The city’s battle against Orthodox Jewish retail shops that require
“modesty’’ of their customers should go to trial, an administrative
judge has ruled.
Both sides have been fighting for months over signs that Satmar shops
in Williamsburg put in their windows saying, “Entrance here only for
those with modest attire. No Shorts, No Barefoot, No Sleeveless, NO Low
Cut Neckline ALLOWED IN THIS STORE.”
The city argues that the signs are discriminatory against women,
non-Jews and the non-religious by making them feel uncomfortable and
unwelcome in the Lee Avenue stores.
“The whole key is, ‘How does that sign make someone feel? How would a
person feel looking at that sign and [about] whether he or she is
welcome in that store?’ ” Clifford Mulqueen, of the city’s Commission on
Human Rights, said to The Post.
But the shops say the signs are geared toward both sexes — and don’t
single out anyone any differently than a posh eatery that requires a
coat and tie.
“Frankly, it’s very troubling that the commission thinks it’s OK for
the Four Seasons restaurant to impose a dress code but not a bakery
owned by a Hasidic businessman,’’ said lawyer Jay Lefkowitz.
The trial will consist of a two-day hearing in administrative court in January, officials said.
(NY Post)
And What Does Bill De Blasio And Joe Lohta have to say on this issue???
Ezra And Quinn in Williamsburg (where the stores in question are)
Quinn said she supported the city Human Rights Commission’s opposition
to signs requiring modest dress by women in shops in Orthodox
neighborhoods because, in her view, it places a burden on women that
does not apply to men. By contrast, she said, formal dress codes in
restaurants are applied uniformly to both genders. “If you had a
restaurant that required women to wear formal attire and men could wear
shorts and T-shirts that would be a problem.”
(Jewish Week)
This is despite the fact Rasmussen poll shows 64% of American are in favor the right of businesses to set dress codes
Sign Quinn YMS "thinks" are "discriminatory"
In towns all over the country, business owners, town officials and even
judges are setting new dress code rules. A Tennessee judge has set conservative guidelines for female lawyers in the courtroom; banks in a Florida town have banned hats, hoods and sunglasses in an attempt to thwart robberies, and a New Jersey shore town has banned overly saggy pants on its boardwalk.
Most American Adults (64%) agree that business owners should be allowed
to establish dress codes for people who enter their facility, according
to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Just 23% disagree.
Thirteen percent (13%) are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(rasmussen poll)
Aroniem (Satmar) rally behind Daniel Squadron who was a key vote for toevah marriage and a lead sponsor behind the bathroom bill.
Both United States Senators from New York, Senators Chuck Schumer
and
Kirsten Gillibrand, have voiced their support for the bill, as did New
York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman who voted for it when he was in
the senate!
The Sponsor of the bill, Williamsburg State Senator Daniels Squadron recently sent out a press release urging immediate passage of this evil bill!
Daniel Squadron took over the role of sponsoring this bill after for the gay Thomas Duane retired
If every single Orthodox Jews in
Williamsburg, and the Lower East Side would have allied together and
voted for the same candidate based on "Toras Hashem" and not "kesef yane
es hakol" they very likley would have put a yorai shomiyiem in the
state senate instead of this low life. It's even possible that toevah
"marriage" never would have passed (it passed by 2 votes and based on
the inside Albany politics they "needed to pass it by 2 votes) Instead Daniel Squadron is now A?the? leading candidate for NYC public advocate! Send a message that the Torah is not for sale by voting against him this year in the primary!
We urge Every single Orthodox Jew in NY to call the state legislators to prevent the passage of this evil bill!
for the remainder of this post all those politicians who acted problematically that have a decent sized Orthodox population in
their district will be highlighted yellow, those that have a sizable
Orthodox community will be highlighted green, "orthodox"politicians are in blue.
The bill:
S195-2013: Prohibits "discrimination" based on gender identity or
expression and includes offenses regarding gender identity or expression
under the hate crimes statute
24 1. The opportunity to obtain employment without discrimination because
25 of age, race, creed, color, national origin, sexual orientation, GENDER 26 IDENTITY OR EXPRESSION, military status, sex, marital status, or disa-
27 bility, is hereby recognized as and declared to be a civil right.
This
means that Seforim Store in Flatbush, or a Pizza store in Borough Park,
or a Sheitel store in Williamsburg, will be forced to hire a man who
dresses as a woman and could not fire someone who decides to "change"
from a man to a woman.
