[By Ezra Friedlander] Recently, several anonymous emails have been circulated utilizing old and irrelevant information pertaining to the personal feelings of Brad Lander who is a candidate for the 39th Council District seat comprising the neighborhoods ranging from Park Slope to Boro Park. Additionally, various positions on social issues supported by Brad Lander anathema to the community are being publicized in an inflammatory and frenzied fashion. Needless to say, for those individuals who are not following the race closely one may find the content disturbing even alarming. However, if one takes a few minutes to understand the dynamics of this race you will realize that the smear attacks have no business in this campaign for the simple reason that all the candidates who can be the next Councilmember representing the 39th district agree on the social issues that the vast majority of the Boro Park—Kensington portion of the district disagree with them.
John Heyer, who by himself is a fine individual, has no chance of winning this race. Therefore John’s positions, on issues that the City Council has no jurisdiction over, albeit closer to the ones held by our community, should not be a factor in how we decide to vote for on Primary Day. The City Council is the legislative body of the city of New York and cannot vote on issues like Same Gender Marriage or have any authority to implement federal or state funding for Yeshivas. Indeed, our community should evaluate the positions that a candidate running for the City Council supports on those issue that falls under the purview of the Council, and determine how their leadership skills would positively impact the quality of life for the residents of our community as our elective representative to the City Council. That should be the only criteria determining how we cast our vote on September 15.
Voting is a sacred privilege not to be taken lightly. Yes, there are serious issues facing the Boro Park-Kensington community. Yes, we must be concerned about the person representing us. However, we must now allow ourselves to behave immaturely and engage in rhetoric that disparages Brad Lander or any other candidate on his personal views that has no bearing on his ability to represent us effectively in the City Council.
Truth be told, Brad is the candidate with the most experience on an issue which directly impacts us: affordable housing. As an advocate for affordable housing and indeed a recognized expert on finding creative solutions Brad can be the most effective on an issue that our community desperately needs leadership.
Brad has creative ideas on how to secure funding for Yeshivas from taxpayer sources in a constitutionally permissible way. He has laid out a detailed plan which when implemented would defray the cost of transportation for thousands of children.
It’s very simplistic for us to assume and condescending to us as a community when a candidate even a well meaning one to promise funding that the office they are running for does not have the power to allocate or the mandate to legislate.
Generally speaking, what I find particularly insulting is when a candidate insinuates that if you elect him/her they singlehandedly have the power to remedy the issue of concern or to fund the initiative most important to the community.
This brings me to address the recent emails which demonstrates the political immaturity of those that are advocating the election of John Heyer, is to inform the community that Boro Park and Kensington comprise very little of the 39th district when you look at the district’s demographics. It would therefore make no sense from a strategic and politically calculated position to support someone who cannot win the Primary thereby causing our community to lose its influence once the election is over.
There are those in the community who make the argument that we as a community should support candidates who share our core values. That is a position I agree with. What I don’t agree with, is supporting an individual who cannot possibly win. If the community’s best interests are indeed on the top of our agenda—supporting a candidate who has a realistic chance of winning should be the only objective of our efforts. In this specific election— as opposed to a city wide election where all likeminded voters can unite—only a candidate who espouses liberal positions on social issues can and will win this race.
Although we need to make our voices heard and galvanize our community to register and vote as a unified bloc, giving them false hope and not educating prospective voters of the realities of political facts will only disappoint once people realize what really transpired.
In conclusion, I would like to urge my friends a fundamental duty and privilege of living in a free democratic society and voting for Brad Lander on Primary Day, September 15. I have come to know Brad as an honest, ethical, hardworking and caring individual who is committed to fighting to increase the quality of life for our community. I am convinced that Brad respects our values and our way of life. Brad is a good listener and genuinely wants to understand our needs. For close to two years, Brad has taken the initiative to learn firsthand the various organizations serving our community and meeting with individuals and families. Brad understands that Yeshivas are the backbone of our very existence and I’m positive that if elected he will advocate for our Yeshivas; our children—the future of the community. Please utilize the power given to you as a citizen of this great nation to vote for Brad Lander for the City Council.
I am writing this in an effort to help bring the community together—only thru unity can we succeed.
Thank you.
Ezra Friedlander, is CEO of The Friedlander Group, currently not representing any candidate for this office.
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12 Responses
Ezra Friedlander, is CEO of The Friedlander Group, currently not representing any candidate for this office.
And how currently is that? We know he did work for the campaign, so is this currently as of the last five minutes, and five minutes later he is?
That said, it is important that we support a candidate that shares our beliefs regardless of his ability to win. Whatever Brad promises our community is nothing but empty words, as he has no history of delivering anything to our community. Saying he can’t win is a typical Democratic tactic to scare voters from voting their true desired candidate.
Many of our politicians have made promises and have beliefs about issues that they have no control over at all. What we have seen lately in the City Council is a council that simply rubber stamps the mayor’s wishes. Where are the promises that were made last election from our community supported candidates?? Why should we believe that this new breed of characters will do any better in delivering? Politics in NY is simply a bunch of false promises.
I know these עסקנים very well; the only thing on their mind is “business”, period. Please be very skeptical what they tell you.
Sorry to disagree with you -there is nothing more important than values. Money is nothing compared to torah haskafah. You’re making a statement to the world when you vote for someone like that. These people take it as a sign of weakness if the moral issues are not priority one. They thrive on people not standing up to them & being too weak to fight them anymore. Maybe some gevirim should open up some more tzedakah org. and we won’t have to come onto the gov. for financial support. In life it’s really not that important who actually wins the election or how much $ you have in the bank. What’s important is that you did the right thing- when push comes to shove. BTW, maybe Dov H. is trying to mekarev him.
