Teaneck NJ: Councilwoman Monica Honis has come under fire from some Jewish council members and residents for saying that reelecting her without her two running mates winning as well would be like sending her “to the gas chamber.”
The comment came Monday during a meeting of residents of the township’s Northeast section. Honis was emphasizing the importance of voting for all three members of her informal slate in order to forge a new council majority in Tuesday’s non-partisan election.
Councilman Elnatan Rudolph, an Orthodox Jew who is heading up the Team Teaneck slate that opposes Honis and running mates Barbara Toffler and Audra Jackson, called the “gas chamber” reference “deplorable.”
“Making an inference like that, whether you’re joking or not, in the same week as Holocaust Remembrance Day?” he said Tuesday. “Those words are used to describe one thing. I don’t think there’s any justification for that.”
On Tuesday night, during a raucous council meeting, Honis defended her words, declaring she did not regret them and had chosen them carefully to evoke the injustice of the use of the death penalty against minorities. Honis is black.
“When I made the statement I made last night, I was referring to the death penalty,” she said Tuesday.
Councilman Adam Gussen – who worships at an Orthodox synagogue – called on Honis to resign, saying her words were insensitive and culturally ignorant.
Later in her statement, Honis offered an apology of sorts but continued to blast Gussen and any others who would attack her for her words.
(Source: NorthJersey.com)
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10 Responses
Why are some people (sadly, in this case the jewish councilman), so silly and stupid?
I’m glad the Jewish community took issue with this woman’s brazen display of cultural cluelessness.
Her comments are
natan – if the Jewish member said to the effect — either vote for me and my team or it would be akin to putting us in shackles and sending us out to pick cotton — and explained it to innocently mean being made into 2nd class citizens with no rights – rev al and the gang would be there and everybody (including the press) would be calling for resignations.
honis is a disgrace to the good people of Teaneck.
whats her contact info?
lets push her out
does this “honis” represent the leonard jeffries / al sharpton side of town?
To Mdlevine:
I’m Sorry that you miss understood me. I guess i was only talking to people who don’t use Al Sharpton as their role module.
People, Yidden included, have always said dumb things and will continue to say dumb things. Overreacting makes things worse.
We’ve all been the recipients of anti Semitic epithets. I personally would be a member of the Fotune 500 if I had a dollar for every epithet that was hurled my way. My kids have been taught to ignore the remarks and move on. Answering back just causes more problems.
Stop making mountains out of mole hills. If the person in question is not known to be a sonei Yisrael, then just file the remark under “S” for stupidity and gai viter. Shabbat Shalom.
I just want to add something to my previous comment. How many of you guys who are incensed by this stupid remark drive German made cars? You seem to forget that there are 6 million reasons HY”D why you shouldn’t drive them. I’m not just talking about BMW, Mercedes, Audi, VW and Porsche. I’m talking about all the minivans, Jeeps, etc. you bought/leased from DAIMLER Chrysler too.
“Lets push her out.” Guys; get rid of your German vehicles first, then we’ll talk.
whats wrong with german cars? for how long do you hold a nation responsable for thier fathers sins? if you boycott germany than you should boycott egypt, babylon, persia, spain, england, and the list goes on.
hasidguy- Absolutely. However, some former nazi supporters benfit from the purchase of these cars. In all those other countries you mentioned the people who harmed us are long dead and gone. Overall though I agree
mktmom- Are you going to stop buying gas, and stop riding city buses which are run on gas? Are you going to stop heating your home in the winter? For your information, most of the oil in the U.S. comes from the Middle East, from those same countries that are threats to Israel, and all the jewish people worldwide.