Latest news with #Hasidic
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mike Parietti gains 3,000+ signatures to run for Rockland County executive in November
NEW CITY - Rockland voters will likely get a competitive election for county executive on Nov. 4. Michael Parietti of Ramapo said in a Facebook post that he has filed more than 3,000 signatures on a petition to gain a ballot spot as an independent candidate against County Executive Ed Day, who is running for a fourth, four-year term. His line is called "Good Gov," according to the Rockland Board of Elections, confirming Parietti filed his petitions on May 27. The minimum number of signatures is 1,500. Unless Day's campaign offers reasons to knock off more than half of Parietti's signatures, the Ramapo resident will make the ballot. The Democratic Party line will be blank since no candidate collected the minimum number of signatures. Parietti said he's giving thousands of Rockland voters a choice. His agenda can be found on his campaign website. "If not for my candidacy, Day would face no opponent, and the voters would hear no debate on the many pressing issues we face in this pivotal election for the future of Rockland County," Parietti said. Time will tell if Parietti's petitions withstand scrutiny, Day said on Friday, June 6. Petitions can be challenged before the Rockland Board of Elections on whether election laws have been met. Board of Elections Commissioner Patricia Giblin said two people have filed objections to Parietti's petitions. "Each and every candidate for elective office submits petitions to the Board of Elections to satisfy numerical and legal requirements," Day said. "Ours has passed muster. If and when Mr. Parietti can say the same thing, we will have further comment." Day has said he will crisscross the county and spread the word on his record after nearly 12 years in office, specifically his fiscal record and rebuilding the county infrastructure. Day said his record includes working with the Legislature to dig the county out of a $138 million deficit hole when he took office in January 2014. A retired NYPD commander and a former Clarkstown civic leader, Day served on the Legislature before winning the county executive office in November 2013. He won the election overwhelmingly in his last two campaigns, getting 73% of the vote four years ago. He has the GOP and Conservative Party lines in November. "It's not just what we have done, it's where we have to go," Day has said. "Fiscal issues are continuous. Every day is a challenge." Parietti, a West Point Military Academy graduate, noted that Day broke his promise of serving two terms. Parietti has run unsuccessfully for elected offices over the years, including Ramapo supervisor in 2013 and 2015, Ramapo Town Board in 2007, Legislature in 2011 and 2019, and Congress in 2020. A Preserve Ramapo leader, Parietti has voiced opposition to the influence the predominantly Ramapo Hasidic bloc's vote has on elected officials. He challenged the Legislature's redistricting plan in court, arguing the plan signed by Day gave the Hasidic community too much power and influence on the governing body at the expense of non-Hasidic residents, including people of color. A state Appellate Division panel rejected Parietti's arguments in 2023. His website says he's not running to build a political career but to rebuild trust in local government. "This may be our last best chance to hold a public referendum on Rockland's future," Parietti said. "I believe we can't afford to let this opportunity pass us by." Steve Lieberman covers government, breaking news, courts, police, and investigations. Reach him at slieberm@ Twitter: @lohudlegal Read more articles and bio. Our local coverage is only possible with support from our readers. This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Mike Parietti gears up for independent Rockland County executive bid
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Union critical of Israel targets Monsey Hasidic community with anti-Lawler ads
A new campaign is targeting Hasidic and Orthodox Jewish voters in Monsey, N.Y., with ads calling on voters to contact Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) to oppose proposals cutting Medicaid funding. But the group behind those ads has its own checkered history with Jewish community issues. The ads, which are running both in Yiddish and English in local Jewishcommunity publications, direct viewers to a website to send a form email to their lawmakers, identifying themself as a member of the Jewish community and opposing cuts to Medicaid programs as particularly harmful to local Jewish communities. Republicans have said such cuts are likely as part of the upcoming budget reconciliation bill. The campaign largely targets Lawler, who represents many of the Hasidic communities in Rockland County and has been fending off accusations from Democrats and liberal groups that he is backing cuts to Medicaid. He has pledged that he will 'never cast a vote that takes Medicaid away from eligible recipients who rely on this vital program,' but instead wants to crack down on fraud within the program. One of the groups behind those advertisements, healthcare union 1199SEIU, has a history of anti-Israel activism. In December 2023, the group called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, while also condemning the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks and calling for the unconditional release of hostages. It suggested both Israel and Hamas had committed war crimes. In October 2024, the group called for an arms embargo on Israel, saying, 'the Netanyahu government has used the October 7 atrocities to justify inexcusable destruction and killing in Gaza, creating an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe in the region.' It also condemned Israeli operations in Lebanon, while also accusing both Israel and Hezbollah of war crimes. The national SEIU umbrella organization has criticized crackdowns on antisemitic activity on college campuses. In their individual capacity, 1199SEIU staff and members have signed on to statements accusing Israel of genocide and supporting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement targeting Israel. Some leaders inside the national SEIU organization expressed support for Hamas. A Lawler spokesperson suggested that it's hypocritical for the group to attempt to appeal to the Jewish community given its history of Israel criticism. We strongly condemn SEIU1199 for targeting Hasidic and Orthodox Jewish voters in Rockland with blatantly false ads,' a Lawler spokesperson said in a statement. 