As a former supporter and wanting to return to being a supporter of Bob Turner, I wrote an open letter in which I outlined the steps that Bob Turner had to undertake to win the Orthodox Jewish vote. I noted in my open letter that Bob Turner lives in Breezy Point and that it is a segregated community. I proposed four steps that Bob Turner needed to take to win the Orthodox Jewish vote. They were as follows:
1. Bob Turner needs to go to Israel now. He needs to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and top Israeli officials to discuss the needs of the Jewish State. He should take a tour of the West Bank and the border towns and see the threat to Israel, up front and personal;
2. Bob Turner should meet with the leading Orthodox Rabbi’s and lay leaders in Israel and the United States to discuss the needs of his future constituents and garner their support;
3. Bob Turner has to appoint orthodox Jews as his top campaign aides. The lack of having Orthodox Jews as high level campaign staffers in his campaign is very telling to the Jewish community and the reason for the disconnect between Bob Turner and the Orthodox Jewish community;
4. Bob Turner has to start personally campaigning in Orthodox areas in a serious fashion. He can not leave it to campaign staff, surrogates or the media. Orthodox Jews are smart, they want to see the man, not an artificial message. If you are serious about the Orthodox vote, then go out and meet the people;
After this article hit the web, Bob Turner’s campaign manager, Bill O’Reily replied that Breezy Point is not segregated community any more than Little Italy is. That is a ridiculous statement, belied by the fact that Breezy Point is controlled by a Cooperative Board that has successfully insured that not a single African-American, Hispanic, Indo-Carribean or religious Jew lives in Breezy Point. This, despite the fact, that it is a gated community which is rated one of the safest and beautiful neighborhoods in the city. For a man who wants to represent a district that is Jewish, Indo-Carribean, Hispanic and African American and is counting on the their support, this is hypocritical. It is simple, vote for me, but I don’t want you as my neighbor.
Mr. O’Reily further responded that Bob Turner had previously visited Israel, so he didn’t have to go again. He doesn’t know when Mr. Turner visited Israel, only that he was once there. In my open letter to Mr. Turner, I did not divulge to my readers the events that led up to my advice for Mr. Turner to visit Israel. Now the time has come for the truth to come out. When Turner got the nod to be the Republican candidate, I discussed with Mr. Turner the need to burnish his Israel image. I offered to go with Dr. Joseph Frager and Bob Turner to Israel to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, political leaders and Rabbi’s. His response was that of someone who has no idea about Jews or Israel “I was there already.” Bob Turner just doesn’t understand Jews and especially Orthodox Jews and their aspirations.
Curiously, none of the other points I raised was even disputed by Mr. O’Reily, a telling statement by itself.
After my open letter to Bob Turner, Turner did make a single foray into the Jewish Community by going to the Catskills this past Sunday. I’m certain, given his track record, that this is the first and last time that he will campaign in an orthodox setting.
Bob Turner has never been involved in any Jewish organizations and is completely ignorant of the needs of the Jewish community. I am not faulting him for his lack of knowledge, it is simply that in his seventy years on this planet he did not have to deal with Jewish causes or Israel. Yes, he now claims he is an ardent supporter of Israel and Jewish causes, but when has he ever done anything that proves that this is true. He doesn’t personally campaign in Orthodox Jewish areas. Even after my open letter to Bob Turner, Turner has refused to place a single Orthodox Jews in the top echelon of his campaign. Indeed, besides Ed Koch, who endorsed Turner out of revenge for Saul Weprin’s, David Weprin’s father, for his failure to endorse Mr. Koch in Mr. Koch’s race for governor, not a single Rabbi, religious Jewish politician or lay-leader has endorsed Mr. Turner. The lack of endorsements is telling. Mr. Turner talks a good game and knows the right phrases. As Mr. Turner admitted to the Daily News in the April 12, 2011 edition, he blatantly panders to every audience and tells them what they want to hear, but he doesn’t really believe what he says.
To date Mr. Turner has done an excellent job in pandering his message to the Jewish community, but his actions and non-actions speak louder than words. Bob, we get the message, you are pandering to us.
By Asher E. Taub, Former Republican Candidate for NY CD-6
NOTE: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of YWN.
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15 Responses
Fine. So let us vote for masis u’madiach.
Voting for Weprin is ossur. Period. Ask your local real rabbi and you will learn that we may not promote the cursed and despicable gay agenda. The writer of this article has an ax to grind and should speak to a professional so that he stops writing this elongated senseless editorials that can only hasten a catastrophic calamity, G-d forbid, if we elect a “SHOMER SHABBOS PRO GAY MARRIAGE” congressman (UGHH).
Wake up! It is crunch time. We have been pushing the envelope too far and Hashem is patiently waiting for our return.
Please everyone in the 9th Congressional District, Would you vote for the Misyavnim? So can’t you see that a character like Weprin is that and worse?
By now I think that it’s obvious that Taub wanted a job with Turner and he didn’t get it…
BTW Has Turner said he is against toeiva marriage?
also If he wants the Orthodox vote why doesn’t he meet the community and it’s leaders?
Mr. Taub’s op-ed above is clearly a hack job from someone with a gripe. He sounds akin to a disgruntled former employee. Taub has not made a single substantative point.
