With less than 2 weeks to the general elections, on November 5, the main Orthodox bloc-votes in New York started an intensive campaign to turn out tens of thousands of Orthodox voters to block plans for new casinos in the Catskill region and elsewhere in the state.
Both Satmar weeklies, Der Yid and Der Blatt, known with their influence on tens of thousands voters from the both Satmar factions and other Hasidic communities in New York city and Upstate New York, featured long articles in their papers on the ills resulting from the casinos, specifically to the Catskills region’s Sullivan County. They cite an increase in violent crimes and gambling addictions, among other troubles resulting from turning the area in a gambling region. Di Tzeitung, another widely-read newspaper among Yiddish speakers, had a sketching editorial, calling the community to vote “No.”
Orthodox Jews have a special bond to the Catskills, home to their summer camps and bungalow colonies where hundreds of thousand vacation and camp out during the summer season. In addition, the area experienced a boom of all-year-round developments drawing Orthodox families who are priced out and cramped out from the city.
Community leaders are naturally concerned that the casinos – two of which are planned in Sullivan County – will change the region and threaten their summer and all-year-round enclaves.
Given the low interest among statewide voters in the casino referendum, Orthodox opposition may turn out to be decisive in blocking the plans to expand gambling in New York.
(YWN Desk – NYC)
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7 Responses
Really any one go to fox wood or nj loads of these same frum Jews. And they aren’t just looking around
This news makes me proud to be Jewish.
If All frum yiden will go out and Vote No, there is a very good chance that we will suceed in voting it down
Kollel Faker,
Loads??!!! seriously???!!! I know frum Jews stick out in a crowd. But thats an exageration. lets take it down a notch. further, it sure to make problems worse if they do open casinos closer.so I’m not sure what your point is.
It is very sad that they are going to such lengths to block casino gambling. Anyone who has been to the Catskills recently knows how depressed the area is especially when all the so-called “frum” are buying up land, adding a shul and then not have to pay taxeson the land. At least casino gambling might alleviate the tax load for those of us who do pay our share of local taxes (real estate & school)and also create jobs and build up the tax paying land. The crime and poverty upstate is already terrible, casino gambling can only make it better, not worse.
Hey borschtbelt–if you think casinos. Are the solution to crime and poverty, try going a block or 2 away from the casinos in a/c. Its infested with drug addicts, zonos and all sorts of other criminal activity.
As I said, upstate, especially Monticello and vicinity, is already infested with drug addicts and criminal activity. The area has hit rock bottom for some time now and casinos cannot make it any worse than it already is. Providing hundreds, if not thousands of temporary and permanent jobs can only make it better on many levels.