New York Senator Makes Antisemitic Statement
In a sickening display of bigotry and hate towards Orthodox Jews, NYS Senator James Skoufis went on disgusting tear against all religious Jews in New York after a single Jewish person in Ramapo, Rockland County became infected with polio • Full Article
YWN
In a sickening display of bigotry and hate towards Orthodox Jews, NYS Senator James Skoufis went on disgusting tear against all religious Jews in New York after a single Jewish person in Ramapo, Rockland County became infected with polio.
In a statement, Skoufis said he is “calling on the Department of Health to… bring the full force of the law down on those who have skirted… [vaccine] requirements.”
“Some Ramapo yeshivas in Rockland County have a history of non-compliance with the state’s vaccine laws; proactive additional enforcement is required in light of today’s news,” Skoufis wrote.
The senator’s comments placing a bulls-eye on the back of every Jew in the state is made only more sickening by the fact that Skoufis expressed no sympathy, condemnation, or even comment after multiple Jews were attacked in recent days in Rockland County.
“There is no data to back the claim that mandated vaccination rates are worse among Orthodox Jews than in other places,” Yossi Gestetner, the co-founder of the Orthodox Jewish Public Affairs Council (OJPAC) told YWN in a statement. “However, even if it were true, it’s disgusting to release a statement that slams a whole community for the shortcomings of a few.”
“Besides,” Gestetner’s statement continues, “if there is an issue of under-vaccination, then a collaborative effort between government and community is needed – not an adversarial stance. Additionally, just days ago, multiple Orthodox Jews in Rockland County were pelted with projectiles by out-of-area teens. Mr. Skoufis didn’t sound off about it and he sure didn’t blame an entire community for it. It’s very possible that past inflammatory comments and content may have caused those older teens to think that it will be ‘fun’ to travel 15 minutes to attack Orthodox Jews.”
Skoufis has since deleted his statement, but the damage he has wrought – and his stance toward the Jewish community – has already been made clear.
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As a modern Orthodox Jew and a physician, I have been both dismayed and unsettled about the reluctance of many Orthodox Communities to embrace and adhere with vaccination recommendations. Polio is a preventable disease. An outbreak is a public health crisis.
I do not share your opinion that Skoufis’s comments were antisemitic. He is a frustrated politician trying to figure out why smart religious people control do dumb things.