30 (a) It shall be an unlawful discriminatory practice for any person,
31 being the owner, lessee, proprietor, manager, superintendent, agent or
32 employee of any place of public accommodation, resort or amusement,
33 because of the race, creed, color, national origin, sexual orientation,
34 GENDER IDENTITY OR EXPRESSION, military status, sex, [or] disability or
35 marital status of any person, directly or indirectly, to refuse, with-
36 hold from or deny to such person any of the accommodations, advantages,
37 facilities or privileges thereof, including the extension of credit, or,
38 directly or indirectly, to publish, circulate, issue, display, post or
39 mail any written or printed communication, notice or advertisement, to
40 the effect that any of the accommodations, advantages, facilities and
41 privileges of any such place shall be refused, withheld from or denied
42 to any person on account of race, creed, color, national origin, sexual
43 orientation, GENDER IDENTITY OR EXPRESSION, military status, sex, [or]
44 disability or marital status, or that the patronage or custom thereat of
45 any person of or purporting to be of any particular race, creed, color,
46 national origin, sexual orientation, GENDER IDENTITY OR EXPRESSION,
47 military status, sex or marital status, or having a disability is unwel-
48 come, objectionable or not acceptable, desired or solicited.
public accommodation includes locker rooms, dorm rooms, and bathrooms.
This
means that you have to allow men dressed as women into any bathroom he
chooses. Besides just the basic moral problems this is almost
guaranteed to increase rapes and pedophiles. Since woman are much less
likely to be a pedophile or to rape someone, if a man who was dressed as
a woman would enter a woman's bathroom where there are no witnesses it
would be easier to get away with the crime.
Even one of the main LGBT organizations
in NY admits that bill will lead to boys using girls bathrooms! "gender
identity" means the "gender" you feel like regardless of what sex you
are.
Furthermore even one of the most read gay blogs queerty admitted that this bill will allow boys in to girls bathrooms
The New York State Senate’s Judiciary Committee today voted down GENDA,
Sen. Tom Duane’s bill that would’ve made all public accommodations —
including restrooms, health clubs, dorm rooms, and even shelters — open
to individuals who identify as a certain gender, even if their
biological sex doesn’t match the facilities’ mandates, allowing a MTF
transgender person to use the lady’s toilet or find refuge at a
women-only domestic violence shelter. The bill was defeated by one
lawmaker in a 11-12 vote. Among those voting no: Sen. Ruben Diaz, the
proud homophobe who helped defeat the state’s gay marriage law. Diaz, who talks publicly about his two gay brothers,
was the only Democrat to vote against GENDA; Sen. George Maziarz, a
Republican, previously said he would support the bill but voted against
it.
the Conservative Party released this statement in 2010 on this bill
"If this bill is enacted, how safe will our most vulnerable be? Will
sexual predators be able to stalk victims by claiming they are allowed
to enter the restroom because they are protected by law? Proponents of
the bill say they are the ones being discriminated against, but what
about the rights of the majority of New Yorkers who expect restrooms to
accommodate their sex only?" they say.
"Many larger public places offer unisex facilities at the present
time, if this law is enacted, the cost to business could be prohibitive
and if small businesses cannot provide for unisex restrooms, trial
lawyers will ultimately put them out of business," the party's statement
continues. "The majority of people do not want the opposite sex in
their restrooms, no matter how they are dressed or feel about their
bodies. People using public restrooms have a right to privacy that
enactment of this proposal would erode."
Notice that Steven Cymbrowitz voted no even though in past years he was a sponsor
this is because Cymbrowitz just ran a very close race against a Orthodox Jew "Ben Akselrod" who ran a campaign based on Torah values where he only won by 294 votes.
This shows us that we can effect politicians votes if we vote based on the Torah!
______________________________________________________________________________
Proof we can defeat this bill
In 2010 this bill was defeated by 1 vote despite the fact that the democrats controled the senate because democratic senator Ruben Diaz held strong in the vote in the Judiciary Committee despite the democrat establishments pressure on him to vote for that bill. It is almost guaranteed this evil bill would have passed if it went to the whole floor. for more info about the vote
S2406-2009 Votesthe highlights here are based on the time of the vote
2 years ago many rabbis banned Vosizneias for many official reasons ranging from malay tuma, to rechilus to bizyon talmidi chachamiem. While it clear that those issuriem do exist on VIN; It also clear that those issues exist even more on Yeshiva World News, especially in Dov Gordon's pieces (David Greenfield).
