Anti-Semite Endorsed By United Jewish Community of Woodbury
What's Juneteenth? Why would an organization, supposedly looking out for the best interests of the Jewish community, endorse an anti-semite? You have questions. We have answers.
Pictured Above: The United Jewish Community of Woodbury, which has verifiable connections with Joel Stern and Isaac Ekstein’s scam organization in South Blooming Grove, is endorsing Brandon Calore in Woodbury’s Republican Mayoral Primary. Mr. Calore was recently employed with CIOFFI, a company that does a lot of business with the unelected co-mayors of South Blooming Grove. To this day, Brandon Calore refuses to provide any financial information for his mayoral campaign, but is the primary beneficiary of State Senator James G. Skoufis’s Protect Monroe-Woodbury mailers and website.
You know, when I was a student at Monroe-Woodbury Senior High School, about twenty-five years ago, nearly all the kids were white. Today, the opposite is true, and I think that’s awesome.
You know why?
Because what makes us different as individuals makes us stronger as a community.
Being able to navigate differences, with empathy and understanding, is a strength, not a weakness. It’s a skill. And it’s one we all need to work on to survive and thrive in the 21st Century. Especially given the challenges we face, right now, both locally and nationally. In addition to the challenges we will face due to the ongoing Climate Emergency.
I mention this for two reasons:
First, I was at the Monroe Post Office, and there was a very unhappy old white guy who didn’t know what Juneteenth was. So, I’d like to take a moment to explain why this day is an important one.
Second, as we’ve established here at The Monroe Gazette, Woodbury’s Republican Mayoral candidate, Brandon Calore, is a bigot. So, after sitting in this wonderfully diverse crowd — during the awards ceremony last night at the Monroe-Woodbury Board of Education meeting — I was struck by the fact that this man is not only completely unqualified for the position that he seeks — as well as the one he currently holds on the Woodbury Town Board — but there is no way anyone who isn’t white gets a fair shake in Woodbury with Mr. Calore as your mayor.
He still, as we’ve mentioned, not apologized for his bigoted comments concerning the City of Newburgh. Nor has Calore clarified whether or not he is, or has ever been, a member of the Proud Boys. A group of white supremacists who verifiably congregate in Woodbury — according to former employees and Woodbury residents — at a local bar and grill that Mr. Calore frequents. Mr. Calore has also endorsed this bar and grill during a Woodbury Town Board meeting. “Great burgers,” he said.
Now, I don’t know how good those burgers can be, because White Supremacists don’t like seasoning … but I digress.
The fact that the Committee to Elect Woodbury Democrats, led by Village Trustee James Freiband’s wife, Willa Freiband, and Village Trustee Matthew Fabbro’s mother, Rhonda Fabbro, are even considering endorsing Mr. Brandon Calore to be the Democratic candidate for mayor this Fall is Very White of Them.
It’s also a slap in the face to the entire Woodbury community and to America at large.
We find ourselves in the middle of a national emergency.
Both parties need to stand up to the Trump Administration. And that starts with taking back their respective committees both here and across the nation.
The Republicans can do this by taking back their party from the bloodthirsty, traitorous, and un-American MAGA movement. Mr. Calore is MAGA through and through. He had a Let’s Go Brandon sign on his lawn for a long time. He’s previously compared being a Democrat to having a mental illness. And he believes January 6th was a “Peaceful Protest.” (And let’s not forget, this dude once was accused of assaulting a disabled teenager in an ice cream shop, at the height of the COVID-19 Pandemic, because he was asked to put on a mask.)
The Democrats can do this by taking back their party from the corporations who want to hurt you by opposing legislation that would save you money, protect the environment, and guarantee you healthcare coverage, even if the MAGA Murder Bill succeeds in Congress by slashing Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.
I’m referring here to the NY Heat Act, which the Democrats in the State Senate, State Assembly, and the Governor’s mansion did not pass, as well as the New York Health Act. And while Governor Kathy Hochul wants to act like she cares about our friends and neighbors who may not be here legally, I’ll also point out to you that she — as well as State Senator James G. Skoufis and Assemblyman Chris Eachus — also did not pass the New York For All Act.
Instead, Governor Kathy Hochul is going to play tough on Facebook. That’ll show ‘em.
Both parties have failed you. The Republicans claims they’re working on behalf of the Working Class, but when they say that to you, they’re simultaneously making a wanking motion.
The Democrats claim to work on behalf of the Working Class, and sometimes they do, but more often than not, they talk a good game. Then they pass bills the big corporations like, such as the Genius Act in the Senate when you’re not looking.
