ALBANY — Former Gov. George Pataki ripped an upstate rabbi for making “offensive and disgraceful” comments that described Hurricane Sandy as divine payback for New York legalizing gay marriage.
Pataki called on fellow Republican Neil DiCarlo — who is running on the Conservative Party line for a state Senate seat from the Hudson Valley — to denounce the remarks of Rabbi Noson Leiter. DiCarlo opposes gay marriage, and the orthodox rabbi made the statements in support of his third-party candidacy.
“It’s simply incomprehensible that anyone could attribute the devastation and loss of life caused by Hurricane Sandy to divine retribution against the New York State legislature,” Pataki railed.
“It’s like blaming America’s belief in freedom for the attacks of Sept. 11,” Pataki added.
The former three-term Republican governor has supported some gay rights issues, but opposed same-sex marriage.
Rabbi Leiter, head of Torah Jews for Decency, made the comments during an Oct. 30 radio interview. He called the destructive storm “divine justice,” particularly for lower Manhattan, which he branded “one of the national centers for homosexuality.”
He equated Sandy to the biblical storm that prompted Noah to build his ark.
“The Lord will not bring another flood to destroy the entire world, but he can punish particular areas with that flood, and if we look at the same-gender-marriage recognition movement that’s occurring, that’s certainly a message for us to learn,” Leiter opined.
He went on to say that DiCarlo’s race is important for “pro-family people in every area of the country.”
Pataki argued that because Leiter’s remarks were made in support of DiCarlo, the candidate “has a responsibility to repudiate them.”
Reached by phone, DiCarlo refused to take that step when asked repeatedly. He instead questioned Pataki’s motives.
“Ask Mr. Pataki why he endorsed my opponent, and why he is bringing this up two days before the election — and then I’ll answer your question,” DiCarlo said before hanging up.
DiCarlo’s Conservative challenge is a threat to the incumbency of longtime Sen. Stephen Saland, one of four Republicans who voted last year to legalize gay marriage. Saland narrowly defeated DiCarlo in the September GOP primary, and Republicans fear DiCarlo’s presence on the Conservative Party line Tuesday will draw votes away from Saland, helping Democrat Terry Gipson.
Gov. Cuomo, who aggressively pushed the gay marriage measure last year, crossed party lines to endorse Saland.
Superstorm Sandy could play an important role in deciding the fierce battle for state Senate supremacy.
The tight race between incumbent Democrat Sen. Joseph Addabbo and Republican City Councilman Eric Ulrich in storm-swamped southern Queens is not the only key race where experts predict results could be impacted by dislocated disaster victims who either can’t get to the polls or are more concerned with recovering than voting.
Post-storm turmoil could affect the close race in Westchester County between Democrat George Latimer and Republican Bob Cohen for the seat being vacated by retiring Democrat Sen. Suzi Oppenheimer. And on Long Island, the chaos could play out in two races: the Nassau County contest between incumbent Republican Sen. Kemp Hannon and Democratic challenger Ryan Cronin, and the Suffolk County showdown between Republican Phil Boyle and Democrat Rick Montano to replace GOP veteran Sen. Owen Johnson.
“Both parties are busy trying to find their voters or trying to make sure their voters find them,” veteran Democratic consultant Hank Sheinkopf observed.
“Here’s a case where nature will determine politics. Everything the politicians think they can do to influence an election doesn’t mean a thing when God intervenes. Man plans, God laughs.”
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
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