from Facebook , Marla Glick-Sherman :Below is a letter I sent to Alexandra Harwin, her husband, Rabbi Noah Fabricant and for publication in northjersey.com media. It is in direct response to a recent mailing sent to all Ridgewood residents inferring our Mayor, Susan Knudsen, is sympathetic to Nazism and Hitler Youth. It is a false and repugnant claim that has brought Ms. Harwin’s campaign for Village Council to a new low.
Your views on a garage, multi-family housing, or commuter parking should not eclipse the unconscionable use of antisemitism to win an election. Ms. Harwin’s campaign is built on lies and platitudes. The campaign of Susan Knudsen and Michael Sedon is built on experience and honesty. Read the real facts here: https://voteridgewood.com/.
Dear Ms Harwin,
The type of village council campaign you are running is not becoming of Ridgewood, the Jewish community or Temple Beth Or. As a member of all three groups I am embarrassed to be associated with you or what your campaign stands for. If you truly believe in inclusion, civility and making Ridgewood a better place, you are not setting an appropriate example. Your latest mailer (with references to Nazism) was shameful and contains dangerous and libelous inferences that have no place in our local election, our Village or our country.
Becoming a Ridgewood Village Councilwoman demands a genuine interest in participating in the matters of our Village. I might be convinced of your sincere interest in running if you regularly attended village council meetings or if you had ever publicly expressed an opinion on the issues facing our village up until now. But to base your candidacy on a false assertion and then forge a smear campaign and attack someone’s character without attempting to learn the facts, is neither respectful nor does it follow the basic tenents of Judaism. Jewish law reveres truthfulness, and to paraphrase Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel, it is truth, justice and peace that are the three pillars of Judaism. I do not believe your campaign demonstrates or attempts to achieve any of these basic principles. Your own campaign mailer states, “As a civil rights attorney, I know there is no excuse for bullying and abuse, online or anywhere.” How can you honestly make that claim and then spew vulgar and offensive propaganda on the very same piece of paper?
I have no doubt you will go after the goal of winning this election with the same intensity that has earned you your résumé. I only wish that you would choose to stick to the real issues facing our Village with more than mere platitudes, stop spreading lies and remove the inflammatory inferences from your campaign material. It undermines your credibility and embarrasses Ridgewood, our Jewish community and the reputation of the Temple Beth Or family.
Good letter and well said. We are a great community and we are measured by our neighbors and others on how we conduct ourselves. I have recently visited Facebook groups and have been disturbed by comments that are hostile towards our residents and call them out by name when the larger context is unknown—and I have seen words that don’t belong in discussion groups. We’re adults and have freedom of speech, but we are examples to our kids. My mother would have kicked my butt if I said some of these things to neighbors, especially neighbors I never met in person! Social media is “in public” and we can not act that way in public. I also want to remind people that the Nazi reference originated on THIS very blog when it referred to teenagers as “Hitler youth”. If you condemn Harwin for running with that, then condemn this blog and it’s founder for being a flame thrower and stirring up anger in our town. I will no longer visit Ridgewood Blog for this reason. If you don’t like what Harwin did, you shouldn’t let James F. slide on by with his pathetic attempts to plant seeds of hate. We must come together with common goals and be kind while we do it. Our kids are watching and we are responsible for our own actions. Make your mothers proud!
As the author of the letter, I thank you for your support. On your other point, readers choose to read the Ridgewood Blog. Ms. Harwin’s abhorrent mailer was sent to me…unsolicited. I do think there’s a difference.
9:22 am, using fresh-faced children as a front for gun confiscation efforts is what it is. The Nazis did it in Germany. The liberal progressives are doing it in the U.S. If the shoe fits, wear it. If it doesn’t, don’t. But don’t be surprised if and when some of your neighbors notice that your feet are of a certain size, and are willing to exercise their free speech rights by saying so out loud. Oh–and if you are a special snowflake and want to avoid melting, you might want to stay out of the hot kitchen.
You do NOT piss off Marla Sherman. Well, it’s fine now. Good luck Harwin. Stupid hate monger.
Harwin and Willett, disaster in the making
Thank you, Marla.
The wounded martyr….
Looking at the various mailers side by side, what is apparent is that Ms. Harwin’s pieces are all attack oriented, using false innuendo to smear opponents. There is little to her pieces that hints at any actual experience in governance . Mayor Knbudsen has long standing roots in the community, as dses Councilman Mike Sedon. They have participated in many ways to help our Village – any number of advisory boards, committees, you name it. Mike was even a writer for the Ridgewood News, giving him a special insight in what is going on here, and how issues evolved over time. That is why they have not been looking for quick fixes to complex issues like housing, master plans or parking garages. Instead they have been doing things the right way, with comments from Village residents and thorough research and hard work. You don’t just parachute into a community and now how it works, what it’s’ soul is. You need to know the network of people who make our Village work. Ms. Harwin in contrast is a relative newcomer. She has relied on advisors such our recently tossed out Paul Aronsohn to tell her that the issue are. Looking over her mailings, her qualification seems to be a career in civil rights litigation. And while I am sure she fights hard for her clients, this does not prepare her for governance. At best she is qualified by being well meaning. And from what we have seen recently in Washington, lack of experience in governance at best leads to delay in getting to know ho things are done. At worst…
Vote for the qualified, proven candidates running for Council. Don’t be complacent and assume that the people you know will be the best Councilmen in our Village will win. in the election. Seeing the way this campaign is turning with such well organized attacks on quality people, you can bet that there well be a get out the vote effort – make sure you get out to vote too. And do not be surprised if a late mailing arrives on your doorstep with new false accusations with no time to rebut them – that is the way apparently Ms. Harwin’s team works.
Nobody plays the aggrieved better than the tobacco heiress. She should run for office.
This is just a tap water version of “fake news”. Next