Congressman Maloney Receives Warm Welcome During Visit to Local Rabbanim

Rockland Daily Staff

Yesterday Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney met with leading Rockland rabbonim, receiving a warm welcome from Rav Chaim Shia Halberstam of the Satmar community, the Puppa Ruv, Rav Wozner of the Satmar community, and the Belzer Dayan among others.

The Rabbanim expressed their utmost appreciation for what Congressman Maloney has done for Klal Yisrael and for the heimishe community over the past decade.

The leading askan Rabbi Moshe Margaretten accompanied the Congressman to some of the meetings. Rabbi Margaretten passionately expressed the numerous times that Congressman Maloney led the effort to free individuals with excessive sentences from prison. He compared him to being a Nachson, oftentimes being the first in Congress and his party to sign letters and take charge in seeing matters of Pidyon Shvuyim to fruition.

The Rabbonim were deeply moved by his successful efforts in the area of pidyon shvuyim. Each Rov separately thanked the Congressman for the successful advocacy he has done for their various kehilos.

Congressman Maloney spent time at every stop discussing the issues on the minds of the great rabbonim, amongst them, first and foremost, the issue of chinuch in our Yeshivas. The Congressman assured the rabbonim, that although this is an issue on the State level he vowed that he would never allow federal funding to be cut for Yeshivas and pledged to the Rabbonim that he will continue fighting and standing up for Yeshivas. He stressed that Yeshiva education is an extremely important issue and not one to play politics with.

Additionally, the Congressman pledged to work individually with the rabbonim in his next term in Congress and looks forward to building on his decade-plus record of accomplishments of delivering meaningful actual results.

Several of the Askanim throughout the meetings expressed sorrow that Congressman Maloney is disingenuously being tied to the yeshiva education crisis facing New York. They acknowledged that this is an Albany issue, not a federal issue. They discussed Congressman Maloney's stellar reputation working with defending chasidishe Yeshivas for ten years.

The rabbonim thanked him for his forceful stand against the attacks on our Yeshivah system and our way of life. They all gave him brochos for victory and continued success.

As Gedaliah Szeged in, the Village Administrator from Kiryas Joel, remarked, "Congressman Maloney has been a leading proponent for us. From our infrastructure needs to attacks on our way of life to taking the lead on Pidyon Shvuyim- We never had to wonder if he was there for us. He has proven this over and over. While we are sad that we will be losing an effective Member of Congress- we are excited for our friends in Monsey to gain a proven champion for our way of life."