JEWISH SENTINEL

12 JEWISH SENTINEL • JUNE 18 - 24, 2021 By MANNY BEHAR H ardly a week goes by without someone in shul complaining about the latest outrageous statements from Alexandria-Ocasio Cortez calling Israel an “apartheid state,” or Mar- jorie Taylor Greene comparing COVID-19 mask mandates to the Holocaust. Those complaints are often coupled with a demand to know why “no one” is doing any- thing about it or a sense of resigna- tion that there is nothing that can be done. Well, it’s about time, for you, me, all of us to look in the mirror and realize that there is something we can and must do about it. Early vot- ing is already underway in the New York City primaries and will con- tinue through this coming Sunday. Primary Day is Tuesday June 22. There may not be much we can do about a Representative in a neighboring district or in anoth- er state. But we sure can have a I f anti-Israel candidates are suc- cessful in our communities, peo- ple will use it as evidence to claim that American Jews do not support Israel. The upcoming primary may well determine how the Police will be able to protect us from crime, including anti-Semitic hate crimes and the level of funding for our or- ganizations. None of us should be sitting on the sidelines when the fu- major voice on who is elected to represent us where we live. There are candidates up and down the ballot throughout New York City, including in neighborhoods with large Jewish populations, who are openly hostile to Israel. There are others who have long track records of supporting Israel and the needs of the Jewish community here in NewYork. ture of our community is at stake. It is incumbent on all who are eligible to cast an informed and effective vote in the upcoming primary. Be informed. Research the can- didates. Look at who is supporting them That will give you a good idea as to where they stand on the key issues. Do not assume that an organization with Jewish in its name sees the interests of the Jew- ish community the same way you do. Know what an organization that endorses a candidate really stands for. Look at a candidate’s track record. In many cases, which of the candidates is most hostile to our concerns is clear. But people, as concerned as you are about the future of our com- munity, may well disagree about which of the remaining candidates are better. Discuss the primary with your family, friends, neigh- bors, and other people you respect and make your own decision. Be effective. The ranked choice voting system may be difficult to understand but we can use it to our advantage. Under the old system whoever finished first in the prima- ry was the winner. A person who got 25% of the vote was the winner even though the other 75% of the voters would have preferred any- one but that person. We often had to choose between a candidate we really liked but who did not have a chance to win or supporting some- one else with whom we disagreed on many issues but who had a bet- ter chance of defeating somebody we felt was unacceptable. Under ranked choice voting you can rank up to five candidates TAKE ACTION! VOTE! The need to in uence elections is now OPINION Early voting is underway in New York City’s primaries for key of ces including may- or and comptroller. These are rst citywide elections with ranked choice voting. continued on page 22 None of us should be sitting on the sidelines when the future of our community is at stake. All who are eligible need to vote. Y O U R T O W N H Y O U R F U T U R E VOTE IN THE SOUTHAMPTON TOWN PRIMARY ELECTION ON JUNE 22 ND ADAM GROSSMAN Town Justice SHARI OSTER Town Justice Adam and Shari are the ONLY Democratic Candidates running in the Judicial Primary and Judicial General Elections and are the ONLY Judicial Candidates Endorsed by the Democratic Party