A new version of the Three Stooges invoked their nonsense on the political stage over Jewish issues.
Most notably, a Jewish state assemblyman from the southwestern edge of Long Island was denied a rare opportunity to question New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani about Jewish fears while a first-term Jewish congressman voiced a preference for dogs over Muslims. Plus, President Trump’s man in Belgium intervened in the country’s health policies as they apply to mohels.
In Albany, Assemblyman Ari Brown sought to confront Mamdani over antisemitic incidents in the city. Mamdani appeared before the state Assembly in mid-February to beg for money for the city of 8 million that he now governs.
“They silenced me for demanding answers about rising hate against the Jewish community,” Brown said, according to The New York Post.
Brown’s effort made sense. Why not? If Mamdani was available, couldn’t he spare a few minutes to address concerns about antisemitism in the Big Apple? Brown, a Republican who worships in the Orthodox stream, pointed out that anti-Jewish incidents surged 182 percent during the mayor’s first month on the job and Mamdani declined to “unequivocally condemn” the slogan “Globalize the intifada.”
Before Brown could advance further, Assemblyman Gary Pretlow – the Stooge in question – told him, “Don’t go on – this is a budget hearing. Have respect for our mayor.”
Brown’s mic and time were then snatched from him.
Had anyone done this to Mamdani, he might have griped about losing his free speech rights, and he has taken full advantage of his free speech rights since he was nominated for mayor in the Democratic primary last June, and then elected mayor with 50 percent of the vote, hardly a landslide. Still, Mamdani would have been right in this instance, as was Brown.
After all, what was disrespectful about questioning the mayor over a pressing issue?
Nearly half of his Democratic colleagues fear being primaried, Brown said, “so they figured they’d go after the most conservative legislator in the state. They want to prove that they hate the Jews because Zohran is controlling the (Democratic Socialists of America).” Brown is somewhat of a Stooge himself when he adds that some assembly persons are “pure communists.” Brown represents the heavily Orthodox Five Towns area that borders NYC.
U.S. Rep. Randy Fine, a Republican who represents Palm Beach and Daytona Beach in northern Florida, has drawn calls for his resignation after he wrote on X, “If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one,” according to Newsweek.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom in mid-February responded on X, “Resign now, you racist slob.”
Fine suggested that he was responding to a post from “the leader of one of the key mainstream Muslim groups that supported” Mamdani for mayor. Nerdeen Kiswani, who founded Within Our Lifetime, a pro-Arab group, wrote that she was complaining about dogs leaving their mess in the snow and nobody cleaning it.
Fine is a Jewish conservative who can recount harsh brushes with antisemitism and is now condemning Muslim groups. Fine is painting all Muslims with the same brush.
“Randy Fine posted this genocidal statement about me,” Kiswani said. “He’s just like the millions of other racists hounding me this past week, looking for a reason to be Islamophobic. Just replace Muslims with any other religion and ask if this ok.”
Across the pond and beyond, our ambassador to Belgium accused the government of antisemitism for investigating mohels who may have been using unsafe practices while circumcising Jewish babies, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reports.
In a post on X, Ambassador Bill White stated, “To the (very rude) Belgian Minister of Health FRANK VANENBROUCKE; You must make a legal provision to allow Jewish religious MOHELS to perform their duties here in Belgium. It’s done in all civilized countries as legal procedure.
“Stop this unacceptable harassment of the Jewish community here in Antwerp and Belgium. It’s 2026, you need to get into the 21st century and allow our brethren Jewish families in Belgium to legally execute their religious freedoms.”
White’s post follows raids by Belgian authorities of multiple sites at part of an investigation into illegal circumcisions, according to JTA.
The inquiry originated with a police complaint filed by Antwerp Rabbi Moshe Friedman against six mohels who practice metzitzah b’peh, a procedure in which the mohel cleans the circumcision wound with oral suction. The procedure can risk infecting infants with dangerous diseases; it is practiced solely in haredi Orthodox areas like the one in Antwerp. It was metzitzah b’peh that infected a number of babies in New York City with herpes several years ago, according to JTA.
On top of that, Belgium law mandates that all circumcisions are performed by licensed medical professionals.
So, to White’s thinking, religious customs trump the public health. Another case of advancing Trump’s domestic policies overseas.
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Bruce S. Ticker is a Philadelphia-based columnist.