The Republicans lie to your face. The Democrats wait until you’re not paying attention to stab you in the back.
That’s the bad news. The good news is, it’s not too late to join your local Democrat or Republican committees and kick out all these weird assholes on both sides who don’t want to put the people first.
What Is Juneteenth?
As a disclaimer, I was pursuing a Ph.D. in American History at the University at Albany. Then the Great Recession happened. I told this story in my first book. What you need to know here is that what I’m going to share with you isn’t some armchair analysis. I have a legitimate interest in American History, and I read A LOT about it. So despite not having the Ph.D., I’m as qualified as anyone to share the following answer with you.
Juneteenth marks the end of the Civil War’s second phase. There are three phases. You’re living through the third one.
Phase 1 is typically defined as the period from the ratification of the Constitution in 1788 to 1861. This is because the Constitution was, at best, a tenuous compromise with the Slave Power. And then over the next 73 years, as America expanded west and took possession of stolen Native land — to say nothing of the land we stole from Mexico in the Mexican American War — the Slave Power often agitated for, and won, continued concessions from the federal government. These concessions allowed for the Slave Power to expand its territory and its power. And each time they expanded, there would be a battle in Congress, the Court, and sometimes literal fighting in the new territories. (See: “Bleeding Kansas”, for just one example.)
This continued expansion of the Slave Power led to the Compromise of 1850, which didn’t satisfy either side. That’s because what would become the CSA (the Confederate States of America) wanted all of Mexico and what’s now Central America as well. If they could have taken South America, they would have done so.
Phase 2 of the Civil War was the actual military campaign that everyone learns in school, beginning at Fort Sumter in 1861 and ending on April 9th, 1865. But Appomattox Court House, where General Robert E. Lee surrendered, was not the end, because there were still remnants of the Confederacy to contend with. The remnants of the Slave Power would surrender on June 2nd, 1865. And then, seventeen days later, the federal army would reach Texas and free the last of the enslaved people. That’s what Juneteenth celebrates.
A simple way to remember the significance of Juneteenth is that it marks the end of the American Civil War. Or at least the version of the Civil War currently taught in school.
Don’t let any of these MAGA Morons try to tell you Juneteenth is some “WOKE DEI Bullshit.” They don’t like that they lost the Civil War. They don’t want you to remind them that they lost.
Everyone in America should send this protester — from the June 14th 'No Kings' protest at Fort Lauderdale Beach — some money. Because this is the sign that everyone who cares about America, and wants to take back their country from the Slave Power, should bring to their next protest.
(By the way: There’s another gathering in Monroe on Saturday, June 21st, from 1 pm to 2 pm at the Corner of 17M and Lake Street. You should go. Not only to protest against the Trump Administration, but also to protest the corrupt New York State Democratic Party as well. Everyone who wants change in America, and commits to working toward that change in a peaceful and non-violent way, is welcome.)
The Civil War’s Third Phase Is Happening Now
Phase 3 is what you’re currently living through.
After General Lee surrenders, and after Lincoln is assassinated (both events occur within five days of each other in April 1865), a few things happen:
First, our worst president until Donald Trump, Andrew Johnson, took power. And Johnson’s approach, as a Southerner himself, is to basically undo a lot of what was proposed and otherwise intended in terms of Reconstruction (see: 40 Acres and a Lie.)
Second, General Grant and the rest of the Union Army don’t burn the remnants of the Confederacy to the ground. They should have. Instead, they just sort of shrug their shoulders and go, “Well. That settles that!” Most former Confederates get off with a slap on the wrist. This comes back to haunt everyone. A lesson I hope you all remember, because there will be an end to the Trump Regime, and there will come a moment where someone says, “Let’s move forward and leave the past behind.” And that’s the moment where you, yes, you reading this, will need to plant your feet and say firmly, “No. Every single one of these motherfuckers is going to be tried and punished to the maximum extent of the law.”
Finally, and this is an easy one to overlook, the Confederate States of America had numerous wealthy backers. Many of whom lived in the North. So, don’t believe the “Lost Cause” myth that portrays it as a ragtag army against the fearsome Union army. That’s not reality. The Confederacy was essentially a plot by wealthy slave owners to convince poor southerners that they were superior to anyone who wasn’t white. Sound familiar?
Well, it should. Because after the Civil War’s second phase ends, those wealthy assholes create what we can now say is one of history’s most successful propaganda campaigns. Culminating with the modern equivalent of the Confederacy, MAGA, now in charge of the Federal Government.
