By Binyomin Feinberg, Contributor to The Jewish Press*
* The perspectives and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the ownership or management of The Jewish Press.
Parshas Noach, 5780
29 Oct. '19
Elections in Focus: Assisted Suicide supporters running for re-election in NJ:
Previously, the Jewish Press published a psak Halacha regarding Assisted Suicide legislation, including a statement relevant to elections:
"Thus, when voting for any public official, this issue must be considered as top priority, certainly overriding financial considerations, government programs, etc. By voting for people who support these laws, we become accountable for their actions. This ruling would still apply even if these laws were to be passed, we would still be forbidden to vote for legislators who voted for these laws. This is the most important way to fulfill our obligation."
Some of the rabbanim who signed the psak are Rabbis
Eliyahu Ben-Haim, Aaron Rakeffet-Rothkoff, Yitzchok Cohen (Yeshiva University), Shmuel Kamenetsky (Talmudical Academy of Philadelphia), Benjamin Yudin (Shomrei Torah, Fair Lawn, NJ), Steven Pruzansky (Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck), Simcha Bunim Cohen (Khal Ateres Yeshaya), Dovid Schustal (Bais Medrash Govoha), Avrohom Yaakov Nelkenbaum (Mirrer Yeshiva).
Legislators who represent Orthodox districts in NJ, and who voted for assisted suicide - and are thus included in the category of those candidates for whom it is forbidden to vote - include:
Lisa Swain, Christopher Tully (Bergenfield, Fair Lawn, Paramus);
Gordon Johnson, Valerie Vainieri Huttle (Englewood, Fort Lee, Teaneck, Tenafly);
Clinton Calabrese (Passaic):
Jamel Holley, Annette Quijano (Elizabeth, Union);
Louis Greenwald, Pamela Lampitt (Cherry Hill);
Mila Jasey, John McKeon (Livingston, Maplewood, West Orange);
Annette Chaparro, Raj Mukherji (Jersey City, Union City);
Angela McKnight (Jersey City, Bayonne).
After years of deceptive campaigning, Assisted Suicide passed in NJ a number of months ago, by a single vote in each house of the Legislature. Thus, technically, each and every legislator is responsible for its passage. By demonstrating what our values are, we help preserve them, especially in states where Assisted Suicide still poses a real and present danger, especially N.Y. By ignoring the Halacha, and voting for those who ostensibly throw government money at us to buy our votes, we not only perpetrate Chillul HaShem, but we aid and abet those who threaten the lives of some of our most vulnerable.
It should be mentioned that in that last vote, much of the Orthodox community was intentionally kept in the dark about the need to be extra vocal in our opposition to Assisted Suicide legislation in NJ. For example, one community leader, who had a detailed conversation with the lead activist of an Orthodox lobbying organization, had no idea of the need to reach out to a key legislator in his own district, even just a few hours before that fateful vote. That particular Assemblyman voted yes, technically providing the one vote needed to pass it in the Assembly, thus making it law.
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Part 2:
Educational "Crusader" running for D.A. in Rockland County:
In a high profile, three way race in Rockland County, NYS Supreme Court Judge Thomas Walsh, pro-LGBT, pro-abortion Assemblyman Kenneth Zebrowski, and Attorney Michael Dietrich are running for D.A.
Mr. Dietrich has made multiple public statements (on social and in print media) threatening to prosecute Orthodox Jewish individuals over our choices of how we educate our children. His posted statements, when objectively examined in context, would terrify any Biblically oriented parent, and deeply concern anyone concerned about safeguarding constitutional liberties - in the realms of religious, educational, and parental rights - from unconstitutional government intrusion, and, ultimately, from the unrelenting LGBTQ indoctrination agenda permeating public education nowadays.
Tellingly, he also calls for leaving one's religion out of the voting booth, as if voting on antireligious values is somehow preferable to voting on the basis of one's religious values.
He claims that the lack of secular education in many ultra Orthodox institutions would be prosecutable as endangerment of the welfare of a child. He singles out several large orthodox communities for critique, including Lakewood NJ. Meanwhile, indisputable harm to children is being perpetrated in his own backyard. For example, the NYC school system, as reported in this column not long ago, has been subjected to new Guidelines, in the form of draconian transgender policies. If he is concerned about child welfare, where is his concern over that, which is being promulgated with the blessing of the NYS Democratic Establishment?
He complains about indoctrination by Yeshivos that teach secular subjects in a manner consistent with the Torah, as if our religious values and perspective must be restricted to religious studies.
As AG Barr wisely noted recently, the problem Americans face is not religious indoctrination, but antireligious indoctrination, especially in the arena of Education.
The very focus, on the part of Mr. Dietrich and his ilk, on the prosecution of Yeshivas and Bais Yaakov girl schools - while ignoring the systemic pro-LGBTQ indoctrination of the public schools system - raises a red (or pink) flag.
It's crucial to clarify that, to an extent, the concerns Orthodox Jews have over outside influence over education extend to all segments of the Orthodox community (all of which would be branded "ultra-Orthodox by pro-immorality propagandists). Additionally, these threats to educational independence pose similar dangers to all children, particularly those in religious schools. Once religious schools are targeted for maintaining their educational independence, in this LGBTQ permeated societal milieu, no school, family, or child is safe.
Mr. Dietrich reveals his assimilationist missionary agenda darkly in another posted statement. He intones that if ultra-Orthodox students were educated on secular subjects and basic American values, he claims, we wouldn't be a separate community, as in Lakewood (and, we'd add: Monsey, Wesley Hills, and Flatbush...) - but rather "one unified community" in which "almost every child" would be in the Public School system.
Mazel Tov. And every child would be entitled to the opportunity to be compelled to restrain himself from using the restrooms all day, to avoid the transgender bathroom incidents currently victimizing NYC Public School inmates. And every child could partake of the spectacle of being educated by teachers who (at least pretend to be) unaware of basic anatomical distinctions defining male and female, and who genuflect to 67 genders of the Equality Rainbow culture. Furthermore, the children would be taught from textbooks celebrating same gender "marriage," recognition of which, Chazal exhort us in Beraishis Rabba 26:5/10 on Ber. 6:2, and in VaYikra Rabba on ViYikra 18:3, triggered the Great Flood detailed in this week's parsha.
These people not only are bereft of authority to address our religious needs, they don't even begin to speak as authorities on Education altogether, because they clearly have no idea of what it is.