However Shimon Weiser Williamsburg ("askan" and member of the Williamsburg community board) the architect of the ban on VIN on a recently revealed interview said he had no problem with YWN.
Shimon Gifter: Yeshiva World, are you happy with Yeshiva World?
Shimon Weiser: Yeshiva World is 100% they don't touch this kind of stuff. their a "clean site", a "kosher site", a "erliche site", and if there is any concern there is somebody to talk to you can email.
Just for the record Yeshiva World News was notified about the clarification letter that the rabanniem in question wrote, and the audio testimony from Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky and Rav Yisroel Neuman that they signed the issur against voting for Lew Fidler when they supported David Storobin.
There were reports at the time of the ban that VIN was banned (the askaniem's reason not the rabbaniem's) because it reported on former Assemblyman and Brooklyn Democratic Chairman Vito Lopez's sexual harassment case . The UJO (United Jewish Organazations Of Williamsburg) (run by the Satmar Zalmoniem) strongly support Vito Lopez and all his candidate no matter how bad they are
A post on The Five Towns Jewish Times, attributed to the American Israel
Press Service, alleged that the ban was the work of members of the
Satmar community associated with Brooklyn politician Vito Lopez and that
the signers of the ban didn’t really know what they were signing.
Matzav, in response, defended the signers...
The post on the Five Towns Jewish Times site was taken down as well. Larry Gordon, its publisher, did not respond to comments...
However, Weiser stressed that the ban had nothing to do with
specifically featuring sexual abuse cases on the site, or with Vito
Lopez. “It’s a vicious lie to say such a stupid thing that there was an
agenda,” he said. “We showed the rabbonim. I have a whole list of
articles going back a whole year. [The gedolim] were shocked that a
yiddish website with a frum name should be poisoning the minds of the
young, old, and the bochurim.” Weiser said that he and several others had given a warning to the
owners of the site about their content in January 2010, well before
Lopez was associated with the scandals.
(Jewish Star)
Now Shimon Weiser is now supporting the pro toeivah Vito Lopez for city council even thoughLopez voted for gay marriage 5 times and 7 times for a bill that led to teachers asking 11 year old girls to kiss each other!
Simon Weiser, a member of Community Board 1 and an organizer in the
Williamsburg Hasidic community, said Lopez should be judged on his
decades-long record of helping Brooklyn communities.
“For such a politician with rich accomplishments to his life,
creating housing and educating the poor, to see him go down like this,
it bothers me,” said Weiser.
(Brooklyn Daily)
VIN ban psak
This is not meant as a attack on all these rabbaniem, many of which probably only saw the wrong things on VIN with out knowing that they were really being used to support it competitor Yeshiva World News which was much worse. I also have to point out that while I agree 100% with most of the complaints against VIN, however the "psak" is wrong about politicians part.
it's a mitzva gedola to attack politicians (who do wrong things) in a democracy, so jews don't vote for them in the future. AIN TOELES GADOL MI ZU
"discriminatory" sign that Michael Bloomberg is against!
Is City Hall about to take action against the dress codes at Manhattan’s top-flight restaurants?
Of course not. And that only underscores the hypocrisy that all too often animates this administration.
Because the city is going after Hasidic-owned store-owners who ask their patrons to dress modestly.
The
city’s Commission on Human Rights has cited seven small stores in the
Hasidic section of Williamsburg for discrimination. Their offense?
Posting signs that read: “No Shorts, No Barefoot, No Sleeveless, No Low
Cut Necklines Allowed in the Store.” Which is no different than
restaurants requiring men to wear a jacket and tie — or a pizzeria
posting a sign reading “No shirt, no shoes, no service.”
The city disagrees, and is suing the shops. Cliff Mulqueen, the
commission’s general counsel, explained to The Jewish Week that while
“dress codes are OK . . . telling someone they have to abide by certain
rules of the Jewish faith crosses the line into [establishing] a
protected class.”
But again, that’s not what the signs say. And the city hasn’t found a single person refused service because of his attire.
Here’s
the operative distinction: Anyone turned away from these stores for his
or her dress can change clothes and be admitted. Anyone denied service
because of his or her race, religion or gender can’t do that.
The
commission took action after The Post first reported the signs last
July. At the time, a top official of the city Law Department said the
signs appeared to be OK.
