Jews in NYC are SHOCKED!

Zoran Meani just got elected as the frontr runner of the Democratic party in New York City for mayor and this is extremely extremely distressing and I brought on here Rabbi Simmon Jacobson to enlighten us what does this mean for jewelry in New York City which is the largest Jewish community outside of Israel. Okay, thank you for having me, Barl. And it's always an honor to be with you. So, I live in New York City. Let's just make that clear. So, I'm not talking from a distance. I'm right here at ground zero, center of things. Um, you said it's extremely extremely distressing. I would say to some, not to all of us, I don't find it distressing. I find it troublesome. But keep in mind, I speak as a Jew right now. A Jew that is a son of Jews that have been on this earth almost for 4,000 years, starting with Arainu, Abraham. And despite all odds, here we still are long after all the elected officials from Nimrod to Pharaoh all the way down to Nvader to Saddam Hussein to Hitler, you name it. we've survived them all. So though uh we always want to have a candidate that represents our cause, meaning pro-Israel, pro-Jewish, pro- our values, an individual like this has been labeled as an anti-semite, anti-Israel, supporting our enemies, refuses to call the the October 7th um an atrocity. um calls Israel as being the perpetrator. So, of course, that's not someone would like to be an elected official, but I just have to step back as a coming again as a Jew, as a student of the Reb. You know, God runs the world and we will survive it all. I don't know whether he'll become elected as mayor, but I see it as a few things. Number one, a wakeup call. You know, sometimes it's good to know who who's out there, who's voting for whom. I'd rather know that there are protesters that are anti-Israel on the campuses rather than keeping it secret. So maybe this is has that positive side that we at least know who our enemies are and what they stand for. Um, and maybe it'll be a wakeup call for people who don't recognize that we have threats around us. you know, just as October 7th was a wakeup call, just as Israel just as u did its operation in Iran recognizing what Iran is standing for. So though I'm not happy with per se him being nominated um for the Democratic party, but I think we have to step back and look at the bigger picture and definitely not be afraid. We have been protected by God and we still have to use our political clout and everything we can to get the officials we want. But I I think it's not good to ring our hands and just say, "Oh, you know what? We're victims to the latest uh this latest election." Just as we have people in the Senate and in other bodies of government that are not pro-Israel, I have to also say, you know, I'm good friends with President Javar Malay of Argentina who's extremely pro-Israel and pro-Jewish. And maybe this is important to know the contrast. That's my first reaction. Is it time for Jews in New York to start looking for a different home? As I mentioned, I'm a student and a dedicated student of the labb. I grew up in Crown Heights when when there was the urbanization and as you probably know the civil rights movement that changed the complexion of all downtown cities, you know, New York, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland. And the white people ran to the suburbs or other places. And the Reb refused to leave Crown Heights even though Brownsville and their surrounding areas were falling and turning into slums. and he stood his ground and said, "We're not going anywhere." He said the same thing to the Jewish community in South Africa when they were under threat. And of course to Israel itself, you know, Israel today is a strong country, but many people, it's 50, 60 years ago, six day war said, "We have to run. So we're not runners. We're not going anywhere. We will deal with what we have. If somebody wants to leave New York for other reasons, whatever it's their livelihoods or they want to move to Israel, by all means, but we don't run out of fear. And I have to add this, you know, or Miami. Or Miami or Miami. Yeah. Um um my parents were Russianborn. They came from Russia after World War II. Even in the former Soviet Union, we did not just run. It came a point where it was simply not tolerable to live there. And of course, we know Nazi Europe was similar. But I would not embrace an approach of let's run because who knows who's going to become the elected official and that's just simply not a we we can't be victims like that. We can't live in fear and and retreat. We have to stand our ground and do what we have to do. I also want to I want to just maybe contextualize it. The idea of the stark terms, us versus them, is something that I think we're not living in that world any longer. I know they're anti-semmites, don't get me wrong. I lock my doors. I'm prudent. I'm practical. I don't think I'm naive. But I think we have to understand we're not living in a world where where I went through 1991 the summer there was a program in Crown Heights when Yakov Yankl Rosenbomb was killed. Cold-blooded murder. So I've seen it with my own eyes. But I think we also for ourselves and for our children, we can't be living in this fear. Of course, when missiles are shooting at us, you go into a shelter, you protect yourself. But overall, I think we have to be proud. We're proud Jews and proud New Yorkers and do our part. And um and listen, maybe it's a good time to rally and try to get the right candidate to win the mayoral election. It's not things are not doom and gloom despite what happened. So, I mentioned this to you before our live recording that I feel that this election of this mayor, God forbid, if he gets into power, is a big middle finger to the Jewish community of New York. Meaning, what did he really run on this guy? What is his platform? His platform is ridiculous. He wants to make groceries run by the government and just crazy socialistic uh pretextes. And this person, I think that his main quality that people liked about him was his anti-Jewish, anti-Israel sentiment. And I feel that this is a big middle finger to the Jewish community from local New Yorkers. And that hurts knowing that that was, you know, these are your neighbors, your friends, your employers, your employees, your your mailman, um your waiters, your waitresses, your whatever it is, and how do