As for the election itself, there are real quality of life issues that demand our careful and thoughtful attention.
Mr. St. Lawrence and the elected officials on his slate are running on their accomplishments during their years in office – which are a matter of public record. If you are pleased with the way our Town is being managed, by all means vote for them.
Many members of our community, on the other hand, are deeply concerned by the exponential surge in development and feel that their quality of life is being significantly affected. These are real issues that beg to be addressed and should not be brushed aside as if all those who want to preserve their quality of life are Anti-Semites or worse. While some outside our community may be opposed to us no matter what we say or do, we cannot tar all people opposed to unbridled growth with that brush. And we, who have suffered so much from life-and-death Anti-Semitism over the centuries should not lightly bandy around the titles of Anti-Semite over land matters in this medinah shel chesed. I led our school through a three-year zoning ordeal in the Village of New Hempstead. We had quite a few heated hearings with hundreds of people in attendance on both sides of the aisle. We never once raised the charge of Anti-Semitism. We only discussed the concerns of the neighbors and did our best to address them.
With one daughter recently married, and 3 children soon to be married, b'h, I am well aware of the need for affordable housing and I worry about the ability of my children to purchase homes in our community. And, having just spent 3 years and hundreds of thousands of dollars of momon hekdesh on the zoning process for our Yeshiva, I certainly appreciate the importance of having mosdos get their yeshivos and shuls approved in a timely fashion. At the same time, I am also concerned about the overcrowding, traffic, and quality of life concerns. I moved my family from Brooklyn 18 years ago for a suburban lifestyle, one that I want to see maintained.
As for this election and future ones, each individual voter should carefully reflect upon all these issues and decisions should be made on the merits of these thoughts. What is unacceptable, however, is for us to slander those who have opinions different than ours. This harsh tone will only create a legacy of negative attack ads that will set the tone for future campaigns and undermine the achdus of this wonderful, diverse community.
Respectfully,
Rabbi Yakov Horowitz
Menahel, Yeshiva Darchei Noam of Monsey
Please pass this on to any Monsey residents on your list.
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