The good news is that the case has now
attracted the attention and support of a top law firm, Kirkland &
Ellis, which is representing the shop-owners pro bono. Notably, the firm
is citing important First Amendment religious-liberty issues.
The
city would do us all a favor if it limited its authorities to fighting
genuine discrimination under the law — not inventing it where it doesn’t
exist.
(New York Post)
Brooklyn,
NY - A dozen mezuzahs were burned in a Williamsburg apartment building
this afternoon in a "possible" anti-Semitic hate crime on Holocaust
Remembrance Day, police said.
The NYPD’s Hate Crimes Unit was investigating after 10 to 12 mezuzahs
were discovered burned at 85 Taylor St., in the Taylor-Wythe Houses, on Monday at
about 4:45 p.m., police said.
The fire was limited to the mezuzas according to Williamsburg Shomrim coordinator Yanky Itzkowitz. “The doors and the frames are both metal so they didn’t catch fire,”
Itzkowitz told VIN News. Itzkowitz estimated the building to be
eighteen floors high.
here are the comments of different politicians commenting on this travesty.
“Nothing but hatred can explain why someone would burn mezuzahs on Yom
Hashoah, the day we remember the six million Jews killed during the
Holocaust. This is a sickening act of prejudice that strikes at the very
core of who we are as a city. Make no mistake: we will find those
responsible. I thank the NYPD Hate Crimes Taskforce and Deputy Inspector
Mark DiPaolo of the 90th Precinct for their quick response and ongoing
investigation.
cleans up a melted Mezuzah
For the second consecutive day, vandals have struck
Williamsburg with another mezuza burning incident just around the corner
from the site where eleven mezuzas were desecrated yesterday.
To date only one mezuza burning has been reported today, this one at
an apartment on the thirteenth floor of 130 Clymer Street, which is also
located in the Taylor Wythe housing project. Today’s attack follows on
the heels of a press conference this afternoon where several elected
officials, including City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, City
Councilman Stephen Levin, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz,
Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, Assemblyman Joe Lentol,
Congressman Nydia Vasquez and State Senator Daniel Squadron all
condemned yesterday’s attack as a hate crime, as previously reported on
VIN News.
According to Yanky Itzkowitz, coordinator of the Williamsburg Shomrim
patrol, the apartment was occupied at the time the incident occurred,
which destroyed the mezuza and burned the doorframe of the apartment.
“So far the police have not identified any suspects and are knocking
on doors looking for any information,” Itzkowitz told VIN News. “They
are doing whatever they can to apprehend the perpetrators.”
Both buildings where the attacks took place have surveillance cameras
and according to reports on Metro.us, one camera recorded footage of a
dark skinned male approximately thirty years old and carrying a Razor
scooter, who appeared to be lighting a match in the elevator. Cameras
showed the man leaving the building via a stairwell approximately twenty
minutes later.
New York City Comptroller John C. Liu issued the following statement in response to today’s incident.
“For the second day in a row, a hate crime has targeted
Williamsburg,” Comptroller John C. Liu said. “This outrageous vandalism
of Jewish homes cannot be tolerated and deserves swift justice.”
Council Member Stephen Levin said “This brazen attack of religious desecration occurs on a day
important not only to the Jewish community, but to everyone who has read
a history book, If we have learned
anything it is that acts of hate cannot be tolerated. That is why
elected leaders and members of the community are joining together to
send a message that Williamsburg will not tolerate hate; Brooklyn will
not tolerate hate; and New York City will not tolerate hate.”
“I am outraged by reports that nearly one dozen mazuzahs were
desecrated this afternoon in a residential Brooklyn building,” said
Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer. “This heinous and cowardly
act comes on the day we vow to never forget the six million Jews who
perished in the Holocaust. As I have said too many times before, hate
crimes must not and will not be tolerated in the most diverse City in
the world.”
Rabbi Niederman of United Jewish Organizations of Williamsburg (UJO)
said, “This was not only a crime against the individuals whose religious
property was destroyed, but this was a biased crime designed to incite
racial and religious division. This was a crime against the entire
community.”
Mayoral candidate Erick Salgado in released statement said "My heartfelt thoughts go out to my neighbors in Williamsburg who were traumatized by this cowardly, hateful act."
He further added "I will be very public in urging our District Attorneys to seek the maximum penalties and for judges to hand down tough sentences for these types of crimes. New York City’s strength comes from the diversity of its many communities. We have to honor, celebrate and protect that diversity."
Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s tips hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS.
