The Jewess Patriot: I Told Dan Goldman To Wear A Yamulke

It was only about thirty minutes on New York primary election night when the congressional primary in New York’s 10th district, which includes Wall Street, the September 11th Memorial and parts of Borough Park and Ellis Island was called with over sixty percent of the votes counted and Brad Lander was declared the winner.

It really was no surprise since the last week of May, when the first polls indicated that Goldman was trailing Lander.

I won’t ever forget that news because I was with Congressman Goldman the day before.

We were at a congressional breakfast honoring Jewish American Heritage Month in the Capital.  Over thirty elected officials participated.

One of them was Congressman Randy Fine, “The Hammer,” a proud Jew sponsoring legislation after legislation fighting antisemitism and making history as the first Yamulke wearing elected official on Capitol Hill.

Fine and Goldman were talking and I joined the conversation.  I brought up  with Goldman about wearing a Yamulke just like Fine.   Goldman joked back, responding that he knew when Fine started wearing the Yamulke and Fine and I looked at one another realizing he didn’t get “it.”

The point is that it really didn’t matter when Fine started to wear it as a symbol of his Jewish pride, he did it and won’t stop-even as death threats surround him and more antisemites get elected in every level of government around the country.

It’s Not Just Another Accessory

That Yamulke represents more than standing out in Congress.  It is a commitment to Jewish life.  It’s Fine’s commitment to fathering his kids to make their commitment to being Jewish.

Rabbi Zalman Wolowik discussed with me recently why he chooses guest speakers to meet his constituents that emphasize Torah and mitzvah over antisemitism.  To paraphrase him, one needs to look no further than our history, from Egypt through Spain, through the Holocaust and elsewhere around the world that once led Jewish life and now has nothing.  Antisemitism has always existed.  It will be around decades later until Moschiach comes.

What has survived-Judaism.  We are not a social media trend.  You can’t buy Judaism online on a website.  Judaism is a religion of laws.  When we don’t live by these laws, bad things happen.

When President Trump declared Shabbat 250 last May, more traditional and religious leaders and Sabbath observers appreciated the efforts made by the administration toward recognizing our day of rest and offering a proclamation as a beautiful recognition of faith and gratitude.

However, those less religious, who assimilate and intermarry more criticized the honoring.

There it is in black and white.  Too many forget that Hitler went back generations to prove Jewish blood whether you wore a Yamulke or not.  Why hide your faith or betray it for professional opportunities or a “soulmate?”

Standing at a press conference offering condolences or expressing outrage over antisemitism does not make you a better Jew when you have the power to legislate against antisemitism before it happens.

I’m not upset that Goldman lost.  He was instrumental in the Trump impeachments.  But Brad Lander, the Edith Stein of our generation is worse.

Maybe if Brad Lander started wearing a Yamulke and observing the Sabbath or even better learning with a rabbi, his life would be more fulfilling.  After all, Hitler would have arrested him too.  Don’t be surprised if one day one of the radical Islamic terrorists calls him a “dirty Jew” if he doesn’t vote the way they want, or even worse.

Take a lesson from recently resigned Keir Starmer, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, whose wife is Jewish and kids are raised Jewish but led a country with rising antisemitism. Or the fact that Josh Shapiro publicly admitted antisemitism after the 2024 elections in a book.  Shapiro has the background to wear a Yamulke but chooses not to, even after an arson attacked his Passover Seder.

Let’s see what happens to Goldman after the investigation is completed in the coffee shop incident that denied him service.

The power of a Yamulke has never been more important.

They say this in every election, it’s the most important election.  Vote to save our beautiful Jewish laws and customs and they will thrive during this current wave of hate.

Cindy Grosz runs Jewish Vote GOP.