Gedolim of the previous generation said under no cicumstances can a jew cote for someone who is for the toeivah community.
This is nothing to debate about. If a godol says the obviuos who are we to be stupid and disagree?
Where is Sol?
Shame on yeshiva world for posting this Letter.Rabbi avigdor miller zl would always scream against people voting for politicians who support toeva.Even if the other candidate has no chance of winning we have to do ours and not go against the Torah.
We should take a lesson from the toeivo community itself. They support candidates who support their abominable lifestyles, regardless of whether that candidate is qualified or supports any other social issues. We therefore should do the same. If any candidate totally supports the toeivo issue, that candidate should not be our candidate.
I respect Ezra for trying to enlighten the readers, but he should have known (as the first 4 comments alone demonstrate) that people are not interested in being educated on the political process. People who are not involved with following politics on a daily basis, try and vote with their hearts, instead of seeing which way the wind is blowing first!
To Ezra I don’t know if in this letter you are being disingenuous or just stupid, we all know by now how much housing and social services we have received in the past 50 years by our local politicians who you claim can be of more help how many of our frum and “Heimishe” politicians have just turned their backs to us once elected I’m not talking on the big issues I’m talking about minor issues that we average people must deal with on any given day , with nobody to talk to it’s very easy to elect an individual based on all his promises but ounce their elected they couldn’t give a hoot about you and me, now is the time to stick to our principles its not a money issue, money will follow once the politicians see we are for real and our rabonim are for real we stick to our principles and vote in block for those who reflect our principles and needs this will send a clear message for all the politicians not only the local but state wide who can actually influence and change things that are of grave concern to our community.
EZRA we are sick and tired of all the pandering to special interest groups that have no votes and do not represent the will of the people so please don’t speak in the name of torah and in the name of our rabunim and in the name of klall yisroel .
And for the record I have met the candidate John Heyer he is a gem of a nice guy a religious person who is guided by principles that may put to shame many of us.
Thank you and Gutt Shaabos
Well, Ezra, there you go again!
The last time I met you, on New Utrecht Avenue in Boro-Park, you said you were not taking a position on Obama. You fooled me then and it looks like you’re trying to fool me–and others like me–now.
Well, as they say “Fool me once, shame on you; Fool me twice, shame on me!”.
The fact that you have taken the trouble to write this long screed, targeting JOHN HEYER, is the best indication that JOHN HEYER IS A VERY VIABLE CANDIDATE, AND THAT BRAD LANDER AND HIS “NOCH-SCHLEPPERS” ARE RUNNING SCARED.
John Heyer is a very religious Catholic who has demonstrtated that he has the guts to stand up to the other four Toeva-Promoting candidates in this race, in many different political forums and debates. He has demonstrated that he has the courage of his convictions.
Support for John Heyer is snowballing among all the Mosdos and community leaders in Boro-Park, who are now beginning to realize that people who are radical advocates for Toeva lifestyles do not look kindly on traditional Jews to whom these “Alternative Lifestyles” are illegitimate.
CHARACTER COUNTS, AND SO DO WRONGHEADED IDEAS. The BaaLei Mussar have a saying : “Deos Macht Middos.”–Ideas create character. If you have crooked ideas, you will have crooked character.
And…let’s not forget: Many many Gedolim have bewailed the tendency of some of our community leaders to openly support people who want to destroy the foundations of this county–decent families–in exchange for a mess of pottage.
Even if were true–which it is not–that Lander or one of the other Toeva candidates were ahead–we could not campaign for him, because of the Chilul HaShem in the eyes of decent Americans, who see us choosing a Toeva promoter over a man who speaks up for decency and family.
How much more important is it to support JOHN HEYER, a candidate who speaks out for decent values and the rights of religious parents to be funded equally with public school parents when HEYER has a very real chance of winning this race.
The bottom line is, Ezra, that you are trying to create a “bandwagon effect” for someone you have committed yourself to, and it won’t work!
For shame Ezra! Do we not have any values? Is money all?
I am very proud of the previous posters, as they have really said it the way it is.
I would like to add a few points:
1. You say, the city council has no power over toaiva marriage, the state legislature does. Answer, no politician starts being a state assemblyman or Senator. By helping them raise their political star, you are pushing them along, virtually guaranteeing that the political momentum, will propel them to ultimately be elected to a position where they do have a say. Hence, the people who help a politician start out, do have a responsibility for what he ultimately does later on.
2. Every candidate can win if enough people vote for him. There are upsets all the time. To say that Heyer has no chance is simply ridiculous.
3. The attitude you profess, that as long as he will bring home some bacon, who cares about the moral issues, is the same attitude that causes nebech some of the sad headlines where have been having. This attitude of “hakesef yaane es hakoil”, breeds some to be moira heter for financial shenanigans, that are unfortunately happen too often in our community. This type of attitude gets passed on to our children, and they by osmosis, internalize that for money, everything is ok.
One day, many years from now, you should be able to look your grandchildren in the eye, when they ask you, what did you do to stop to’aiva (which hopefully will never happen) and say “yadaynu loi shafchu es hadam hazeh”?
EDITIORS NOTE: If you have a direct (nasty) message for Ezra Friedlander, kindly pick up the phone and call him, or sign your name – just as he did.
A direct, personal attack, will not be permitted on this forum.
Oh, and your comment was deleted….
My name is #### ####, I am ### and live on East ## Street in Flatbush. Will you publish it now? I hope you too are not influnced by the mighty dollar.
Editors Note: How does “Abe” get to jack@###########.com?
Please. Stop it now.
And no, we are not influenced by anything.