'The irony of SEIU1199 attempting to appeal to Jewish voters while having a history of supporting the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, supporting pro-Hamas encampments on our universities, and pushing for an arms embargo on Israel is comical. SEIU1199 should immediately retract these advertisements and issue an apology.' 1199SEIU did not respond to a request for comment.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Letters to the Editor: Possible approval of church-run schools to be publicly funded opens a 'Pandora's box'
To the editor: If the Supreme Court justices decide to override the Establishment Clause of the 1st Amendment of the Constitution, the question then becomes: Which church will run the schools? Or temple, mosque, gurdwara, wat or basadi ('Supreme Court may allow church-run, publicly funded charter schools across the nation,' April 30)? The founding fathers wisely did not establish a state religion because history shows us the limitations and divisiveness that arise when politics and religion are mixed together. And now the Supreme Court wants to violate their wishes and open up a Pandora's box of religion into our public schools. Bob Hoffman, Long Beach.. To the editor: So the Catholic majority on the Supreme Court appears to favor public funding of religious charter schools. I just can't wait to hear how they are going to react when Hasidic schools apply for funding their Torah-based studies with minimal traditional academic classes. And I'm sure they will welcome madrasas as well. Beware of what you wish for, SCOTUS. Barbara Rosen, Fullerton .. To the editor: If the conservatives on the Supreme Court give the OK for tax-exempt churches to have us taxpayers pay for religious schools, does that mean that the law could be changed and all churches can now be taxed? Shouldn't be able to have it both ways. Fred Mandel, Encino .. To the editor: Why is the Supreme Court even considering the funding of religious charter schools with taxpayer dollars? We should be promoting and funding science and math schools to compete with China and other nations. Will religious studies develop new medicines and cure cancer, improve agriculture production to feed the poor or save the planet from climate change? Larry Naritomi, Monterey Park This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Letters to the Editor: Possible approval of church-run schools to be publicly funded opens a ‘Pandora's box'
To the editor: If the Supreme Court justices decide to override the Establishment Clause of the 1st Amendment of the Constitution, the question then becomes: Which church will run the schools? Or temple, mosque, gurdwara, wat or basadi ('Supreme Court may allow church-run, publicly funded charter schools across the nation,' April 30)? The founding fathers wisely did not establish a state religion because history shows us the limitations and divisiveness that arise when politics and religion are mixed together. And now the Supreme Court wants to violate their wishes and open up a Pandora's box of religion into our public schools. Bob Hoffman, Long Beach.. To the editor: So the Catholic majority on the Supreme Court appears to favor public funding of religious charter schools. I just can't wait to hear how they are going to react when Hasidic schools apply for funding their Torah-based studies with minimal traditional academic classes. And I'm sure they will welcome madrasas as well. Beware of what you wish for, SCOTUS. Barbara Rosen, Fullerton .. To the editor: If the conservatives on the Supreme Court give the OK for tax-exempt churches to have us taxpayers pay for religious schools, does that mean that the law could be changed and all churches can now be taxed? Shouldn't be able to have it both ways. Fred Mandel, Encino .. To the editor: Why is the Supreme Court even considering the funding of religious charter schools with taxpayer dollars? We should be promoting and funding science and math schools to compete with China and other nations. Will religious studies develop new medicines and cure cancer, improve agriculture production to feed the poor or save the planet from climate change? Larry Naritomi, Monterey Park
New York Times
01-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
New York May Weaken Its Oversight Over Religious Schools
