Can you wear a yamulke safely in New York?
Can you wear a yamulke safely in New York?

Many of you saw my recent interview on L’Chayim on JBS. You can see it at the end of this article.

I was challenged to answer the question if my family members were afraid to wear yarmulkes on the streets of New York,  I said that anti-Semitism is alive and growing in both political parties in New York.

True, the Democrat Party has been openly more anti-Semitic and anti-Israel, but as I have been reporting for months, it’s growing in the NY Republican Party too.

That saddens me, it’s not at all President Donald Trump’s personal feelings or policies.  It sickens me that Jews are the only minority group not to increase their support for his re-election, despite all he has done for Israel. From Asians to Hispanics, and record high support from the African-American community, so many are donating time, money and support in record numbers.

It also saddens me that so many Jews choose to defend elected officials who make angry statements, but do nothing.  They sit by and watch the New York City School system leadership openly spur hate. Every single day, Jews are brutally attacked and it’s getting worse, not better.

The hate on the left is obvious.  AOC, Omar, Tlaib, and many of the Democratic presidential candidates speak against Israel with one issue or another, and the list goes on.

President Trump is not anti-Semitic, he is not anti-Israel. But, he can’t control every single supporter’s views.  While most within the Republican Party are pro-Israel and support Jewish concerns, a few rotten apples in New York are distasteful.  It’s bad enough when rogue, loudmouths without any political clout spur Jewish hate, it’s their right to free speech and I have been exposing them for over one year. 

However, what happened in Rockland County last week was frightening.

A video shared by the Rockland County GOP  warned of a "takeover" of the county by the Hassidic Jewish community.  Worse, the Rockland County Republican Party Chairman Lawrence Garvey said the party's complaints were not a religious issue, and while forced to suspend sharing the video, defended what he considered facts in it. 

In a tweet, the Republican Jewish Coalition wrote, “This video is absolutely despicable. It is pure anti-Semitism … .  The Rockland County Republican Party is an embarrassment and has no place associating itself with our party.”

The Rockland County GOP incident gave opportunities to people like Leticia James and Andrew Cuomo to speak up like heroes, which they aren’t.  Their policies include Linda Sarsour’s influence in our education system. They befriend Al Sharpton and Charles Barron.

Today in New York, we have three clubs in Queens befriending the Lyndon LaRouche PAC and Schiller Institute.  A Manhattan GOP Club is run by a president who boasted about consulting a Neo-Nazi party in Europe. The two leaders of the Young Republican club in New York City are managing a youtube comedian who wears Nazi uniforms and thinks he is funny.  The comic is running for Congress.

Who helps them? Young Jews, of course.

And this is New York, home to Jews of all ages, backgrounds and religious affiliations.

We aren’t repeating pre-Holocaust times? Think again.

I received a letter from a survivor, a recent honoree of Yad Vashem Young Leadership, artist and author William Bernheim:

"Hi Ms. Grosz,

"I saw your interview with Rabbi Mark Golub and enjoyed it tremendously. 

"I agree with everything you said because it reminds me of the climate in Germany when Hitler came to power. The Jews in Germany were saying that this is only temporary and it will pass, but it clearly didn’t. American Jews need to be unafraid of rocking the boat. Antisemitism is alive and well today and we have to face it. 

"We are losing the battle— from the left and right."  

Let’s face it. We have everything against us, our assimilation, breakdown of the family system and homes with children - about 70 percent without fathers living in them, a generation or two of inaccuracies in teaching false history about Jews and Israel, ...

We must do better.  We must educate ourselves about what is going on around us, not just [learn] Torah.  We must register to vote. We must learn about local elected officials, who are the judges in local courts and how their verdicts reflect on life in your community?  Are they allowing Jew haters freedom and easy sentences for committing hate crimes? Who are the school boards assigning textbooks and curriculums? Who are your local town board members, assembly members, state senators and other politicians?  Go visit them, and wear yarmulkes, even if you aren’t religious. They need you. They need to see you. They need to hear your concerns, even before something bad happens.

We hear from New York leadership they don’t support BDS, yet many are not aware that in Brooklyn a market supports it many years and despite complaints from local Jews, nothing is mentioned about it in the press, even the Jewish media. Organizations have been notified about it, but so far their leadership has remained silent and avoided getting involved.

This November is not a major election year, but, regardless, go register and vote.  Your single ballot in a box does matter.  

Voter registration can also be processed here or here.. These sites are non-partisan and accept registrations from anyone qualified to vote, regardless of affiliation.

Learn what’s going on in other states as well.  At least twenty anti-Israel candidates have announced 2020 runs for Congress. all from the Democratic Party.  An outspoken,anti-Israel, Islamist Jew-hater was just named Florida Young Democrat of the year. Radha Mubarak is a CAIR operative.

Yes, that CAIR, that Melinda Katz in Queens co-sponsored an event with last year.  Why are the Jews of Queens overwhelmingly supporting her run for District Attorney without even meeting her opponent Joe Murray?  

So, for those who claim it’s safe to wear a yamulke or Jewish Star necklace in New York, think again. And if they are right, how long will that last?

Cindy Grosz is an Advisor for the National Diversity Coalition for Trump.  She created the National Jewish Voter Registration Drive. She is also the Long Island Chair for Jews Choose Trump. She is also a committeewoman for The Exodus Movement’s Nassau County chapter. She has been acknowledged as the Jewish Patriot Award recipient from the Queens County GOP and has received multiple Aishes Chayil awards from Jewish Organizations.  She will be co-hosting during the new season of The Jersey Joe Show, WOR710AM in NY, Sunday nights at 7PM, or anytime on iHeartRadio. You can reach her at [email protected] or on social media at @cindyscorners