October 29, 2009

It's not clear when it began, but if you were looking for a formal declaration, there's the editorial that appeared in The Monsey Advocate on November 8, 2007—two days after the general election in Ramapo. In that short piece, publisher Mendel Hoffman unequivocally identified every voter who supported Preserve Ramapo candidates as a dedicated anti-Semite. Hoffman wrote, "We now have to deal with over 10,000 people who sent a strong message: We don't want Jews to live and expand in Ramapo. It is not the housing, not the traffic, nor the water supply that concerns them! Their concern is our existence."

The exact number was 10,985 who voted for the Preserve Ramapo candidates, and here was the editor of the local paper in Monsey condemning them as people who hate Jews and who oppose their very existence in Ramapo.

Worse yet, Hoffman called on his readers to do something about this problem. "If we do not respond to this issue," he wrote, "it will just grow and get worse." His solution does not include dialogue and education. He, instead, calls the situation an ongoing war. "We might have won the battle (the election), but the war is far from over." And the solution will not come from the politicians. This is a situation he wants his readers to resolve. "How are we going to deal with that—or will we? It is not the politicians who got elected that will resolve this issue; WE must resolve this issue. It will not disappear with the victory speeches."

So what does the newspaper editor expect his readers, whom he has conscripted in the struggle, to do in this war? Actually, there is not a single concrete suggestion, which leads one to the conclusion that he simply wants the community to be aware of whom they should hate. And that would be every voter, every advocate of the political opposition--according to Hoffman, they're all anti-Semites.

The logic is not just flawed, it's hanging loose on a broken hinge. Republican party loyalists who voted for the Republican candidate opposing St. Lawrence? Anti-Semites! People who had issues with the man—St. Lawrence has often lied to the people, (on his first résumé he proudly listed a BA and MA from Harvard—he has neither), and for years he didn't pay his Town, School 0r Village taxes? Those who opposed St. Lawrence because of his lack of integrity? Anti-Semites! Environmentalists who oppose the new Master Plan? Anti-Semites!

The argument is worse than shoddy, it's disreputable. So why is Mendel Hoffman doing this? The answer likely can be found if you follow the political advantage, and that advantage leads directly back to the incumbent in Ramapo Town Hall. Why not polarize his bloc vote even more with this call to action. All of which leads to the not very surprising conclusion that Hoffman is a political operative who is using his tax exempt (supposedly non-political) property, the Advocate, to divide and politically conquer.

And where does that leave the public—within and outside of Monsey. It leaves them further divided, more antagonistic—and, metaphorically at least, at war with each other.

During the recent primary election with Bruce Levine, Veronica Boesch, and Rod Lustin running against St. Lawrence, Stein and Ullman, the hate rhetoric began to amp up. The Preserve Ramapo candidates were described as "dangerous activists executing an evil plan." Their goal was to "overcome or to humiliate us" by shutting down thousands of private residences. Their means—"the same poisonous doses we were forced to drink in the past." They will use "deadly force" so the "malevolence" will overcome our society. This time, the call to action was posted as two pashkavilim (posters) on the front doors of synagogues throughout Monsey on Monday night, before the election.

Translation of the Hebrew text (emphasis in bold, ours):

We are witness today of the accomplishments of our town, the product of all our leaders and sages who were the town’s founders, from all sects of the Jewish community. With gratitude to the al-mighty for all the holy institutions that are the town’s pride and glory, for all the homes filled with wealth, and young sons as ripe as young adults and daughters who are the future pillars of our (Chassidish) society and for all the thousands of the newlywed scholars, building homes faithful to the Chassidish tradition. The Al-mighty should continue to shower his mercy and grace upon our town until we merit the coming of the Messiah.

We shall never forget the poisonous doses we were forced to drink in the past, when our residences, our congregations and our institutions were treated with disdain. Remember when the political figures of the town (both Gentile and nonreligious Jew) treated us with these bitter doses?

Then, with the help of the Al-mighty, the righteous representative (Christopher St. Lawrence) took office and paid full attention and cared for our concerns and allowed us to move on with our plans and enabled us to expand, with the help of the Al-mighty so we multiplied in our town and our leaders were empowered and we grew to higher level.

In the coming days, our helpful representative (Christopher St. Lawrence) is running again as the candidate in the election for the Town of Ramapo.

Our dedicated community representatives who are doing everything only for the good of the community, recently presented us with the derogatory letters (against the supervisor of our town who we support). These dangerous activists proclaim, without any shame, that the Town should go back to the times when there was the limit of how much we can expand, and that shall never be!

Dear brethren, who should not fear? And who should not worry? If God forbid these adversary activists shall be successful in executing their evil plan or even one part of their plan, it will threaten our institutions. Some might even have to shut down and also thousands of the private tenants in our community (the Chassidic, Vizshnitz and New Square) could lose their tenancy (due to new draconian zone restrictions), although those tenants aren’t aware of the ramifications of these activists intentions. Who should know or assure us whether it will stop, if at all?

Wake up! Get involved! For the good of the Al-mighty, and our Chassidic community, for ourselves and the future generations. We shall never allow these evil activists to overcome or humiliate us. This is no time for rest, don’t dare be idle or stand quietly on the sidelines—band together to be our heroes.

We must make every effort to use our majority against the deadly force so this malevolence does not gain any influence. Our town is ours, till the Al-mighty will gather us from all four corners of the world with the coming of the Messiah.            [End of translation]

We have been told that the names of some of the rabbis on this posting are not there with the individual’s knowing consent.

If you consider the stated purpose of this message (elect St. Lawrence) and the means used toward that end, fear and hatred, it is a cyncial political manipulation of the worst kind. There is an almost historical dimension to the animosity tapped into in this document. That these were put up on houses of worship makes it even more reprehensible.

The author(s) did not sign the pashkavilim, but at the bottom of both is this:

"Friends of Christopher St. Lawrence" is the candidate’s official political committee that recently reported a cash fund of $474,632.93 to the New York Board of Elections. If this document was funded by St. Lawrence’s committee, there should be an investigation, if only for the hate speech contained therein. The legal problem of tax-exempt religious institutions getting politically involved in this way should also be given a look by the IRS.

Bruce Levine, St.Lawrence’s opponent, is characterized in these postings as the "dangerous activist executing an evil plan to overcome and humiliate" the religious community who attend the synagogue on which this message was posted. Bruce will administer the "same poisonous doses [they] were forced to drink in the past" because he is not beyond using "deadly force."

Bruce Levine is a decent and honorable man. Thoughtful and soft-spoken, the comparison in the posting is grotesque. He is also a religious man whose character is known to many in the Orthodox community. That these documents imply the Creator would want congregants to hate this man contradicts the fundamental message of the faith that built the institution on which these papers were plastered. Though the manner in which these postings defile the buildings might or might not be considered as criminal defacement, there is little question that they are blasphemous.

The principle of ethical reciprocity (the golden rule) is an underlying principle of all the great faiths. The sage Hillel wrote, "That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. That is the whole Torah; the rest is explanation." Rabbi Shneur Zalman says basically the same thing when he exhorted, "Repay your offenders with favors." Somehow the author(s) of this deceptive posting, which encourages hatred and divisiveness, missed those lessons.

Michael Castelluccio
www.PreserveRamapo.org

[Here is the full text of the Mendel Hoffman editorial from 11/08/07]