Enemies Of Greenfield Distribute Harsh Literature In His District

Councilman David Greenfield was attacked by an anonymous group looking to damage his reelection chances this November. According to a report by City & State, enemies of Greenfield released an 8-page pamphlet, written in Yiddish, that harshly labeled Greenfield as a ” failure” and “traitor.”

The literature, which was translated into English by the blog Perpetual Voices, narrowed in on some of Greenfield’s actions regarding issues important to the largely Orthodox constituency that he represents. One charge claimed that Greenfield was being “cynical” in his sponsorship of a bill that sought to overturn city regulations concerning “metzitzah b’peh,” a controversial circumcision ritual. The pamphlet charged that Greenfield was merely paying “lip service” to the issue and only put forward the legislation to win votes.

The pamphlet also accused Greenfield of leaking the infamous photo of Assemblyman Dov Hikind, decked out in “blackface” makeup, to the media. The wording of the attack is highly charged and speaks strongly to the idea that bad blood is still boiling between the Greenfield and Hikind camps:

Greenfield’s Disdain: In his blind jealousy of State Assemblyman Dov Hikind, Greenfield “leaked” to the media a photo of Hikind in a Purim costume insinuating racism in an innocent Jewish tradition. It backfired (V’Nahapoch Hu) as Hikind’s black colleagues came to his defense but still caused embarrassment to the community. This revealed a serious flaw in Greenfield’s character; he has disdain for revered Jewish religious traditions, and seeks conflict rather than harmony for his own interests.

City & State noted that Republican Joseph Hayon, who is challenging Greenfield in the election, denied any involvement with the pamphlet’s production, but echoed some of the points made in the literature:

Hayon denied issuing the literature, but did reiterate several accusations against Greenfield that were highlighted in the pamphlet, including his support for a Council resolution urging Albany to pass the Women’s Equality Agenda which, among other things, would codify abortion rights.

“I’m aware that [the pamphlet] attacks David Greenfield, I am not aware of its details,” Hayon said, later adding that “there are certain issues that David Greenfield did do that he shouldn’t have done.”