Pro-Sanders Jewish Group Distributes Anti-Zionist Flyer

A flyer distributed in Yiddish on Monday calls on Orthodox Jewish voters to vote for Bernie Sanders in Tuesday’s New York presidential primary to dispel the notion that the ultra-Orthodox community supports the ‘Zionist’ agenda and the “extreme right-wing” Israeli government.

“Recent attacks by the Zionist groups and Haredi spokespeople are aimed at Sanders only because he refused to bend to the extreme right-wing Zionist agenda, and was not willing to agree with the radical politics of Netanyahu,” the flyer reads.”The entire political world is watching how the New York Jewish votes are going to be cast since the election is being viewed as a referendum over how blind support of Israel is being supported in Jewish and ‘heimish’ neighborhoods.”

“It’s an unfortunate fact that members of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in America are seen as ardent supporters of the right-wing Israeli government – far more than the secular world. It would be, indirectly, a tremendous ‘Chilul Hashem’ (desecration of the name of God) if a majority of Orthodox Jews don’t vote for Sanders while in the ‘gentile world’ support for the two candidates are split.

“Dear Jew, before you cast your vote think how it would be used against your interest unwillingly. Let’s be thoughtful and do the right thing. A vote for Sanders is a vote to push off the Zionists’ interests and groups.”

The flyer, distributed on popular Whatsapp messenger groups and on Twitter by a group “Hasidim for Bernie,” comes days after Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders harshly criticized Israel over what he called was “disproportionate” force against the Palestinians in the 2014 military campaign against Hamas in Gaza. On Sunday, during an interview on ABC’s “This Week” program, Sanders said, “You can’t just always nod your head to Netanyahu. He is wrong on occasion.”

Councilman David Greenfield called on Sanders to denounce the group. “These flyers are blatantly anti-Israel,” Greenfield tweeted. “Bernie Sanders needs to immediately denounce them.”