In a post I wrote here on September 24, I posed a question for all seven mayoral candidates and five of the six candidates for Town Council in West Orange, New Jersey. Would they regard it as disqualifying for a candidate for office to say, “We are humans, not Jews”? (Council candidate Justin Goldsman had actually said, “We are human not Muslim,” but I re-phrased the question for present purposes.) I requested a yes/no answer, on the record, before Election Day. Two candidates for Town Council gave answers, then withdrew them. A third, Micaela Bennett, answered last night. Here it is.

I would denounce any statement suggesting that people of a particular faith are somehow less than fully human. Context matters when evaluating words. But I can think of no context that would justify a public official–or anyone seeking public office–making a statement like that. Jewish people are human beings. Their Jewish identity does not need to be erased, minimized, or denied for their humanity to be recognized. And that principle is universal. Every person deserves to have their humanity fully recognized and respected–regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, or any other part of who they are. West Orange is a diverse community. Every resident deserves to know that the people seeking to represent them respect both their humanity and their identity. There should be no ambiguity about that. On the record. Before Election Day. Thank you, Micaela.
Micaela Bennett for West Orange Council. Micaela4westorange@gmail.com.

I don’t disagree with any of that, but don’t regard it as a direct answer to the question I asked. I asked whether a variant of Goldsman’s statement disqualified a candidate for office. Bennett’s response, true as far as it goes, doesn’t address the latter issue, and so, doesn’t qualify as a yes/no answer to my question.