Congressional Candidate Dr. Josh Eisen Condemns Governor, Mayor, and Violence

HARRISON, N.Y., Oct. 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Eisen Campaign released a statement from congressional candidate Dr. Josh Eisen regarding the protests and violence in his district and the broader region. A spokesperson for the Eisen Campaign indicated that Dr. Eisen fights hard for equal treatment and will advocate for anyone's right to do so. They cautioned, however, that Dr. Eisen insists that the fight must be non-violent, even when officials act irrationally and discriminatorily.

Dr. Eisen said, "De Blasio and Cuomo cannot pick and choose who can congregate and protest. They have allowed protests before and should allow them now. Orthodox Jews cannot be singled out for dispersal in the midst of a holiday without conjuring suspicions of anti-Semitism." In addressing the violence erupting among Orthodox Jewish protesters, Dr. Eisen was unequivocal. "I strongly advocate for peaceful protest and condemn the few who incite others to violence but have little physical courage themselves," Dr. Eisen stated. "The violence does not reflect the vast majority of the Orthodox community who want to express themselves politically so that their feelings can matter in a peaceful and meaningful way."

Dr. Eisen continued:

"Pandemics are not the dominion of government. Some fallout from a pandemic does fall to different levels of government, but personal responsibility must also be a factor. When government steps in, they can do so with a heavier hand than many realized was possible before Covid. The Covid-19 pandemic demonstrates the enormous power of emergency declarations by the government which suspend many aspects of the Law and which include closing the courts. They also include selective allowance of congregation and protest. It has become clear that congregation for traditional religious communion and protest is deprioritized relative to others. Now the government has again selected traditional religious communities for shutdown of both indoor communion and outdoor congregation and protest. This has lit a fire under communities who have until recently kept their congregating indoors.

The courts are closed. There is no legal outlet for communities to express their outrage. Any communal expression, indoor and outdoor, is illegal and met with resistance. Many good community men and women who would never actively run afoul of the law are ensnared as criminals for just doing what they have always been doing and what others are still doing. Once criminalized only because of an executive order, the line does not need to be crossed. The word criminal alone infuses violence into any situation. This one is no different. Violence has erupted where it never has before: among traditional religious communities.

The religious communities must be careful not to fall into the trap. They must take the blows and not respond. The cultural violence from the left is a one-way street. The physical violence from their elected mayors and governors must be the same: without response. I implore the leaders of the religious communities to lead protests with masks, in numbers, with strength, intimidating and without any violence.

I can speak to my holier brothers for whom a synagogue shutdown that is not anti-Semitic is without any precedent in all Jewish history. I can remind them that they must remain still both righteous and pacifist, even as they are illegitimately pegged as criminals."

Media Contact:
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SOURCE Eisen for Congress, Inc.