Today, Councilman Kalman Yeger took to the floor of the New York City Council to publicly condemn politicians and members of the media who “tinker at the fringes of antisemitism.”
If it had a title, the three minute speech would be called “You Did This.” In his remarks, Councilman Yeger repeatedly used the phrase to excoriate those who pretend to stand with the Jewish community, but actually stand with anti-semites.
Councilman Yeger specifically pointed to “those who spent Sunday posing for pictures with Jews, but spend the other 364 days of the year festering hate against my community.”
Councilman Yeger said, “we have the right to live in our city like anyone else. We have the right to go about our day without being assaulted. We are not doing this to anyone. You are doing this to us.”
Councilman Yeger also delivered a full-throated defense of Jewish education, noting “you attack our yeshivas, regularly, repeatedly, with hatred. But whenever has anyone seen a group of yeshiva students run down a street and smack someone in the head? Why is that never discussed? How we raise our children to be honorable, intellectual, decent members of society? How we are kind to one another? Instead, you paint us all with a scarlet letter of derision.”
Watch this clip for the full remarks.
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24 Responses
STOP WITH THE ANTI SEMITISIM POSTS YOUR PULLING OUT THE RACE CARD WAY TO MANY TIMES MAINTAIN A LOW PROFILE WERE IN GOLUS THE SAME TAINA YOU AHVE ON CURTIS SLIWAS RHTEROIC THAT YOU WERE SAYING LAST WEEK EVEN THOUGH HE DOES GOOD THINGS BUT HIS RHTEROIC IS DRIVING AND CREATING HATE IS THE SAME TAANA ON YOU YOU THINK YOUR DOING GOOD THINGS YWN BUT YOUR RHETORIC IS A DISASTER YOU KEEP POSTING ANTI SEMITIC POSTS RIDICULOUS ACHSHAV STOP POSTING THIS GARBAGIO IT DESENSITIZES PEOPLE LIKE WHEN YOU TAKE ADVIL EVERY DAY IT STARTS NOT WORKING AFTER A WHILE
on what basis should anyone care about anti-semitism ?
either we are worth it or we’re not
Somerset Maughan the old British writer said close to a century ago:
Jews either sing higher or lower than the rest of the choir
These so-called Orthodox politicians and pundits
like Mister Yeger mr. Bennett etcetera in op-eds seem like Reincarnation of the previous generation non-orthodox politicians
every hour or so the alarm clock screams anti-semitism
A coy way to remove responsibility for one’s own actions
who else caused the change in the socio-political atmosphere
who keeps voting or allowing to pass all sorts of changes in the socio-political climate [ this is not just about morality]
on all cylinders?
are we being the best and most respectable citizens or are we once again making Faustian Bargains with who knows who helped to bring home the pork or a bit of silly adulation
everyone should just get their heads in the Sand and ignore that?
rather than looking reflecting in the mirror They ‘ll figure how to make a socio-religious virtue out of it somehow to quiet the dissidents
This is a “CHILLIL HASHEM” SHAME On Yager, SHAME on all other politicians who act like this, this is not the way a jew acts in GOLES, all the tragedies are to remind us to get closer to Hashem and to remember the fact that we are in GOLES, and remember the reason why are we the chosen by God to be his nation,
I am impressed speaker Johnson didn’t cut him off, however the councilman needed to be specific as who is the “you” in you did this? if they are anti Semites name them by name, Inez Barron, we know who else? CNN ok, name them. I just feel like without naming specifics its just another grievance kind of like the black politicians do, its instutional racism, its incarceration, its the schools, its this or that. Name the specifics.
“are we being the best and most respectable citizens ”
Mr. “It is Time for Truth”, It is Time for Truth!
Are you keeping a score card, where based on your scores, Jews are deserving of heinous acts Ant-Semitism, or not deserving?
All the mah yofis yidden should just shut up. Yes, we’re in golus. That is no reason to dance mah yofis before the poretz. Ge’on Yaacov is important even in golus. Especially in America, which is OUR COUNTRY just as much as it is anyone else’s. We are not guests here, we are owners, and when we’re not treated that way we should stand up.
AZOI.IS, Devarim 4:6 should instruct.
So if these events are happening, we must be failing on some level or form
Very good said Mr. Yeger
We gotta say the truth at it is
The donothing radical low life liberals wants to control our education & way of living
Proposing hate & chasidim the worst people of society
No fan if Yeager but will said and about it time
Keep hitting them or line Germany in the 30’s we are finished
Milhouse:
No, we ARE guests, not owners in this country, where did you get such arrogance?
“this is not the way a Jew Acts in galus”
To all the quivering, frightened yidden who shamefully plead for our leaders to not speak out on this wave of anti-Semitism because we are in galus, please find a dark cave somewhere and go hide until z’man moishiach. I would have preferred for Yeager to “name names” and call out those who do the marches and vigils and photo-ops. We’ve seen this movie before and it doesn’t end well. Speak out and strike back when and where you can when assaulted.
