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Tea Party Butcher vs Democratic Minister for State Assembly

By Patrick Wall for the Brooklyn Daily Eagle

CROWN HEIGHTS — It’s butcher against minister in a Crown Heights state Assembly race that will test the Tea Party’s ties to the district’s Hasidic Jewish community.

On Tuesday, voters in the 43rd District will choose between Menachem Raitport, a Brooklyn Tea Party-backed butcher from the Hasidic community, and Democratic Assemblyman Karim Camara, a Baptist minister who was recently endorsed by local Jewish leaders.

“People are tired of what’s going on. They want a change,” said Raitport, 43, who is representing the Republican and Conservative parties on the ballot.

Raitport’s campaign was dealt a serious blow when the Crown Heights Political Action Committee (PAC), an influential group of business and civic leaders in the Jewish community, endorsed Camara.

“Mendy [a nickname for Menachem] is an A-one guy,” said Moshe Malamud, a founding member of the PAC. But, he added, “Karim has been our partner, our friend, our advocate since Day One.”

Rabbi Shea Hecht, co-chairman of the PAC, put it more bluntly. “Can Mendy Raitport do anything for us more than Mr. Camara? The answer is no.”

Raitport has lived in Crown Heights for 25 years, and has owned and operated his butcher shop, Crown Kosher, for the last 16 of them. A registered EMT, Raitport has been known to donate kosher meat to needy families and to let others buy on credit.

“For sure I’m voting for Mendy,” said Jack Safire, who lives down the street from Raitport’s shop. “He helps a lot of people.”

Though Raitport helps families during tough times, he’s against what he calls government “handouts.” “Government has made it so that people should rely on them,” Raitport said. “If they’re lazy, I’m sorry, I don’t have to pay for someone to sit on his laurels and collect a check.”

Though many in Crown Heights’s Hasidic community share Raitport’s regard for hard work, as well as his moral opposition to homosexuality and abortion, it’s also true that many local families depend on government services.

“A lot of people are struggling,” said Rabbi Eli Cohen, the executive director of the Crown Heights Jewish Community Council. “Therefore they’re not totally against having a government safety net.”

Cohen said that demands for government assistance have spiked in the area over the last few years.

“We’re at the bottom end of the economic scale,” said Rabbi Josef Spielman, who runs a food pantry from his home. He said he serves about 350 people on an average day. Large Orthodox families with parents who lack secular college degrees and children who attend religious schools are often the most needy, Spielman said.

Many of Crown Heights’ Jewish leaders see in Camara a seasoned politician who is attuned to their community’s needs — tax credits for parents with children in religious schools, housing support for large families — and has the connections and resources to address them.

“He understands how Albany works,” said Hecht. And, he added, “Philosophically, he’s 100 percent with us.”

“I’ve been one of those people who have forged strong relationships with the Jewish community,” said Camara, who sits on the Hebrew Language Academy Charter School’s board of directors.

While Raitport can claim some popularity in his neighborhood, he’s a political novice largely without connections beyond the Jewish community, opponents say.

“He’s a very sweet fellow,” Cohen said. “In a vacuum, a lot of people would like to support his candidacy.”

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14 Comments

  • Republican

    You say “Demands for government assistance have spiked in the area over the last few years.”
    “We’re at the bottom end of the economic scale,”
    Why?
    Because this community is not educated, and instead of doing something to fix this situation so this could become a happy and successful community, No you fight to keep people on the welfare rolls…unbelievable, people every where want their people to do better, every where that is EXCEPT here.

    What happens when these services are gone, believe me the government assistance will not continue for you in the same ways you have had it in the past.Very, very soon it will not be business as usual no matter who you elect.

    “Philosophically, he’s 100 percent with us.” you say of Camara, does that mean he supports Torah values such as NO to same gender marriage, ect. or does he just make sure to give you just enough of the drug to keep you addicted to him and his Socialist Party. Does Jeremiah Wright also has the title minister?

  • Milhouse

    Hecht asks what Raitport can do for us that Camara can’t. That’s precisely the wrong question, and a symptom of the disease that has affected these people’s brains. They think an Assemblyman is a thief the voters send to steal as much as he can for them, that their representative is supposed to represent their interests against those of the rest of the state. That’s pure rish’us. Every Assemblyman, no matter where he’s elected from, has a duty to honestly represent the interests of the whole state; and he is certainly not entitled to steal from others for the benefit of his constituents.

    Taxes are choking us, both as individuals and as a community, and the more handouts a politician brings back, the more “pork” and “bacon” (it’s not an accident that these things are called with such tomei names), the more taxes we must all pay. If we weren’t paying such high taxes, we wouldn’t need any government programs; we could pay for everything ourselves. Politicians love to tax us with one hand, and then give us back 90% of what they took, and expect us to be grateful. They expect us not to see what they’ve done. But they’re only giving us what they took from us in the first place, so how are they doing us any favors?

    The TEA party movement is about rejecting this Devil’s deal. Lo miduvsheich velo me’uktzeich. Don’t tax us and don’t give us from other people’s taxes. As a community we can look after our own, if only the dead hand of government weren’t on us. Vote Republican, and support the TEA party movement.

  • to #4

    To #4, your a fool. I support the best candidate, not the one with a beard or with a moshiach flag.

  • daastorah

    You all do realize that NYC politics does NOT affect the frum community, right?

  • Power vs. Halachah

    What would the Rebbe say? Power and money vs. Halachah, family and community!? No wonder Hecht wasn’t voted to the Vaad – but at least he has POWER in his PAC!!!!???

  • Boruch Hashem

    Unfortunately, the only reason that there is even a safek in ppl’s minds is because we are so dependent on government programs and so afraid of losing “benefits.”
    Firstly, these govt. programs will run out soon anyways bec. there’s no money left to support them so we should support Mendy.
    But moreso, we have to get out of this attitude of being so dependent on government, because it is Chas”V our downfall. If you are dependent on govt. then govt. will dictate what and how you should spend that money and it is farkert from Toirah. Toirah says to be self sufficient (dependent on hashem noone else). Yegia Kapecha Ki Sochal Ashreicha Vetov Luch.
    Go Mendy!!!

  • yes #4

    yes to#4 its all a game and they thing we will full for it. we have to speek up our voice and let PAC know who we suport. not them telling us who to suport. what a shame

  • Uncle Mendel

    #6 is the fool. Mendel is much better looking and a better dancer!
    And..

    Thanks for Shopping ARLANS !!!

  • Hello!!!!!!

    Hello? getting government assistance has NOTHING to do with the position…

    And besides, I know plenty people who would rather starve and pay out their hearts for their medical bills if they knew that the community was a safer place, a place where you could walk outside at 10pm and not worry about being mugged.

    It’s time we stop thinking about how much food stamps we can get. No amount of food stamps will help your family when the father was shot for his wallet CV!!!

    On November 2nd don’t forget to take out the trash. Vote Republican.

  • go-d-s right hand man

    with the right assistant the sky is the limit
    a politician is only as good as the staff they hire
    so a politician must make decisions, and that’s the bottom line