Yes. White Supremacy was baked into the DNA of America from the beginning. Just ask any of our Native brothers and sisters. But after the Civil War, all of the Slave Power’s money went into propaganda. Putting up statues to honor Confederate soldiers. Naming schools and military installations after so-called Confederate Heroes. Publishing myths like the false narrative that the Civil War was fought over “States’ Rights.”
And when propaganda didn’t work? They used fear and intimidation. Today, that’s the National Guard and the Army in Los Angeles. Back then, it was the Ku Klux Klan (KKK).
Speaking of which: In Woodbury right now, there’s an anonymous sock puppet account using the name “Nat Bedford.” Nat Bedford is short for Nathan Bedford Forrest. The man who, after serving as a general in the Confederate Army, was a founding member of the Ku Klux Klan. So, if that Nat Bedford account is tied to Woodbury Mayoral Candidate Brandon Calore — which I personally suspect it is — I’d take that as pretty clear validation of Mr. Calore’s bigotry; and that he’s unfit to serve in any office, let alone the one he’s currently got as a Town Board member.
The only thing that really changed between MAGA today and the Slave Power then is that they don’t run around using the N-word.
Instead, they say “WOKE” and “DEI.” But you should understand that, while the specific word is different, the context and the intent behind it are the same as calling someone a …
This photo represents the high watermark of the Confederacy. It’s not Gettysburg in 1863. It’s January 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C. MAGA is the Confederacy. The Confederacy is MAGA.
Still not convinced? Do take the next twenty minutes or so to watch this clip. You’ll see MAGA, the Slave Power returned, calling for Civil War.
They don’t want to send troops to Iran. They want to send troops to Los Angeles. Why? They want to finish the fight they lost in 1865.
That’s why we celebrate Juneteenth. To remember that we beat these assholes before. And we’re going to beat them again.
So, Happy Juneteenth!
Was Motty Kellner Dropped On His Head?
If you’re new to The Monroe Gazette, let me hopefully recap what we’ve said over the last year or so in as few words as possible:
-Organizations in our region that often call themselves United Jewish Community of (Insert Town) are usually not united, and actively practice discrimination against non-Satmar members of the Jewish community. In fact, as we’ve argued before, the United Jewish Community of Blooming Grove meets both the FBI and the Southern Poverty Law Center’s definition of a hate group.
-Often organizations such as United Jewish Community of Blooming Grove, and Motty Kellner — and other parties — in United Jewish Community of Woodbury, will often try to exaggerate their size and numbers. Especially in court. They’ll sue, usually utilizing the law firm of Whiteman Osterman and Hanna, and that law firm will constantly say it’s suing on behalf of “The Orthodox Community.” Which, is also a flat-out lie.
This, too, is easily proven. If you go down to Rockland and talk to any of our Orthodox brothers and sisters, you’ll find they don’t think very highly of our Haredi brothers and sisters. The Satmar in particular. (The feeling is usually mutual. This makes me sad. There are so few of us Jews, comparatively speaking, in America, and the factional bullshit just makes us weaker. Like I said at the start, our differences make us stronger as a community. Its weakness to discriminate against anyone who is different from you. Especially when that difference is a matter of degrees. Unfortunately, if you ask any of the other thirty or so Haredi groups who is the most aggressive and unwelcoming to others, universally they’ll tell you it’s the Satmar.)
Yet if you read a lot of Whiteman, Osterman, and Hanna cases — as I have — you’ll see they consistently describe their clients as representing “The Orthodox Community.” Mr. Joel Stern even tried to pull that trick in a letter to Governor Kathy Hochul, asking for a convicted sex offender to be released from prison.
So, United Jewish Community organizations, at least in our area, are typically fronts for our Satmar brothers and sisters that exaggerate their size in order to intimidate judges and politicians who don’t know any better. It’s good marketing. But it’s not reality.
Much like the United Jewish Community of Blooming Grove, the United Jewish Community of Woodbury also acts as a front for real estate developers.
Having talked to some of our Satmar brothers and sisters in Woodbury, I can tell you they do NOT want to be annexed into Kiryas Joel. Yet here we are with Motty Kellner and other members of the United Jewish Community of Woodbury advocating for a candidate who will allow for that to happen. (That, my friends, is why State Senator Skoufis supports Brandon Calore in Woodbury and David Rabbitts, Paul Phelan, and Brandon Bernard in Monroe. It’s all about getting himself funding for his future congressional bid, and that funding is going to come from the multimillion-dollar real estate interests both in and out of the Satmar community in our area. These interests do not represent all of the Satmar. They do not represent all of the Haredi. They do not represent the Orthodox. And they do not represent you either. They just to pretend to, because its good marketing to do so.)