Kalman Yeger affiliates as a Gerrer Chusid.
Is this the way of Gur? Did he speak it over with Gerrer Rebbe? A Gerrer poisek?
Is he getting proper hadrocho?
“So if these events are happening, we must be failing on some level or form”
Mr. “It is Time for Truth”, It is Time for Truth!
Perhaps we can begin by promoting unity between all Jews, instead of PUBLICLY hinting that some Jews may be the cause of, and deserving of the recent bloodshed! As if all other groups of people on this earth dont have among them, citizens who are more perfect and less perfect.
To all those constantly harping that we should “keep a low profile” while at the same time demanding we join the general work force, attend college etc. you are demanding the impossible. We have B”H multiplied in NY/NJ so that the closet can’t contain us all…
It doesn’t matter what we do, anti-Semites in NY and elsewhere can’t stand our mere existence.
So let’s shout from the roof-tops to Jew-haters of all stripes “WE ARE HERE TO STAY, WEARING OUR YIDDISHKEIT WITH PRIDE until Moshiach redeems us, may it be speedily!”
Some comments on this post and several of the others claim that we need to put up with this, as we are in golus, and this tzoroh is the Will of Hashem. I rarely encounter comments that achieve this extreme of stupidity. The intelligence in this perspective is sorely missing and is not based on Torah.
The Torah describes how to approach the goyim with whom we are at war. וקראת אליה לשלום. Start to work with them. All through generations, the greatest leaders of Klal Yisroel had connections for the governments. The idea that Yidden should sit back and accept abuse and attribute that to some label of Bitachon is simply blasphemous, besides completely ridiculous.
The media is reporting this week that Rav Chaim Kanievsky shlit”a responded to the question about whether a Yid should come to shul with a gun. He okayed it. Do these commenters think they can get away with suggesting that Rav Chaim lacks Bitachon?
Of course any measures we take require Syatta Dishmaya (just like anything else we do). And our tefilos are similarly indicated. But our hishtadlus must be there and be reasonable.
Why is this a chillel Hashem? Did R’ meir shapiro Zt”l not fight for jews in the polish sjem? what did he say that is wrong? Or are you suggesting that jews are supposed to quietly walk away in shame? Then prove it! I believe that yes, we are in galus, and that means we keep low-profile. But that doesnt mean we dont engage in the normal Orach Arah of the world. Mr. Yeger spoke dicisively and respectfully. he did no wrong.
Shame on those who think Gallus makes it ok to be hatred and tossed into the centre of media hate and return of Nazism…..sorry, Hashem wins and wake up and fight back
since this is not duplicate I can only assume that above comments are a ruse
@ all of the commentators who keep screaming that “we need to stay shtill because this is galus”: Throughout history there has been a concept of shtadlanus, where Yidden from across the spectrum of the Jewish community of their times- whether the gvir, the town Rav, or someone connected with the authorities- would try and make things better for unzere. The Gedolei Hador gathered together to meet the Czar; the Abarbanel met with the Spanish monarchy; the Gemara mentions a number of Tanaim who met with various rulers, etc. There’s ZERO chiyuv to lie and be a punching bag without trying to improve things. Yes, it’s galus, and we have to constantly remember that, but there’s nothing wrong with trying to live in SAFETY- because that’s the crux of the current situation, and what everyone is busy with.
Well said, our yeshiva students are the finest members of society…even our emotionally disturbed are better taken care of…never would u see one of ours carry out such a grotesque attack as mentally ill as they can be.
Thank you Mr. Yager
Shame on all the misguided comments above. Perhaps many over here like to shut down yeshivas too. Shame on you too!
Cory Johnson himself is an antisemite.
There were 4 people who voted against a bill for security money for yeshivas.
2 (Former member Rosie Mendez, and the current Finance Chair Daniel Dromm) signed a letter stating that their reasoning was because yeshivas teach “homophobia”.
The other two were Barron, and Johnson
While homosexual Cory Johnson didn’t sign, it’s obvious what his reasons were.
Mr. Yeger is one of the “You.” He is a Democrat, he is part of the problem. As long as it suited him he kept quiet. Why didn’t he call out his colleagues years ago? None of these accusations are based on recent events, antisemitism in politics is not a new phenomena. All he’s doing is jumping on the bandwagon to get traction with his constituents. Quite honestly, I find his rhetoric hypocritical and self serving.
hml you are wrong for several reasons 1)just because he is part of the democratic party doesn’t mean he agrees with all that the democrats stand for he’s not liberal plus 94 percent of the assembly is democratic 2)are you really going to call a frum jew an anti-semite just because he didn’t address it before now doesn’t mean it is self-serving 3)a little anti-Semitism is to be expected but it hasn’t reached this level of attacks and vandalism then you address it