Republican nominee’s ally draws outrage with remarks about Jews, gay marriage

 https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/21/ciattarelli-new-jersey-jewish-lgbtq-00617399

Jack Ciattarelli affirmed his support of same-sex marriage and the Jewish community, but did not condemn the comments.

An unpaid adviser to the Republican nominee for governor of New Jersey advocated for a ban on same-sex marriage and insisted he personally isn’t “taking money from Jews.”

Ibrar Nadeem, the Muslim relations adviser to Jack Ciattarelli, hosted an event Saturday where he delivered a wide-ranging, 20-minute speech that included a call to ban same-sex marriage. Toward the end of his remarks, Nadeem, who is Muslim, said that people in his community accuse him of “taking money from Jews,” to which he replied: “I check my bank account every day, brother, it is not there.”

Ciattarelli has sought to garner support among the Jewish community throughout the race, including by visiting Israel. The Vaad — an influential group of leaders of the Orthodox Jewish community in Lakewood and nearby towns that backed Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy in 2021 — is reportedly poised to endorse Ciattarelli.