Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) made one of his first trips as Leader to a Hasidic town in New York — to tout the Republican policy of parents’ rights in education and meet with the local head rabbi — amid an assault on Orthodox Jewish communities by the state government.
Greeted with a rockstar welcome to the entirely-Hasidic town of New Square, about an hour north of New York City, the Speaker arrived to streets decked out in star-spangled banners and signs that read: “Village of New Square Welcomes the honorable Kevin McCarthy,” ahead of a meeting with the local sect’s chief leader, Rabbi David Twersky.
Hundreds of people, among them many school children, gathered around a riser set up next to one of the local yeshivas, where McCarthy spoke alongside newly-elected Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), representing New York’s 17th district — a high-profile upset race that unseated former Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair.
“First of all, I feel so blessed to be here,” McCarthy began, to the applauding crowd forming a mosh pit a city-block deep. “I’m glad the children are up front; be true to your faith, be proud of your heritage, and never let someone say anything different about it,” McCarthy continued, in a jab at the local Democratic government currently threatening to shut down the community’s religious schools if they do not implement a state-approved secular curriculum.
“I will always defend you, I’ll defend the right for your education,” McCarthy went on, cut off by applause. “It’s not just me, it’s your congressman, because we introduced the ‘Parents’ Bill of Rights.'”
“This is one of the first places I’ve come as Speaker of the United States House, because you matter to me,” the Speaker said. “We will always defend your right to your religion and your freedom,” he continued, before thanking the crowd for electing Lawler.
The visit comes as the Governor Hochul (D) administration implements a crack-down on yeshivas, following a torrent of political hit-pieces by the New York Times attacking the community’s central faith institutions.
Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, of Calif., right, speaks about the proposed legislation dubbed the “Parents Bill of Rights,” Wednesday, March 1, 2023, next to Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Republicans on the federal-level have taken note, after various Hasidic neighborhoods in New York came out in an unprecedented push for the GOP in the last election — in certain cases defying the endorsements of some community leaders — contributing in significant part to the “red wave” in New York that secured the Republican majority in Congress.
According to a buried lede in a Gothamist article published in November, the Hochul administration is using yeshiva regulations as a bludgeon against the community, which turned on Democrats.
“As Zeldin made repeated stops in Hasidic neighborhoods, the Hochul administration was keeping close watch: Those who levied especially bad faith attacks on the governor, the source said, may find themselves cut out of future discussions about yeshiva oversight,” the article says in a jaw-dropping revelation, attributed to a person in the governor’s office who did not have permission to speak on the issue.
The line caught the attention of third-ranking House Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), who told Breitbart the Hochul administration’s punitive action against the Jewish community is a “corrupt and illegal political attack.”
“The corrupt Hochul Administration has admitted that they will illegally wield the force of the state government against Orthodox schools because of the community’s support of Lee Zeldin for governor,” Stefanik told Breitbart News.
“This is a state-dictated attack on Orthodox culture, religion, and their community’s First Amendment right to vocally support Lee Zeldin. In the face of Hochul’s corrupt and illegal political attack, I am proud to stand up for our Orthodox communities,” the New York congresswoman continued.
Emma-Jo Morris is the Politics Editor at Breitbart News. Email her at ejmorris@breitbart.com or follow her on Twitter.
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