By COLlive reporter
U.S. Congresswoman Yvette Clarke has once again taken a stance against Israel in a move that is expected to deeply upset many of her Jewish constituents.
Clarke, a representative of New York’s 11th congressional district which includes Crown Heights, Flatbush and Midwood, announced on Monday she will be supporting the heavily criticized deal over Iran’s nuclear program.
In a statement quoted by Kings County Politics, Clarke says sees the deal as “the most effective means by which the United States and her allies can achieve the goal of preventing the Iranian regime from obtaining nuclear weaponry.”
This is while acknowledging that the Iranian regime is “one of the premier state sponsors of terrorism in the world” and that “Iran is on the verge of creating a nuclear bomb, right now.”
But she argued that the deal, which is aggressively being lobbied by President Barack Obama, provides a pathway that holds great potential to forever change this reality.
Over the past few months, the Congresswoman has been hearing pleas from local Jewish residents asking her to oppose the deal which both Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition leader Issac Herzog say endangers their country’s existence.
Clarke’s offices in Washington, DC and Brooklyn have been inundated with phone calls and emails expressing their contempt for the deal. They had a reason to be concerned as Clarke has in the past signed a leftist-backed letter pressuring Israel over its blockade of Gaza and refused to support a condemnation of the anti-Israel Goldstone report.
Rabbi Chanina Sperlin, intergovernmental liaison for the Crown Heights Jewish Community Council who has close ties to Clarke, told COLlive.com that he declined a call from the Congresswoman’s office after reading her statement in support of the deal on Monday.
“We were all betrayed,” says community activist Yaacov Behrman. “The community overwhelmingly opposed this flawed deal and I don’t see how she justified supporting it.”
“We, of course, are very disappointed with Congresswoman Clarke’s decision,” Josh Mehlman, Chairman of the Flatbush Jewish Community Coalition (FJCC), told COLlive.com.
“At this point there is little question that a Presidential veto will not be overridden, but it is still important for the community to respectfully show its deep displeasure with a deal, that puts Israel’s security in peril. If the community really wants to make its voice heard, we encourage all to register and vote on Election Day.”
But Clarke, a member of the Progressive Democratic Caucus in Congress, says in her statement that her support of the deal stems out of care for Israel.
“We are all keenly aware that by virtue of proximity and statements made by leadership in Iran, that the existential threat that the regime poses to Israel, to other allies in the Middle East, to our nation and the world as we know it is very real,” she wrote.
“Given the gravity of what is at stake, the concerns of the Israeli government and her people as well as the threat to other allies and stakeholders of the region, and equally as important, the threat to the United States, it is our duty to be vigilant and to exert our rights and authority to act through our leadership in the crafting of the agreement.”
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call here 202 -225-6231
and post on face book
I just got a call asking for Clark’s constituents to call to “thank her” for her her diplomatic vote for this deal. My reply was “THANK HER?! THANK HER? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND” the woman hung up as fast as she could before I went into a real tirade
All of those upset about this. There’s at least one simple thing you can DO. Make sure all of your friends and family are registered to vote and nudge them to vote in even the small elections. You’d be surprised that even though we are a minority in all of the local races we could still be very powerful if only we voted in big numbers.
from her Wikipage: “On the Colbert Report, in its “Better Know a District” segment in early September 2012, when Stephen Colbert asked the three-term congresswoman what she’d have changed back in 1898 (the year Brooklyn merged with New York City) if she could go back in time, the congresswoman responded the abolition of slavery. Colbert responded, “Slavery…Really? I didn’t realize there was slavery in Brooklyn in 1898,” (Slavery was abolished in New York state in 1827.[19]) Clarke responded immediately with, “I’m pretty sure there was” stating that the Dutch owned slaves in New York in 1898.[19][19][20][21] The next day, the… Read more »
First goes her career!
lets hire someone that knows campaigns. All of OUR esteemed liaisons don’t have any experience running a campaign, as evident by the sophomoric run of state senator just recently!! we should hand pick a minority candidate, and assist them on the inside out, not visa versa.. We need a campaigner, not someone that hosts barbeques?
she didnt study social studies well in school, and does not have common sense. just a useless sell-out.
