With Focus on Morality, Salgado Carves Jewish Niche

Harav Avraham Yaakov Nelkenbaum, Rosh Yeshivah of Mir, took off from his night seder to express his support for Salgado.

“He is strongly committed to stopping these perversions, the corruption of the minds and these actions,” the Rosh Yeshivah said. “For the Alm-ghty, there are no long shots or short shots.”

Among the participants were state Sen. Ruben Diaz Jr., who received the sole standing ovation of the evening when he said that he was the only Democrat to vote against the immorality bill in 2011. He paved a path for a Salgado victory by noting that he was the only Hispanic in the race.

“You get from the Jewish community 10,000 votes,” he said. “We in the Hispanic community will supply the rest.”

Salgado echoed that hope, saying, “I got the Jewish community with me; I got Brooklyn with me.”

Salgado took several pokes at his heavy accent — he was born in Puerto Rico. At one point he wondered why, when a Hispanic with an accent says, “Good morning,” people respond with the same accent.

“The career politicians, they say that I have no chance,” he said. “They look at me and they laugh. But I am used to it. They push me. They twist my words. They don’t like my accent. But, my friends, when I finish fixing up the city of New York, they are going to love my accent. They are going to try to talk the way I talk.”

Salgado promised that if elected, he would curtail the liberalism that Mayor Michael Bloomberg has championed, push for greater public funding for yeshivos, and roll back city regulation of bris milah.

This article appeared in print on page 5 of the April 29th, 2013 edition of Hamodia.