you as a New Yorker hold your head high knowing that your neighbor voted for this? Okay. Um I believe 43% I think if I saw the numbers correctly, 43% of the population of New York voted for him. You could see what regions. So I I I I always think in these terms, not just how I feel about it, but what am I going to do about it? Because you know, it's always it comes down to actions. I could be angry, resentful, look at my neighbors with more suspicion. But as Jews, I think we have to always ask, what are we going to do about it? Mhm. So, so let's say this. I'd like interested to me to know how many of those 43% were Jewish. How many Jewish supporters does he have? That would be even more painful, right? They they say 30% of Jews voted for him, which I have a hard time believing, by the way. No, at the ex at the exit polls, they don't ask you, "Are you Jewish?" Do you know what I mean? So, I have a hard time I have a hard time believing that. Okay, it's possible because remember New York always votes liberal, always votes Democratic no matter what, at least for the last few decades. So here, so here's my thing. Even if I I'm upset at people voting that way, um I step back and I say to myself, okay, what do we do about this? So there's a few things. Uh Jewish New Yorkers are quite powerful. They're wealthy. Um maybe they have to mobilize and figure out what are responses. maybe stand maybe unite behind a candidate that supports Jewish interests or in general interests that are not that left-wing and that liberal and that radical. You see, but when you say they, okay, we always want they to do it, you whether you admit it or not or realize it or not are an extremely influential person in New York. I happen to be an influential person in New York based on my social media. And the question is is what when you say what are we going to do about it? It's you and I and the other people that hold influence whether it's in their social media or whether it's in their money or whether it's in their whatever they're we are collectively responsible to do this. So the question is what are we going to not they because okay good point. Well taken. I got it. The point's well taken. I was speaking about they. I meant we actually. Okay. But I meant they I meant to say the collective Jewish population in New York. So look, that's why we're on this program right now because you encourage me. I think it's timely. I think it's important to speak up and I hope every every Jew, every decent human being for that matter, especially every New Yorker listens to this. So let's talk. we um we're using this platform right now to talk about it very openly. I am suggesting not just to ignore it as if it's some meaningless event. I just think to myself that number one, we should not be driven by fear or by retreat or by escaping. On the contrary, we should mobilize ourselves which means everyone who this bothers and should be talking to each other. uh whether it's people of wealth, of other influence, whether it's communication influence, whether it's thought leaders and so on and say, you know, we can't be complacent. Look what happens when you get complacent. 43% is not even half of the city. and Einstein is the Democratic party, but maybe we have to make sure that everybody comes out to the general election and stand behind a candidate united so we don't splinter uh the the vote, a candidate that fits what we feel a New York deserves. And when I say New York, I don't just mean for Jews. I mean for all New Yorkers that the world deserves. New York is a central city, one of the biggest cities in the world, if not the biggest in influence. and use and again not to be apathetic or complacent. That's number one. Number two, maybe we have to start asking ourselves why are 30% of Jews voting this way if that number indeed is correct. Interesting. Why are Jews marching against Israel on campuses? What have we done wrong? What's the education that we're giving? You know, I understand Israel is not a perfect country. Neither am I. Neither are you. Nobody's perfect. But there are certain value system and maybe this is just a tremendous indicator. I mentioned before a wakeup call of what are our children? I just was speaking to a woman who's crying on the phone that both her daughters are pro Palestinian, anti-Israel. She said, "What did I do wrong?" I was always a pro-Israel, pro-Jewish. And so we started speaking and she told me, she said, "I never really gave my children a Jewish education. Their Jewish identity was all about anti-semitism. It was not about pride." So yeah and they got influenced by professors or by whatever ideologies that are prevalent you know social media etc. So there are many things that we look at. It's a critical point. I'd like to quote my monities. He says when something happens, he talks about a catastrophe, a tragedy. When something happens that is uh in the world that is troublesome, it would be insensitive for us to ignore it and just say it's random, just happened. We have to wake up. We have to soularch introspection. So to me, that's what it comes down to. things that we can do both directly or indirectly. Directly obviously political influence, financial influence, PR, you know, there's a big information war going out there as you know and I feel that's what you and I are both on that in that side of the battle because people are being uh brainwashed. There's a lot of propaganda. I speak to people I see it's ignorance. It's ignorance that and being misled by very deliberately in a very um insiduous way by our enemies, PR, uh all kinds of propaganda. So that we can make a list of items and I think it's definitely a good opportunity. That's why we're speaking literally the election was just yesterday, last night essentially, uh to to to begin to stop reacting but becoming proactive. Mhm. So, plan A is rally around a candidate. I happen to like Mayor Adams. Um, rally around the candidate. Great. Plan B, God forbid. Spit hits the fan. Okay. And this guy, Yamak Shimo, gets elected. What then? Look, um, remember every elected official is not a dictator. There is a there's a city council. There are other forces at work. You know, sometimes we're in the opposition, the minority. You have to do what you have to do then and rally behind those that can oppose any policies that he implements that would be destructive or negative. Um he has four