Andrew Yang on Jewish Issues

Writing in The Forward, New York mayoral candidate (and former Democratic presidential candidate) Andrew Yang has explained his identification with the city's Jewish community. The story of Jewish immigration and success resonates deeply with him, said Yang, very movingly,

My parents immigrated from Taiwan, where my dad grew up with dirt floors on a peanut farm. I’m so proud they made it here, and that I have had opportunities my parents once thought weren’t possible for their children. American Jews showed families like mine the possibilities that existed here.

Yang risked the ire of the left wing of his own party and enraged Palestinian activists, by aggressively condemning the BDS (boycott, sanctions, divestment) movement against Israel:

A Yang administration will push back against the BDS movement, which singles out Israel for unfair economic punishment. Not only is BDS rooted in antisemitic thought and history, hearkening to fascist boycotts of Jewish businesses, it’s also a direct shot at New York City’s economy. Strong ties with Israel are essential for a global city such as ours, which boasts the highest Jewish population in the world outside of Israel. Our economy is struggling, and we should be looking for ways to bring back small businesses, not stop commerce.

In my view, it was a poor idea to compare the BDS movement to the Nazi-era boycotts (even though some similarities are recognized in the Jewish community), because that only creates an unnecessary distraction. Boycotting Israel is wrong and discriminatory today, without regard to what happened in the 1930s.

Even so, Yang's short essay in The Forward was surely welcome among Jewish New Yorkers, many of whom may have been alarmed by his earlier stand against "routine infant circumcision." He explained his position regarding religious circumcision (making only one small slip):

And of course, as mayor, I’ll respect religious freedom. It’s a central reason why so many immigrated to this country in the first place. I will not get in the way of anyone’s right to circumcise their children and maintain the traditions of their faith. I have and always will attend friends’ brissim to celebrate this important religious milestone in the life of their new children.

Yang can be forgiven for thinking that bris (or brit) is a masculine noun, and therefore using the masculine plural. But in fact, it is a feminine noun, and the plural should be brisot (or britot in modern Hebrew). It was a simple mistake for him to make (if he is the one who made it). But The Forward editors? Now that is a shandeh in a publication that began as a Yiddish newspaper in 1897.

[Note: A shorter, unfinished version of this post accidentally appeared for a few hours last night and early this morning.]

Comments

[PaulB]

All this tells us is that Yang is smart enough, like De Blasio and unlike AOC, to limit his comments about Jews and Israel if you're going to run for office in New York City. A couple new congressmen from the New York area ran on platforms that were highly critical of Israel but then said they opposed BDS. Sounds like that's more than sufficient for the secular/Reform wing of American Jewry.