Koppell Claims Klein Ally’s Comment ‘Smacks of Anti-Semitism’

[hrmjustin]

Will Bredderman

Oliver Koppell, the primary challenger to Bronx State Senator Jeff Klein, accused a Klein ally of making an anti-Semitic remark at a rally last week.

Mr. Koppell, a former councilman, charged that Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj–who shares a Morris Park office with Mr. Klein–was way out of bounds when he said that Mr. Koppell should have “went back to Riverdale where he belongs.”

“Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj has made remarks unworthy of an elected public official,” Mr. Koppell, who represented the heavily Jewish neighborhood of Riverdale in the City Council, recently wrote on Facebook. “Riverdale is of course known as a Jewish community. I am of the Jewish faith. Is Mr. Gjonaj suggesting that Jews should stay out of Morris Park?”

Mr. Gjonaj held an event in support of Mr. Klein in front of his office after Mr. Koppell scheduled a press conference there — and, when Mr. Koppell did not arrive, made the allegedly inflammatory remark. Mr. Koppell then blasted Mr. Gjonaj’s comments in a Facebook post as an effort to stir up old ethnic resentments in historically Italian Morris Park.

Read more at http://observer.com/2014/07/koppell-claims-klein-ally-gjonajs-comment-smacks-of-anti-semitism/#ixzz36LCymJxb

[ZombieHorde]

1. I'm probably missing something here,

but seems to me he was talking about one person, as opposed to one of many demographics that person belongs to.

[hrmjustin]

2. Whatever was meant the politics is good for Koppell.

[Smarmie Doofus]

3. It was only a matter of time before the question of who was the "most Jewish" of ...

the candidates became *THE* issue.

Keep in mind... the two are running for state senate. The NYS Senate HAS NO FOREIGN POLICY.

Yet... the election seems to hinge on the question of who is more "Pro-Israel."

Both candidates are Jewish and pro-Israel.

Koppell's former campaign manager, Robert Akleh...is an Israeli citizen. But he is a *Christian* israeli citizen of Arab descent who'd posted comments critical of Israeli foreign policy, on the internet *before* he became Koppell's campaign manager. Klein's team ... maybe w. some help.... found out about it and turned it into a big deal. ( i.e. worse than Auschswitz, Munich and Kristalnacht combined.)

Anyhoo... long story short... he ( Akleh) had to resign because you JUST CAN'T DO THAT here. ( It's my home district. Akleh may have been right or wrong, but Koppell knows you're not allowed to challenge certain assumptions here. Regardless of how inane or idiotic those assumptions might be.)

Meanwhile... back on planet Earth... it turns out that this Gjonaj character bought a house for 260k in the district and then sold it back to Klein four months later for 500k.

Sometimes , I think we get the government we deserve. ( Who said that anyway? Before I did, that is.)