Q:
What can we learn from the election of Elizabeth Holtzman (Democrat, House of Representatives and then District Attorney of Kings County, Brooklyn)?
A:
We can learn that the public is not aware of the necessity of protecting their interests. It’s important for the Orthodox public to finally wake up and protect their interests – the other public are beheimos; we can’t talk about them because they don’t understand the issues at all; they read the newspapers, they listen to the radio, and they are prisoners of television and they swallow all the propaganda that is fed to them and they vote for people who are harmful for their interests.
We have to take action and it is already a little late in the season – the Orthodox Jews have to wake up and realize they have to vote not for what somebody promises to give them some benefit, some handout, some small program or some privilege. I want to tell you that there are Jewish askanim, Orthodox askanim, who are supporting congressmen who are trying to undermine America. The congressman comes to the frum Orthodox askan and he offers him some privileges so he chaps, he seizes it. “Ah, my shtiebel will get special privileges, my rebbe will get special privileges, my yeshivah will get special privileges.” Meanwhile, he doesn’t care a hoot what’s going to happen to America. This congressman is undermining America! We have to vote not for a person who promises a handout, a benefit. We vote for the overall benefits to America because when America benefits, the Orthodox Jew is also going to benefit.
America today you have to know is in very great danger. And don’t say it’s something they always say. No, it’s not what they always say. Today there’s an adversarial attitude being taught in all the colleges; the youth are being taught to hate America, to hate authority, to hate police, to hate anything that’s established, to fight the establishment. What that means, they don’t even know what they’re talking about, but anything of authority they want to hate. We’re in great sakanah today because these wicked people studying on the college campuses, they’re going to be the judges and they’ll be the college professors in the years to come. We are going to reap a great whirlwind, chas v‘shalom, in the years to come. We’re in a great sakanah in America. Don’t think America is always going to be. America is at the crossroads and it’s up to us to help out as much as we can.
And therefore if we could get somebody in charge who is even a little bit conservative, who tries to stand up for the family, who tries to fight back against the destruction of moral values, that’s who we want. Even though we don’t believe him entirely – it’s election talk, it’s campaign talk – but if at least he talks the right kind of words, that’s the man that we have to vote for. It is very important to be aware of the issues and if you yourself are not fully competent, then you should consult the Torah leaders who know what is what.
TAPE # 385 (November 1981)
Rav Miller on Buying the Jewish Vote:
“Koch is breaking down America with gay rights and AIDS and a gay high school and The Gay and Lesbian Center. And Jews are voting for Koch. Jews are keeping him in power! Of course Koch gives them in return some benefits. And for that benefit, the askanim, the shtadlanim, the gabbaim, they bring him votes. Whole kehillas of frum Jews, whole congregations vote for these people who are breaking down everything we have!”
TAPE # 566 (June 1985)
