Black and Jewish voters: a broken bond?
Sadly, this bond has frayed in recent years, and we fear that it will break.
Some in the Jewish community have chosen to rally around leaders who seem to put the Orthodox Jewish community’s needs ahead of those of the broader community or echo the fear-mongering rhetoric more often heard from right-wing Republicans. This is unacceptable. If our proud, resilient city is to overcome its many entrenched, systemic problems, we’ll need a foundation built on the ideal of justice and opportunity for all, rather than on narrow self-interest and fear.
It is notable that of the nine of Baltimore City’s 298 precincts that voted for Donald Trump,
Mr. Schleifer has ties to the developers who have pushed
These precincts are also the home base for Dalya Attar, one of the three Democratic nominees for state delegate from the 41st District. Ms. Attar’s mailers consisted largely of fear-mongering rhetoric. One postcard read “Dalya Attar is the key to stopping Crime, Gangs, and Murder Taking over Baltimore’s Streets” in giant type on one side and four tombstones on the other side above a promise that “Dalya Attar is not afraid to get tough on crime.”
If this sounds like classic Republican rhetoric, that should come as no surprise, since the person crafting Ms. Attar’s message, Chevy Fleischman Weiss, was the communications chair for the Maryland Republican Party for many years. On her
The success of Mr. Schleifer and Ms. Attar seems to be part of a concerted effort by Baltimore’s Orthodox Jewish community to exert its political power. Ms. Attar’s campaign slogan — “
There are four candidates vying for three slots as delegates representing the 41st District, Baltimore’s largest. In addition to Ms. Attar, the Democratic Party nominated Tony Bridges and Sandy Rosenberg. Drew Pate is a Green Party candidate who has endeavored to connect with residents in every neighborhood of the district and is running on a progressive platform emphasizing equitable distribution of resources throughout Baltimore.
We encourage all residents of the 41st District to reject isolationism, reject fear-mongering, and reject politicians who seek to divide us. Instead, let’s build bridges between our communities and work together toward a common vision of stronger, healthier, more equitable city. For, as Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”