By: Jared Evan
A Reconstructionist synagogue on the Upper West Side with the motto “Judaism that Stands for All,” is not living up to its promise, especially when it comes to Trump supporters.
The Society for the Advancement of Judaism has refused to rent its space to the Upper West Side Republican Club for an event that would have featured former Bill Clinton advisor and current Donald Trump supporter Dick Morris. The event was scheduled to be televised on C-SPAN in late October, according to The City.
While SAJ regularly rents space to schools and for private events, Board Chair Janet Brain and Rabbi Lauren Grabelle Herrmann said in a joint statement that the Club was no longer welcome, The City reported.
“Rabbi Lauren has been active champion of LGBTQ rights within and beyond the Jewish community, from her days as an intern at CBST, the world’s largest synagogue for LGBTQ individuals, family, and friends until today”, her bio reads on the synagogue’s website.
SAJ is more known to proliferate left wing causes, such as LGBT and woke “anti-racism” ideology, then teaching and practicing actual Judaism.
“We were happy to rent our space to the Upper West Side Republican Club for many years, consistent with the community’s commitment towards civility and dialogue,” the synagogue leaders said.
Reciting the standard mantra of the Democrat party and Trump adversaries’ representatives from the institution told the media:
“The climate in our country has changed since the 2020 election and January 6. We cannot abide by any speaker in our sacred space whose words amplify and broadcast the anti-democratic ideas of the … insurrectionists, or who condone or incite violence against our elected representatives,” said board chair Janet Brain and Rabbi Lauren Grabelle Herrmann in a statement.
SAJ claims violence was condoned, yet there is not a single elected official who condoned the January 6th riots.
Morris was scheduled to address the club in October and promote his new book, “The Return: Trump’s Big 2024 Comeback.”
Morris believes the election was stolen, which traditionally Americans were allowed to believe.
In recent history, millions of Democrats believed the 2000 election was stolen by President Bush, it in fact was a common mantra, and nobody castigated Democrats for believing this. Many believe the 2004 election was stolen, and obviously many Democrats believed Trump colluded with Russians in 2016.
In the more distant past, JFK’s victory in 1960 was clouded with accusations of voter fraud in Texas. Nobody was banned, blacklisted, or assailed as being anti- Democratic. It is obvious Trump and his supporter’s accusations of voter fraud is not unprecedented.
West Side Republican Club President Marcia Drezon-Tepler told THE CITY that people need to “leave Dick Morris’ name out of this” and accused the synagogue of putting out “misinformation.”
In a statement, Drezon-Tepler —told THE CITY that she was a lifelong Democrat who left the party because of what she said was the “antisemitism” of Democratic “Squad” Reps. Illan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tliab — said that “A Jewish institution more than others should realize what it means to marginalize any group, for that’s what the Nazis and others throughout the ages have done to the Jews.”