If you don’t vote her out next election, you effectively approve of her decision.
the only positive is that ALL the banners were removed from Kingston Ave. looked like a circus before.
How can you be upset with Clarke when Nadler gave the deal a glatt kosher hechsher.
Nadler must be thoroughly opposed and defeated.
the bottom line is is kind of our fault since almost no one in the community goes to vote!!.
But Bez”h all will turn out well.
“We had a rally PRIME TIME AND PRIME LOCATION”.
And NEBACH נעבאך
Who showed and how many showed????
Banners, posters, whatups, texss, Face Book,
And…..drum roll please……..
With the Anti Semites across the street the crowd numbered 200-250.
And the sound system,?
It is what it is.
Where have all the years of “built up relationships and common cause” gone? Dvorie Halberstam has been working with officials and speaking about the threat of terrorism for the past 20 years – Has she given them too much trust and credit? It seems Yvette Clarke been laughing all along, and the sad trait of trying to please, grovel, and bootlick has blinded us from seeing her and all the others taking us for another long ride! We know that the Rebbe had the greatest respect and warmest words for every human being. He blessed the United States governments over… Read more »
She comes to all our community events as if she is friend, Little ddid we know she was there just for the kosher hot dogs, אה חוצפה!
The reality is this, what does congresswoman Clarke do for our community? Nothing, but a couple of pictures.
We have no one else to rely one
So let’s take advantage of this month of Elul, and make ourselves vessels for G-d’s protection and blessing.
Can’t put hopes in Clarke Obama or anyone else besides Hashem!
Again, Talk, Talk, and blah, Blah….
We had a chance to show our VOTING POWER a few weeks ago.
Instead of coming out in the thousands, the “Young” (Whatever they call themselves), bad-mouthed, denigrated our candidate Raitport.
Now this same “Young” (Whatever they call themselves), were busy hanging banners, hanging posters, etc.
And you would think all this is לשם שמים for a holy purpose……
Wrong!!!
Congresswoman Yvette Clarke did not support the candidate that has on his payroll a member of the “Young” (Whatever they call themselves).
And now it’s payback time.
It’s all politics……..
The same CH “activists’ who are whining now about tnis are the same ones who keep telling us to vote for these extreme left liberals. And they will continue being pals with her at the first photo op that presents itself.
OH DO WE NEVER LEARN? AS IT SAYS IN LAST WEEKS PIRKEI AVOIS, WHEN A GOY NEEDS TOIVOIS FROM YIDDEN THEY FALL OVERTHEMSELVES TO APPEAR TO WANT TO HELP US BUT WHEN THEY DONT NEED US THEY PRODUCE PEOPLE WITH ANTI ISRAEL POLICIES LIKE CLARKE.. DONT SAY YOU WERENT WARNED.
BS”D she knew from the get go how she was voting and went thru this charade and made fools of the participants, but they gave it their best
If we are only one percent, why is our money 75% of her treasure chest.
Why do we continue to give and give and get punched out again and again.
the only thing politicians care about, is getting elected again.
being that most crown heights Jews don’t vote, she doesn’t take are concern seriously .
Go get involved in things where you will actually make a difference.
Don’t let all these community activist convince you to waste your time just like they are
That’s the only way
How does any self-respecting American support a deal with a country where “death to America” is chanted regularly, where America is known as “the Great Satan”, where world-wide terrorism is supported, and will now be supported with billions of additional dollars? and trusting them to oversee their own nuclear sites? if it were not so serious it would all be laughable. The Democrats are desperately trying to sell the lie that it’s either “diplomacy” (really, with this deal?) or war. Anyone opposed is a “warmonger” or a “crazy” ( as per our President. Let’s just remember that G-d is in… Read more »
If Iran did manage to send a bomb to Israel G”F, it would affect many many more Arabs than Israelis. Not just the Arabs living in Israel but all the Arab countries surrounding Israel. So much for the ‘humanitarian’ liberals.
