Defamatory Ad in Yiddish Newspaper Sparks Controversy, Raises Questions in Brooklyn City Council Race
September 8, 2009 by Anna Wipfler, GLAAD's Transgender Advocacy Fellow
http://glaadblog.org/2009/09/08/defamatory-ad-in-yiddish-newspaper-sparks-controversy-raises-questions-in-brooklyn-city-council-race/On August 27th, an anti-gay ad published in the Borough Park Yiddish newspaper Der Blatt sparked controversy in the race for the coveted Brooklyn City Council seat in the 39th District. The ad used homophobic language to support candidate Brad Lander.
CityHallNews.com reports that the ad, which Lander has publicly denounced and maintains he did not authorize, praises him as a candidate who "strongly opposes various types of abominations and immoral laws that are major issues in the current elections." According to the Brooklyn Downtown Star, a professional translator confirmed that the Yiddish word toyvos 'abominations' is commonly understood to refer to homosexuality. The Der Blatt ad went on to criticize Lander's fellow Jewish progressive candidates saying "it would be a desecration in the name of God to support the other candidates who support laws permitting abominations...even if such candidates happen to be Jewish themselves."
