Rabbonim Issue Letter: It Is Forbidden to Fund, Support or Vote for Weprin

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weprin-rabbonim-letter-small[Letter below.] A group of Flatbush rabbonim have signed a letter stating that it is forbidden to vote or campaign for Democrat David Weprin in the race to replace Queens Rep. Anthony Weiner. Weprin is a New York State assemblyman and formerly a member of the New York City Council where he served as chairman of its finance committee.

Weprin, an Orthodox Jew, has sparked the ire of much of the frum community because of his vote in favor of same-gender marriage. He has defended the vote publicly.

“It has nothing to do with my personal religious beliefs. I am not running for Rosh Yeshiva,” said Weprin, as reported earlier today here on Matzav.com.

“Weprin’s claim that he is Orthodox makes the chillul Hashem even greater,” states the letter signed by the Flatbush rabbonim. The letter states that it is therefore “[forbidden according to Torah law] to vote for, campaign for, fund or otherwise support the campaign of NY State Assemblyman David Weprin.”

The letter contains several non-Flatbush signatories, most notably Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky and Rav Simcha Bunim Cohen.

Many are upset about Mr. Weprin’s vote earlier this year in Albany to legalize same gender marriage in New York state, and particularly that Mr. Weprin cited his Orthodox Jewish faith as a reason to vote for the bill.

The district that Weprin and his opponent, Republican Bob Turner, are vying for covers parts of Queens and Brooklyn and has a 3-to-1 Democratic registration advantage.

The rabbonim who signed the letter include: Rav Yisroel Belsky, Rav Yisroel P. Gornish, Rav Simcha Bunim Cohen, Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky, Rav Avrohom Yaakov Nelkenbaum, Rav Hershel Zolty, Rav Grainom Lazewnik, Rav Eliyahu Brog, Rav Chaim Benoliel, Rav Max Maslaton, Rav Yaakov Yisroel Rubin, Rav Shlomo Stern, Rav Yosef Eisen, Rav Yitzchok M. Landau, Rav Rahamim Harary, Rav Chaim Krauss, Rav Yosef Leifer, Rav Shmuel Friedler, Rav Mechel Rosenbaum, Rav Pinchos M. Twerky, and another dozen or so rabbonim.

Click here to view the letter and then click on the image to magnify it.

{Shmiel Gellman-Matzav.com Newscenter}


83 COMMENTS

  1. In his June 15 speech, Weprin said his own Orthodox rabbi would not marry a Jew and a non-Jew, which he felt was wrong – and that same gender marriage was no different.

    how can anyone endorse him?

  2. Countries that agree to same gender marriage legislation are cutting their own spiritual throat. David Weprin is also trying to have a bit each way by saying he is orthodox whilst at the same time supporting such laws.

  3. We don’t need a letter to know that one should NOT endorse a person claiming to be an orthodox Jew while approving same gender marriage.

  4. Why is this the most important issue for our community? I am not saying he is the best candidate but why is this the deciding issue?

  5. We enjoy all of the benefits of separation of church and state–let’s continue to support such an important policy in all of its applications.

  6. Whatever you think about Weprin, he has a right to a political opinion outside of his religious beliefs

    not that I support same gender marriage, chas v’shalom. I just think that people need to be careful on the pressure exerted on the country to be a religiously-dominated entity because it can lead to terrible things for the Jewish People.

  7. Comment from Anonymous
    Time September 8, 2011 at 5:06 PM

    “we must be mefarseim this letter”

    The language of this board is English – not not yeshivish.

    How difficult would it have been for you to have used the word “publish” instead of your illiterate and ungrammatical “be mefarseim”?

    I speak ???? ???? at home, but I communicate with the rest of the world in the national language, which happens to be English.

  8. Also, to all those who are saying he pretends to be an Orthodox Jew, I know him personally (not that I am voting for him, but thats for other reasons) and I can assure you he is an active member of his shul and that he is frum.

  9. Thank You Matzav for bringing this important letter to our attention, And for making a kidddus Hashem of the highest level, to show that the Am Hashem know’s that this is 100% AGINST the torah!!!! Vote turner.

  10. At times one wonder what was accomplished with our long and cumbersome Diaspora, as unfortunately the levels of unity are the same at the onset of our present Galus.

    Achdus appears to be a far off reality/ a distant dream.

  11. this is the best thing that could have happened to boost weprin’s campaign. it focuses on what most people consider to be a plus for him
    those are the facts folks.

  12. we need to get the signatures of all th other rabonim and we need a campaig to get people out to the polls
    i am afraid people will be shluffing

  13. The vote is on September 13th in the affected districts. Whatever you decide, PLEASE vote. It’s so important to have a strong Jewish presence at the polls.

  14. Where was everyone when it was time to call the State Senate and State Assembly back in June? This is way too late. It’s not my district but I want to see everyone out there voting. I vote every election, and I often take my kids with me.

    Why does Ed Koch care about defeating David Weprin?

    I’d love to know the real story but the whole thing feels like a setup.

    Meanwhile, vote.

  15. 40 plus at least 3 more signed that missed the deadline for printing
    the 2 Rabbaniem mentioned earlier and Rav Jamal (not sure how to spell his name) in flatbush

  16. Hello peoples……David Weprin is a mentshlech person. He is a nice guy and h tries to please everybody. But his Liberalism overides all else. He is a Liberal Democrat [Modern] Orthodox Jew! In that order.

    Both Sheldon Silver & David Weprin voted for Toayvah marriage. The difference is Sheldon Silver kept his mouth shut while David Weprin made a stupid speech of how “as an Orthodox Jew” he is supporting this issue.

