This is simply shocking.
On the NYC Housing Authority website, there is an application for HPD’s “Compliance package”. There is a question which states “Please identify the ethnicity of the majority ownership of the filing entity”.
The choices are:
White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native America, Hasidic Jew, and Not Applicable.
NYC Councilman Chaim Deutsch tweeted the image along with the following text: “Hey @NYCHousing – is “Hasidic Jew” an ethnicity? That’s news to me. Please explain this box in HPD’s “compliance package” . I will be in contact with HPD tomorrow to get to the bottom of this”
NYS Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein tweeted: “The first amendment grants Americans the right to freedom of religion. Shame on @NYCHousing for attempting to discriminate against Hasidic Jews.”
Where are all the politicians in NYC to question this blatant anti-Semitism? They must be too busy condemning Councilman Kalman Yeger for rightfully stating that there is no country on earth called “Palestine”, and for rightfully calling Rep. Ilhan Omar what she is – an anti-Semite.
Hey @NYCHousing – is “Hasidic Jew” an ethnicity? That’s news to me.
Please explain this box in HPD’s “compliance package” – https://t.co/bMCiTdOuzP
I will be in contact with HPD tomorrow to get to the bottom of this. pic.twitter.com/XsNJi3teGN
— Chaim Deutsch (@ChaimDeutsch) March 29, 2019
The first amendment grants Americans the right to freedom of religion. Shame on @NYCHousing for attempting to discriminate against Hasidic Jews.https://t.co/RRy4Oh6WIg pic.twitter.com/QTBfNu32hC
— Simcha Eichenstein (@SEichenstein) March 29, 2019
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15 Responses
Calm down. What are these people complaining about? HPD is not discriminating against Hasidim, it’s discriminating for them. Hasidic Jews have been listed as a disadvantaged group, eligible for preferences in government contracts, for more than 30 years now. How do all these people, supposedly community askonim, not know that?
Calm down. What are these people complaining about? HPD is not discriminating against Hasidim, it’s discriminating for them. Hasidic Jews have been listed as a disadvantaged group, eligible for preferences in government contracts, for more than 30 years now. How do all these people, supposedly community askonim, not know that?
I don’t get the whole brew-ha-ha. If someone can aptly explain why ANYONE’S ethnicity is relevant for this type of application or the like, perhaps we can understand why they added ‘Hassidic jew’. After all, if ‘white’ is an ethnicity then why list ‘Asian’ separately?
Are their Democrats working for the city? What about frei Jews
Hasidic Jew is not an ethnicity? That’s news to me. I think it could be used as a benchmark of the definition of ethnicity. Here’s one definition:
a social group that shares a common and distinctive culture, religion, language, or the like
another:
the fact or state of belonging to a social group that has a common national or cultural tradition.
another:
Ethnicity refers to shared cultural practices, perspectives, and distinctions that set apart one group of people from another.
So, yes. Hasidic Jew is definitely an ethnicity. Whether asking the question is in furtherance of illegal discrimination is a different question.
It is discriminatory- what about the litvishe yidden, are they not good enough as well?
So the issue is that not enough ethnic groups are listed. That’s a valid point. But from New York tax and assistance records, it is crystal clear that Hasidic Jews, and only Hasidic Jews, are disproportionately financially disadvantaged.
Omg! People being a jew hasidic or otherwise is a religion! The USA does not base decisions-supposedly- on religion.Ethnic group is where ur families origibal origins are from.Not YOUR RELIGION. If u dont know the difference at least keep quiet and dont make a fool of yourself.This application is dead wrong and i guarantee will be removed as soon it gets blown up! Something is rotten in the state(s)!
Public housong agencies have been criticized for not providing larger apartments for large families. I don’t think this question was meant to discriminate against Litvish tennants but rather a simplistic but well meaning effort to track frum tennant applicants. Perhaps the ehrlihe Councilman can educate the Housing Authority bureaucrats that soe misnagdim alsohave larger families.
Why is there an option for “not applicable” but not one for “other”? Do you have to belong to one of those ethnicities or none at all?
I saw this months ago, who cares we are in Galut
in reality, it is just the opposite of what people thought.
I worked at a very big defense company many years ago and the were required to hire minorities. because I wore a kippa I was considered a minority, “hassidic jewish”…
the company liked me, because I did the job very well, and instead of hiring another idiot minority to fill their quota, I was able to be in the quota..
Not anti-semetic but ethinic designation.
This article is so irresponsible.
We, Hasidic Jews, requested to be there, and by law, due to President Reagan executive order, and subsequent court fights, and now, every Small Business and housing organization all over the US is required to give Hasidic Jews (or any frum Jew) minority status.
Many minorites have complained, why only Jews, why not Arabs, Hindus.
With this article, you’ll do just that, take away our status and costing Jewish business millions.
Well done.
To clarify, this isn’t an application for housing, this is an application for government contracts, and per HUD guidelines, Hasidic Jews have to be treated as a minority, and given first chance at contracts.