After years that the Brooklyn Republican party was dug into a trench - mostly defending one State Senate district in the Bay Ridge area - it lately saw a renaissance of sorts and a chance to expand. It is clear that the Orthodox community - especially the grassroots movement within the community - played major role in the recent Turner and Storobin upsets, and they also contributed to Michael Grimm's victory. One would expect the borough's republican party to roll out a red carpet to Jewish operatives, in order to build on recent momentum, but a real insider is telling me that this is not the case. "Unfortunately the GOP in Brooklyn is not the home for Jews," he emailed me.
County Chairman Craig Eaton, other party activists and leaders, including Joseph Hayon - a Jewish assembly candidate who discusses openly his brush-ins with the county lay chair, Gene Berardelli, who is the target of most of the critics - strongly deny these allegations.
"I have worked extremely close with the Orthodox Community in the Turner and Storobin elections. And after each of these victories, in which the Brooklyn GOP played major roles, I have attempted to continue the relationships that were developed during the campaigns," Chairman Eaton wrote me. "Within the last few months, I have reached out to many respected members in the Orthodox Community and we have been discussing several individuals who might be able to serve in that capacity."
I received the first complaint, under the subject line "The Brooklyn GOP backstabs the Jews," from an anonymous tipster, who disguised him-self as the Flatbush Pundit. "It is simply easy for people to attack others anonymously without having to stand up and justify the statement or allegations that they make," Chairman Eaton observes correctly. I mentioned the first complaint only dismissively. But To my surprise, a real insider who is active in the republican circles and campaigns in South Brooklyn wrote me afterwards that, "unfortunately it is true... so its good it gets out there..." It's self-understood that he wouldn't go on the record, but I know him and he's a credible source. His complaints showed a real disenfranchisement of Jewish Republican operatives with the borough party.
I started to dig deeper, and had tens of email exchanges with party officials, campaigns and Jewish operatives, and found an issue that is simmering under the surface, but it's hard to pinpoint if it is a for real or perceived. One thing is clear, that this hampers the republican party's chances to grow in Brooklyn.
Few people are like Joseph Hayon, the republican candidate against Assemblywoman Helene Weinstein, who will put his conservative principals above anything else.
"I don't see why you are focused on the GOP's relationship to the Jews when the Democrats have already thrown the Jews under the bus," Hayon wrote me. "The Democrats... really want to turn America into the Greeks of Hanukkah. Almost every advocate that wants to ban circumcisions are Democrats, and Bloomberg, an LGBT friend, wants to ban metitza bapeh. Quinn wants Chick-Fil-A out of new York city, but every kosher restaurant in NYC opposes gay marriage, or gives money to rabbis that oppose gay marriage. You think Quinn doesn't want every kosher business closed? Didn't she say that such intolerance is not welcome in NYC? Does that not translate to all orthodox Jews are not welcome?"
Others, though, will be discouraged from staying involved in republican politics, and the party may squander a chance of a lifetime to turn around from its slump, started after Watergate.
Part of the complaints may have something to it, or they may be just a miscommunication. In either case, I think that airing it may benefit both sides, to better understand each other and maybe take corrective actions if necessary.
I will continue with the specific complaints and responses, when time permits.
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