    This will be a very difficult decision to make on Tuesday, September 12th but after weighing all the facts and considering all the issues I will be supporting BOB TURNER for Congress.

    I hope the Frum oilom will vote on Tuesday and vote correctly.

  17. based on some of the comments, there appear to be MANY people who consider themselves chareidim [Matzav does present itself as a chareidi website, does it not?], but don’t understand one of the fundamental concepts thereof: emunas chachomim.

    This doesn’t mean, necessarily, don’t question. It does mean, follow the instructions, and hopefully try to understand and learn from them. Unless you are enough of a gadol to be a bar plugtah of the chachomim involved [knowledgeable and competent enough to disagree, for those who might not understand what bar plugtah means, as in #23]. Or unless you have a gadol that you follow that gives you contrary instructions.

    As far as “sitting this one out”, it appears that doing so would violate the instructions of this letter.

  18. To #26

    A Jew is NOT Frum when C”V he votes to legalize SSM and says that it’s wrong that his Rabbi wouldn’t preside over an intermarriage or an SSM.

    A Jew is NOT Frum when C”V he participates in a Toeivah-pride parade and poses for a picture with a man who’s wearing a dress.

    All of these actions are a Chillul Hashem.

    Orthodoxy is a “package deal,” which encompasses both private and public life.

    If Mr. Weprin cannot be consistent in the observance of Yiddishkeit, as Orthodoxy requires, then he should either:

    1) Remove his Yamulka while he is performing his public office and claim to be OTHER than an Orthodox Jew; or

    2) Not run for public office.

  19. Turner’s lasting contribution to the world is the moral degradation of scoeity know as the “jerry Springer Show” he is most definitely NOT a viable alternative to a frum yid who has done so much for klal yisrael. (despite one vote that seems to bother some peopel)

  20. “how many total signatures are there. I need an exact number. Very important.”

    Why do you ask? Are you so busy (or so lazy) that you cannot be bothered to read the letter for yourself?

  21. 25. Comment from Confused
    Time September 8, 2011 at 7:42 PM

    Are we not going to vote for Sheldon silver now ?

    ____

    Don’t you have the seichel or the intellect to make your own mind up, Confused #25? Or do you have to be told how to do everything – from negel wasser to shema?

  22. #49: Being frum should have nothing to do with politics…. if it did, than the Muslims should have the right to kill us. Orthodoxy is a package deal which encompasses both private and public personal life, but doesn’t encompass political life. The purpose of groups like Agudas Yisrael is to lobby to make sure that there is a bit so frumkeit in the politics, but it is ethically wrong to say that he should force his religious beliefs on others. Weprin is an Orthodox Jew. Maybe he is an am ha’aretz, but who said that it is mutar to distribute all of this Lashon Hara about him because of that? Isn’t that a far worse aveirah than standing up for political freedom? Again, chas v’shalom that I support SSM, but it is not right to infringe that on other people.

  23. It’s a shame that I live just a couple of blocks outside the district, I would proudly go out and vote for Turner, Weprin is a Shanda to Yiddishkeit.
    If I lived in Silver’s district I would vote against him too.

  24. For all those who have mentioned Shelly Silver, he is not running this year, nor is he running for a seat in the House of Representatives. Weprin is running now so they have to speak out now against him. Just because the Jewish Press think he should be elected doesn’t mean we have to vote for him. I think it is also a problem that he does not even live in the district he wants to represent.

  25. Do you want non-Jewish elected officials in NY to start banning circumcision? In America, we expect our legislators to represent the whole electorate.

  26. shonda? turner is the shonda. he created the SHMUTZ called the jerry springer show. that a y self respecting yid would choose that over a good jew who has done so much for us like weprin is the only shonda here

  27. Rav Miller ZT”L always spoke harshly angist supporting librels in politics. And heald that it is assur to vote for any politian who supports the haschasha agenda! And it would be a big averia to vote for reshaim.

  28. 59 please take your meds jerry springer is not on cable but regular tv turner was involved with cable tv as for welprin he voted for same gender marriage openly then bragged about it as a constitutional issue sorry no good
    this is an issue of morality something we want to see in our elected officials we want to see OUR representative vote in our interest welprin has stated he will back obama do we need that as americans and as jews sorry no

  29. #52 When a Jew who claims to be Orthodox says and does the things in public that Mr. Weprin did, that is committing a Chillul Hashem.

    Speaking out against a public Chillul Hashem is NOT Loshon Hora.

  30. this comment was on a Youtube video of Weprin’s “I’m a Orthodox Jew” speach

    “See? If 2 men are both orthodox Jews, there is no reason they should not be married. The 2 men can become one flesh, just exactly like it says in the book of Genesis. They are exactly the same as husband and wife! Thank you!?
    DainBramaged00 2 hours ago”

  31. DainBramaged00 forgot that the verse in Genesis says, “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his WIFE (a woman), and they shall be one flesh.”

    This verse is after the verse which tells about the creation of Chava, a WOMAN, out of Adam’s rib.

  32. “Weprin single hadedly got the city to drop investigating the metzizah bpeh issue. he is a tzadik!”

    and Haman was more better for Klal Yisroail then all the nevieim does that make him a tzadik.

  33. I find it sad to see single issue voting being at play in the Orthodox community, I’ve always respected Orthodox Jews for placing a high value on intellectual discourse. This type of single-issue voting flushes that all away. And now that Republican you’ve elected will do all he can to defeat the presidents policies. Us people outside NYC are suffering due to the gridlock in DC. I think people in NYC have benefitted from progressive representation in government for so long that they don’t know what a true horror these GOP politicians bring.

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