New York lawmakers are considering a deal that would dramatically weaken their oversight over religious schools, potentially a major victory for the state's Hasidic Jewish community. The proposal, which could become part of a state budget deal, has raised profound concern among education experts, including the state education commissioner, Betty Rosa, who said in an interview that such changes amount to a 'travesty' for children who attend religious schools that do not offer a basic secular education. 'We would be truly compromising the future of these young people,' by weakening the law, Ms. Rosa said. 'As the architect of education in this system, how could I possibly support that decision,' she added. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday announced a $254 billion budget agreement but acknowledged many of the particulars are still being hashed out. Behind the scenes, a major sticking point appears to be whether the governor and the Legislature will agree to the changes on private school oversight, according to several people with direct knowledge of the negotiations, which may include a delay in any potential consequences for private schools that receive enormous sums of taxpayer dollars but sometimes flout state education law by not offering basic education in English or math. The state is also considering lowering the standards that a school would have to meet in order to demonstrate that it is following the law. Though the potential changes in state education law would technically apply to all private schools, they are chiefly relevant to Hasidic schools, which largely conduct religious lessons in Yiddish and Hebrew in their all-boys schools, known as yeshivas. The potential deal is the result of years of lobbying by Hasidic leaders and their political representatives. Legislative leaders acknowledged that changes to the educational standard were being considered but declined to provide any additional detail. Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the Senate majority leader, said on Tuesday that conversations on the topic were 'ongoing' and that she was unsure what would be in the final budget legislation. A spokesman for Governor Hochul declined to comment. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said that an outline of a deal was 'on the table' when asked about it earlier this week. The effort has been led by Simcha Felder, who recently represented a swath of Brooklyn in the State Senate before being elected to the City Council, and Simcha Eichenstein, who represents a similar area in the Assembly. The Hasidic community has long seen government oversight of their schools as an existential threat, and it has emerged as their top political issue in recent years. It has taken on fresh urgency in recent months, as the state education department, led by Ms. Rosa, has moved for the first time to enforce the law, after years of deliberation and delay. The department has announced plans to close six Hasidic yeshivas it has said are not complying with the state law, in some cases because the schools refused to meet with state education officials to discuss improvement plans. That move, by far the strongest action New York has taken to crack down on schools it says are breaking the law, amounts a worst-case scenario for Hasidic leaders. There is little dispute, even among Hasidic leaders, that many yeshivas across the lower Hudson Valley and parts of Brooklyn are failing to provide an adequate secular education. Some religious leaders have boasted about their refusal to comply with the law and have barred families from having English books in their homes. Mayor Eric Adams's administration, which has been closely aligned with the Hasidic community, found in 2023 that 18 Brooklyn yeshivas were not complying with state law, a finding that was backed up by state education officials. A 2022 New York Times investigation found that scores of all-boys yeshivas collected about $1 billion in government funding over a four-year period but failed to provide a basic education, and that teachers in some of the schools used corporal punishment. It is clear why Hasidic leaders, who are deeply skeptical of any government oversight, would want to weaken and delay consequences for the schools they help run. It is less obvious why elected officials would concede to those demands during this particular budget season. There is widespread speculation in Albany that Ms. Hochul, facing what may be a tough re-election fight next year, is hoping to curry favor from Hasidic officials, who could improve her chances with an endorsement. The Hasidic community tends to vote as a bloc in order to influence low-turnout local elections, and some legislators have suggested that religious leaders might endorse specific candidates if their allies in the Legislature agreed to weaken the law. Hasidic voters are increasingly conservative and tend to favor Republicans in general election contests. That could benefit Ms. Hochul's potential Republican challengers in next year's race, Representative Mike Lawler, who is strongly allied with the Hasidic community that makes up a considerable portion of his Hudson Valley district, and Representative Elise Stefanik, a key Trump ally, even if Ms. Hochul offers a concession on yeshivas. A potential Democratic challenger, Representative Ritchie Torres of the Bronx, has made an aggressive effort to court Jewish voters. As the budget negotiations have reached their final, frenzied phase, some members have raised concerns about the education law change that their leadership is pressuring them to accept, and said they have not yet seen these proposals in bill form. News of the potential deal reached Michael A. Rebell, a prominent education lawyer, who wrote in an email to one of the governor's top education officials earlier this week that he would consider suing the state if the law was weakened. 'If this secret, behind-the-scenes deal is, in fact, accepted by the governor, we are going to have to challenge it publicly,' Mr. Rebell wrote in the email, obtained by The Times. 'And we will also consider bringing a constitutional litigation to oppose it.' New York's state education law related to private schools, which is known as the substantial equivalency law, has been on the books for more than a century. It was an obscure, uncontroversial rule up until a few years ago, when graduates of Hasidic yeshivas who said they were denied a basic education filed a complaint with the state, claiming that their education left them unprepared to navigate the secular world and find decent jobs.