*****NEWSFLASH***** In the previous op-eds by Mr. Taub it said the following at the bottom: “Asher E. Taub, Esq. is a former congressional candidate and aide to Bob Turner”
Ahhh….he worked for Turner?
Do I smell a rat baby….oy es shtinked giferelech. And I hate Weprin, but this is clearly a hack-job.
Are you going to vote for him w/o investigating whether he will defend Orthodox Jewish interests? Despite what you think about the article, you may now be obligated to suspect some things, this election falls out quite close to tzom Gedalia, hamavin yavin.
This Mr. Taub is a phony. Mr. Bob Turner has two frum people working for him and one of them is paid and on TOP of his campaign. Just because someone does do the public relations stunts every 5 minutes in Flatbush or Boro park does not mean the candidiate is not good.
When mayor Guliani ran for mayor the first time around idiots like you voted for Dinkins. Guliani only won the second time around because the issue in those days was a referendum on Dinkins and the crown heights riots.
If guys like Mr Taub was a writer then and didn’t get a job with Guliani we would also hear about Guliani knowing nothing about jewish causes since he doesn’t live in Flatbush and doesn’t shop in Pomegranate.
Bob Turner said flat out that he is againt gay marriage period. When Turner said the statement after someone asked him in a public forum he didn’t even think or mince his words. Bob Turner said flat out that he is against gay marriage.
Now take a guy like Weprin and ask him about gay marriage and he sounds like a typical politician when he says he voted for it but……..
And enough of this stupidity of Turner not being to Israel. Is it it a crime for a politician not to be in Israel. Bob Turner is running for congress and not the knesset.
I’m over 50 and was never in Israel. I’m not jewish enough to go to shul now?
I would like to see Taub debate Mark levin and Bob Grant on his op-ed. levi and Grant would tell taub where to go.
Please give Mr. Taub a break.. I feel his pain, he keeps writing open letters about Turner, but the Turner just ignores him, Taub is trying to play like the campaign responded to his letter with this and that, Sorry Mr. Taub you represent no one except yourself.
oh, and about the job you begged for at the campaign – sorry we wish hashem should send you some client at you “law firm”
Regarding local issues ie representing a district containing the largest frum community in the country in the Congress, who does he see as his constituency? There happens to be a very significant but not much mentioned issue of the steady expansion of our communities BP and Flatbush and Queens as well, and I can tell you there are plenty of non Jews who are not so sure about their blocks changing and if you drive around you see a lot of Bob Turner signs on the not yet Jewish blocks so if he is not reaching out to us then do you really think he will be there for us or maybe his attitude will be let them expand somewhere else.
Mr. Taub was lobbying, calling every hour for days Bob Turner, to hire him, but was rejected , so this is all personal to start off with…. now to the facts :
point 1: Bob Turner will hopefully travel to Israel and meet Pm Netanyahu once elected in to Congress, if invited by the Prime minister’s schedule will allow it.
point 2: Turner has been meeting with community leaders, Rabbis, and dominate vocal Pro Israel figures, and is scheduled to meet more in along the way in the campaign.
point 3: Turner has appointed various Orthodox Jews as top aides for the campaign, and has some known Jewish in volunteer team, in addition to the ongoing help of Mayor Koch.
point4. Bob Turner has personally campaigned in Orthodox areas, meeting with Jewish seniors, and even traveling up to the Catskills on Sunday to meet local residents vacationing in Woodridge, something Weprin the Jews didn’t do yet.
So before disclosing role in Weprin camp, Taub must know the fact, before pouring out his personal feelings.
The Jewish vote is very important, but so important are the other 71% of the District, concerned of the way things are done in Washington.
This is a bootleg article. The Yeshiva world posted just this week pictures of Bob Turner campaigning in Woodridge.In the Pictures there is a frum man standing right next to him who works for him. If Woodridge “Center 1” isnt Orthodox enough for Asher Taub, then even I don’t know what is.
P.S. Re: Former candidate for NY CD-6 ,nobody likes a sour looser
Of the first eight comments not a single one addressed the substance of Mr. Taub’s complaints. I guess they must be right on.
The Republicans don’t take the area seriously. If they did, you would find Republicans being active in the community and then running for office. Or, you would find someone rich person with community ties running. The closeness of the race suggests that Brooklyn and Queens could support a democratic (small “d”) political system.
First of all, before attacking Asher Taub, think about whether his points have any validity. It is cheap and unproductive to attack someone for personal bias if he truly making reasonable points.
Be that as it may, I assure you that his questioning Turner has nothing to do with his past. He is a truth seeking ardent republican who is now uncertain with what Turner represents.
He ran for congress within his district, not for publicity or flair, but to make life better for all new Jews and Americans. Yes, I value his opinion more than most, he is man who has actually given of his own time to assist Jews, has thought long and hard about critical issues, and someone whose voice should be heard.
I have spoken to Asher Taub at length regarding his position on Bob Turner. Although I strongly disagree with Taub’s response, I concluded that Taub’s approach is done with sincerity.
However, any reason Taub has given to withdraw support for Turner is not a reason to vote for “Obama with a Kippah”.
We cannot allow our emotions to control this election. Weprin didn’t just vote for the “marriage” act, he made statements that defiled Judaism.
Readers should take note that Taub continues to fall short of endorsing Weprin.
In short, we must vote for Bob Turner.