Yeshiva Reform Advocate Considering State Senate Run
Image by Anya Ulinich
By Josh Nathan-Kazis January 4, 2018
Naftuli Moster, the leading advocate for raising secular education standards in Hasidic yeshivas, is considering a run for State Senate in New York.
Moster made the announcement on his Facebook page, saying he may run for New York’s 38th Senate District in Rockland County, a seat now held by Democrat David Carlucci.
“I have witnessed dysfunction and corruption in the government first hand, and I have seen the horrible consequences of government not working for the people but rather working to preserve the status quo for self-serving reasons,” Moster wrote.
Moster is controversial in Orthodox Jewish circles, but the advocacy group he founded, Yaffed, has received significant coverage in the mainstream press. A graduate of Hasidic yeshivas, he has almost singlehandedly made the lack of secular education in Brooklyn’s Hasidic schools a citywide issue.
Moster wrote that he would decide on whether would run by mid-January.
Contact Josh Nathan-Kazis at [email protected] or on Twitter, @joshnathankazis.
Hello, fellow Forward reader! I’m Joel Brown, a Forward reader and supporter for more than 15 years, and currently the chair of the board of directors.
I’m an avid Forward reader because it ticks so many of my essential boxes: excellent journalism, Jewish focus and diverse viewpoints. In today’s political climate, what I most appreciate is the Forward’s independence — made possible by the generosity of its membership.
The Forward is committed to bringing you unbiased, nuanced Jewish news. From my position as board chair, I see an exciting future as we expand our position as the definitive independent voice of contemporary American Judaism.
That’s why I’m paying it Forward, by matching $36,000 of reader gifts. It’s an investment in the Forward’s newsroom, to continue telling the American Jewish story with truth and independence.
— Joel Brown, Forward board chair
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