She played us all for attention and to make as if it was a tough decision I said all along she will never vote against Obama for her it’s a black and white issue
Help will come from a better place. There are many more politicians and G-d has many worthy messengers to do good.
I am glad you chose not to listen to me again. In response to your decision to vote for the iranian deal, I would like to take 180 seconds of your time and read this: It is very simple, if you think this deal is as good, then why not wait for a better deal. How can you simply judge this deal as it being suffice, when the victims of this deal are all telling you it is a bad deal, when the military generals tell you its a bad deal, when at face value this does not equate?! If… Read more »
And she’s supposedly REPRESENTING us.
Its very simple, if you think this deal is as good, then why not wait for a better deal. How can you simply judge this deal as it being suffice, when the victims of this deal are allteling you it is a bad deal, when the military genrals tell you its a bad deal, when at face value this does not equate?! If we waited close to forty years for a deal with iran, why rush and grab the first offer on the table ? Is it that you don’t feel threatened by this deal, that allowes you to carelessly… Read more »
She’s being blackmailed and has been assured of political demise if she doesn’t do as the establishment is asking of her. Our little votes count for nothing she rather suck up to the higher-ups than listen to her constituents. Basic politics!
What a shame , hope our dear Jews who cozy up to her will learn you can never trust those people. Let’s see what happens comes Succos whose Succah will she be invited to.
A representative who bucks pleas from constituents is not representing, and should be bucked by the voters.
She will not disrespect her dear brother Barack Hussein Obama, she has absolutely no clue what this bill is about. I was at the meeting with her 2 weeks ago. She doesn’t know about Iran more then she knows the recipes for Tzimes.
She’s also not threatened by Crown Heights cause we are Mamosh 1% of her vote. So let’s not make threats against her we can’t fulfill. Hashem will help. End of story.
She is voting for Iran to have more nuclear power because that and everything it implies have always been her sentiments. It pained me to see so many naive people, after Crown Heights’s long, long history, compromising the dignity of our community by begging for something from a bottomless cup- it just doesn’t hold water..
I contacted Schumer because, even though I did not know how he would vote, he is not a known sonei yisroel. Our NOT approaching her would have made a better statement about which politicians we trust.
While I agree with the apposition to this deal Isreal is NOT facing extermination “again”
in 1939-45 – which I take it you were referring to – the Jews had not army and were under a foreign govt. Today Israel on the other hand has the strongest army in the ME and more nukes then most western countries.
I fully understand from she’s coming from and why she decided to vote like this. She closely associated with the Progressive movement, J Street and the like.
But…
Please don’t claim to care about what we care about. This isn’t about funding for this school or that project. This is about the lives of our brethren who face extermination – yet again.
You have the right to vote and we will continue to welcome you in our community. You are our elected representative until the next elections.
But please, don’t tell us you care about us. You owe us that.
As devastating as this news is, I take comfort in the fact that the great Jewish tradition of advocacy of Am Yisrael continues. Faced with one of our people’s greatest threats in recent history, our leaders fought like lions. We can hold our heads high.
From Menashe ben Israel (prevailed upon Cromwell to let the Jews back into England) to Joselman of Rosheim (the great defender of German Jewry) to Moses Montefiore (the patron of modern Israel) to, today, Chanina Sperlin (didn’t answer Clarke’s phone call).
Mi k’Amcha Yisrael!
The congressional black caucus has more pull (abd voter’s) in her district so is happy to let the Jewish constituents feel important but not enough to put her seat on the line after all its all about keeping her job…
you expected any different. blacks are very loyal to their own. this, plus the fact that jews are divided meant she was never voting against. we should learn something from them. a bit of unity would go a long way…
This has happened before and it will happen again,, we need to vote her out of office.
strike two!!!
she has always been on the wrong side when it comes to Isreal, I’m sure this time it will catch up with her at the polls.
we will not forget this