So, these organizations will tell you that they’re serving the entire Jewish community — again, they’re not — but in reality, they are serving the needs of real estate developers who want a piece of property. And the second that they don’t get it, they’ll immediately claim anti-semitism. (See: Moche Halpern and United Jewish Community of Blooming Grove suing Washingtonville, which we covered too.)
Sometimes! They are correct. Sometimes!
Only a fool would tell you that there’s no anti-semitism in America, let alone here in New York State, where we have the largest population of Jewish people outside of Israel.
And like I mentioned, the Proud Boys congregate in Woodbury for a reason. So, yes. There have been, are, and will be instances of actual anti-semitism that can and should be called out and litigated against.
But …
There’s also a lot of “Boy Who Cried Anti-Semite” here, too.
And the actions of the United Jewish Community of Woodbury just helped prove that. How can an organization, claiming to represent the entire Jewish community, endorse a man who traffics in anti-semitic conspiracy theories? The only real answer is that they did so because their group is a front for real estate interests.
Brandon Calore traffics in anti-semitic conspiracy theories. The most recent one, not involving The Monroe Gazette, came after Sue Ciriello and Vic Ferrarelli were re-elected to the Woodbury Village Board. After they won, and despite all evidence to the contrary — where the Satmar neighborhoods came out overwhelmingly for their opponents, Tyler Etzel Jr. and John U. Keleman — Mr. Calore could be heard by multiple Woodbury residents saying, “Vic and Sue won because of The JEWS.”
And, State Senator James G. Skoufis, is also trafficking in those same anti-semitic conspiracy theories on his Protect Monroe-Woodbury website.
We’ve already debunked all these other claims — the legitimately fake Mid-Hudson news story, where they probably libeled the Village of Woodbury (and we feel, should be sued), the exaggeration on the Senior Housing, the mayor’s raise which works out to pennies on the dollar, the tax levy going up specifically to PAY FOR A FIRE TRUCK during the same year that our area experienced a MASSIVE CLIMATE CHANGE FUELED FOREST FIRE.
But then there’s that last one. You see it highlighted above. You notice there’s no context or explanation. It just has the Election Results. Why?
That’s because William J. Alexander and State Senator Skoufis can’t say, out loud, “THE JEWS voted for Andrew Giacomazza.”
Skoufis and Alexander just want you to look at the district-by-district breakdown, and if you know where to look, you’ll be able to infer that for yourself.
So, you’ll have to forgive me if I now don’t take anything United Jewish Community of Woodbury has to say. Especially if it’s actively boosting a man to its followers who spreads virulent anti-semitic conspiracies. Ones involving ancient tropes like “The Jews control the politicians,” which is what both Brandon Calore and State Senator James G. Skoufis ,and his Door Dash Delivery Driver William J. Alexander, want you to think.
What’s really going on here is that some members of the Satmar community, specifically those with business before the Woodbury Planning Board, don’t like the scrutiny they face over incomplete, or often incompetently completed, forms and paperwork. (To which I offer the snarky response, maybe you should offer English Language Equivalency classes in your Yeshivas to avoid such problems. But that’s a topic for another time. Shout out to our friends at YAFFED who can use your support on that end of things.)
What United Jewish Community of Woodbury wants to do, and this isn’t speculation, this is fact based on the statements of Village Trustee James Freiband, is get rid of Chris Gerver, who is on the Woodbury Planning Board as the Chair.
They want to replace him with an old drunk whom we previously reported on, who will basically do what Tom Shepstone does in South Blooming Grove: Rubberstamp everything without question or discussion.
This isn’t good for our brothers and sisters in the Satmar community. This isn’t good for our brothers and sisters in the Woodbury community. This is only beneficial for the wealthy and well-connected who want to get their projects approved without considering the consequences those projects will have. This is only beneficial for the wealthy and well-connected who want to then gouge members of their own community, instead of actually offering affordable housing. We’ll remind you that, with the Clovewood development — which had the backing of Joel Stern’s United Jewish Community, and Whiteman Osterman and Hannah claiming it was anti-Semitism to oppose — less than 100 of the 1,200 units are reserved as affordable housing.
It’s a scam like most things in America. And we all need to start calling it out. That process can begin by calling out the United Jewish Community of Woodbury, and its members like Motty Kellner, who want to endorse anti-semites just to make a few extra bucks at the expense of his community and yours.