JEWISH SENTINEL

22 JEWISH SENTINEL • JUNE 18 - 24, 2021 Comeback continued from page 14 adoptions. The Surrogate’s Court was an integral part of protecting the legacy that I would inherit. Economic justice can be within reach for Brooklyn residents, who were among the hardest hit during the COVID-19 pandemic and need a pathway towards a secure future through the Surrogate’s Court. Last year was unimaginable and com- pounded by unprecedented losses, but we are making a comeback. However, many families whose loved ones passed without a will or estate planning remain at risk of being preyed on because their identity and assets are public in- formation in the Surrogate’s Court. Historically, communities of color and vulnerable populations have sought support through the court only to experience economic loss amid their own emotional grief. We cannot continue to follow the same practices that have perpetu- ated and further exacerbated the racial wealth gap. I am more than capable and ready to serve as Brooklyn’s next Sur- rogate Court Judge because I have the experience. During my four-year tenure asActing Supreme Court Jus- tice in Family Court, I met families when they were in their most vul- nerable state. I protected intimate partners, elders, and children against abuse and domestic violence; while strengthening families through guardianships and adoptions. I also appointed and monitored attorneys to ensure that they were working in the best interest of the families that I assigned to them. Today, I serve as a Civil Court Judge in the People’s Court, work- ing to remove the barriers to justice for all people to become whole. I believe that judges should step off the bench and get more involved in the community to understand public perception and rebuild trust. I creat- ed countless educational programs and workshops to expand access to justice and bridge the gap between the community and the courts. In this era of reform, Brooklyn deserves a Surrogate’s Court Judge with the integrity to fight corrup- tion, compassion to understand the issues, and fairness to ensure equal justice. We need more women and people of color on the bench who understand the day-to-day chal- lenges families face to earn a liv- able wage and escape poverty. Early voting began on June 12th, and Primary Day is on June 22nd; I hope I can count on your support to become the People’s Surrogate and put families first – always. Judge Dweynie Esther Paul is a Kings County Civil Court Judge, elected in 2015. She resides in the Bedford Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn. The ranked choice voting system may be dif cult to understand, but it can defeat those who are most hostile to our interests. from 1 to 5. The first-place votes are counted. If someone receives a majority that person is the winner. If not, the last place finisher is elim- inated, and their votes are reallocat- ed to the next choice. This contin- ues until someone wins a majority. Under this system a candidate with a significant following but who is unacceptable to the majority of the voters may well have the most votes on the first round, but they are likely to be defeated in the later rounds by someone who is more acceptable to most voters. You can rank a can- didate you really like as #1, candi- dates who are OK as #2 and #3 and candidates you disagree with on many things but are preferable to the alternative as #4 and #5. D o not complain that you don’t understand how the votes will be tallied or that the system is con- fusing. The thing we need to un- derstand is that it is critical to rank as many candidates as you can, to defeat those who are most hostile to our interests. If you only vote for your first choice, and that candi- date falls short, your vote will not count in the later rounds in which the results will actually be decided. You may well need to rank candi- dates you do not like because they are better than the alternative. The ballot will contain the names of people seeking to repre- sent us. But what is really on the line is support for Israel, the safety of our neighborhoods and the fu- ture of our community institutions. So be sure to cast an informed and effective vote in the upcoming pri- mary. Urge your family, friends, and neighbors to do the same. The stakes are much to high for any of us to be sitting on the sidelines. Manny Behar is the former exec- utive director of the Queens Jewish Community Council. VOTE! continued from page 12 the anti-American, anti-white, anti-Western indoctrination in most schools, if you are a parent of school-age children, what is your choice? Other than a) finding a good school that b) you can afford, you have no other choice.You are fool- ing yourself if you think the odds are that after attending Ameri- can schools from kindergarten through college (not to mention through graduate school), your child will turn out well-educated, intellectually alive, rational, kind, happy, well-adjusted, grateful to be American and respectful of you and your values. While there are some won- derful young Americans who recently attended American schools, and there are some lost souls who were home-schooled, American schools are largely producing the following: Poorly educated students. Ask your college son or daughter to di- agram a sentence; identify Joseph Stalin, “The Gulag Archipelago” or the Soviet Union; name the branches of the American govern- ment; identify — or just spell — Ludwig van Beethoven; date the Civil War; identify the Holocaust; and name which sentence is cor- rect — “He gave the book to my friend and me” or, “He gave the book to my friend and I.” A ngry young people. Why wouldn’t they be? First, they graduate college with a huge load of debt, having received almost nothing useful for their money. Second, if they are anything other than a white heterosexual Chris- tian male, they have been taught to regard themselves as victims of oppression. Third, their future is so bleak they may not even have one: They are threatened with ex- tinction by climate change. The single best thing Ameri- cans can do to fight the left-wing destruction of the country is to withdraw from the “educational” system that is actively, deliberate- ly miseducating them by the tens of millions. If millions of Amer- ican parents did so, the country would turn around as fast as you could say “teachers unions.” If they don’t, their children will con- tinue being used as guinea pigs in the Left’s sick and dystopian ex- periment. Dennis Prager is a nationally syndicated radio talk-show host and columnist. do find a school that teaches rather than poisons, they may not be able to afford the tuition. T he only other option, then, is to home-school one’s child. The problem is that many par- ents assume this is essentially impossible. For one thing, they assume that one of the parents would have to leave his or her work, which would mean a seri- ous reduction in the family’s in- come. In addition, home-school- ing strikes most people as simply too daunting a task, even if they could afford to take it on. Neither fear is entirely justified. It is true that, at least at the out- set, a working parent may have to cut back from full-time work, and it is true that no matter what the family’s financial condition, there are challenges to taking one’s children out of school and home-schooling them. But given the low intellec- tual state of most American schools, the damage they do to young children’s innocence and Left continued from page 17 Candidate for Brooklyn Civil Court Judge Charles Finkelstein was just endorsed by the Jewish Press. Finkelstein is qualified, Intelligent and Experienced. Finkelstein is a former felony prosecutor, a former Assistant District Attorney in Brooklyn and Charles Finkelstein currently a civil attorney in private practice. Finkelstein also served as both a felony and Assistant special Narcotics Prosecutor. As an Administrative Law judge for the NYC Dept .of finance Finkelstein has spent over 30 years practicing law in NYC. Finkelstein is experienced in all NYC courts: Family, Civil and Supreme. Finkelstein knows the challenges people face in the courtroom. Charles has earned a reputation for high standards and dedication to his clients. “I aspire to ensure that every individual that may come before me will have their day in court,” stated Finkelstein. As a sole practitioner Finkelstein has built a reputation of helping the average working family constantly accepting assignments as council to the indigent. Finkelstein is a member of the Brooklyn Bar Association, the New York State Bar .Association, and the Kings County Criminal Bar Association Charles Finkelstein graduated from Yeshiva Toras Emes Kamitetz, Yeshiva University Col- lege and went on to receive his law degree from Pace University School of Law. Finkel- stein was Born in Boro Park, raise and currently resides in Brooklyn. He and his wife have .six wonderful children Charles Finkelstein For Brooklyn Civil Court Judge - Countywide Primary election day is Tuesday June 22 nd Early Voting June 12 th through June 20 th Absentee Voting: 866-Vote-NYC or https://vote.nyc/page/absentee-voting-0 If you have a question for the Charles Finkelstein campaign for Civil Court call 646-831-9378