Orthodox Jews And The Importance Of Voting
When it comes to being successful in winning the day with elected officials on issues, voting and contributing to campaigns are the answers, according to a panel of experts talking about all things government at a recent Agudath Israel convention in Stamford, Connecticut.
Chaskel Bennett, an Agudath Israel board member, says “If we don’t vote, we don’t matter. Candidates who support our positions are candidates who will find our support financially and voting support.”
While Bennett says there are pitfalls to bloc voting (when one particular group, such as Orthodox Jews, votes in lockstep for the same candidate) Aron Wieder, the majority leader of the Rockland County Legislature says, “Bloc votes are better than split votes.” In fact, Wieder says he considered creating the “Bloc Vote party.”
Michael Fragin, a member of the S4 Group and a Republican village trustee in Lawrence, Nassau County, maintains that bloc voting is “a pejorative term that presupposes we don’t care about issues and we only care about cutting a deal politically. Nothing can be further from the truth for our community.”
When it comes to fundraising, Wieder maintains that it is “tops on the mind of politicians. Contributing to campaigns gets things done.”