At a Meet the Mayor event held in Jackson last year, Mayor Mike Reina made comments that appear to show that his interest in prohibiting an eruv from being installed in Jackson was due to concerns of Jews bringing their religion into the town.
In audio shared with TLS, Reina is heard saying that because an eruv is for religious purposes, he opposes it. “This is something that has to do with religion. Right then and there I walk away from it,” Reina said. He went on to equivocate the installation of an eruv with imposing a religion on others. “Do I get to decree a law in Jackson that you can’t eat meat on Friday?” asked Reina. (The religion Reina adheres to prohibits the eating of meat on Friday.)
To think that erecting an eruv is somehow imposing religion on others takes an incredible amount of warped mental gymnastics. An eruv is a literal piece of fishing wire strung up between poles. It has zero significance to anyone and has no affect on anyone besides for a religious Jew who wishes to carry an item or push a stroller outside of their homes. It does not mean the Jew who put up the wire owns or has any right to the property within the wires’ boundaries, and nobody is required or even encouraged to abide by any Jewish law because of the wire. For Reina to say that putting up such an eruv is the same as passing laws prohibiting eating meat on Friday is really something.
The lawsuit filed by Agudath Israel of America on Friday documents Reina having encouraged Jackson residents not to sell homes to Orthodox Jews. That evidence makes it difficult to believe that Reina was being anything but discriminatory when opposing the installation of an eruv, and completely dishonest when comparing it to the imposition of religion on others.
More to come.
Fire Reina
County should fire Mike Reina
Great job TLS!! All these audio clips and articles are making everyone aware of the Anti-Semites we have in Jackson. I’m surprised the AG or State hasn’t said a word about this. Outright hatred by an elected official should be investigated swiftly and not ignored
And what’s about the Jackson law that a homeowner Cannot pray in his own house with some friends?
Reina ,Nixon, calogero and bressi need to go
Mike Reina is Jackson Strong….see you in court mr reina
in a country where murder was considered criminal and which now encourages murder of unborn children, wht did you expect?
Reina is a anti-semite bigot?… no way can’t be, shocker