By Richard Tedesco
An ad on the back page of last week's Herald posed the question, "Should the Lawrence Public School Be Run By An Orthodox Majority?"
The ad, placed by public-school advocacy candidates Pam Greenbaum, Maribel Cancelliere and Andrew Levey, prompted a torrent of reaction among community members who considered it anti-Semitic. The grass-roots group Advocates for Lawrence Public Schools paid for the ad, but inadvertently omitted a line indicating the source, according to an ALPS spokesman.
A group of 10 rabbis representing as many synagogues in the Five Towns issued a joint statement calling for "mutual respect" among the candidates. "Injecting religious labels in this campaign is unacceptable and does a disservice to our entire community," the statement read. "We strongly urge all members of our community to concentrate their efforts on behalf of the education and well-being of all our children."
Joel Levy, New York regional director of the Jewish Anti-Defamation League, said the ads fell into the "trap of stereotyping" all Jews or Orthodox Jews by suggesting a uniformity of thought on the issues. "What is so bothersome is that you have Jews attacking other Jews," Levy added. "It's an election about the school system in the town. It should be about what to do with the school system."
Dr. David Sussman, part of the team of candidates perceived to be private-school advocates, offered another interpretation of the ads. "The Orthodox aren't ethical, is what this ad says," Sussman said.
The candidates advocating the restoration of a District 15 school board with a majority of public-school advocates argued that the angry reaction to the use of the term "Orthodox" in the ALPS ads is a political ploy. "It's like playing the race card," said Greenbaum. "It's OK for them to use it when it's good for them. But when somebody else uses it, it's not OK."
Asked to comment on the suggestion that the ads were anti-Semitic, Levey said, "I don't think it's racist. I don't think it's anti-Semitic. I didn't make the rules. I'm just playing by them."
Both candidates contended that a full-page anti-Greenbaum ad that also appeared in the Herald last week was paid for by the Orthodox Union, a national Jewish organization. The ad is attributed to a group called "Concerned Parents of District 15."
Titled "Why it's time for Pam Greenbaum to go," the ad was paid for by a man named Jerry Lewis, who said he was formerly associated with the Orthodox Union but has not been active in the organization for several years. Asked who the Concerned Parents of District 15 represented, he replied, "That's not important."
Reacting to the Concerned Parents ad, Bruce Scher, president of ALPs said, "Nobody takes responsibility for the ad. It's like putting a bag over somebody's head and bullying them."
Addressing the ALPs ads, Scher, a member of Temple Beth El, said "Orthodox" was being used in a political context. "This is not a religious issue," he said. "They play the religious card. They do that very effectively with everybody."
State and local politicians criticized what they perceived to be the injection of religion into a political campaign. "When you run for office, whether it's the presidency of the U.S., the state Senate or the school board, it should be about issues," said Sen. Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre). "Certainly there's no place in elections to bring up religion."
Nassau County Legislator Jeff Toback (D-Oceanside) said, "Intolerance is intolerable. Focus on the district's children is fundamental."
"Broad references to the Orthodox Jews as part of this discourse is very disturbing and completely inappropriate," said County Executive Thomas Suozzi.
Comment? Contact RTedesco@liherald.com or call (516) 569-4000, ext. 204.
