Lew Y. Levin(February 4, 2013

''Yeshiva World News''. Retrieved January 26, 2022. or Yehuda Levin (born 1954) is a

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York-based

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

known for his endorsing of hard-right Republican Party political candidates and his vocal opposition to

gay rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Notably, , 3 ...

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

, and

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...

. He has run for elective office numerous times but has lost each time.

Beliefs and political activities

Levin is a vocal religious conservative and opposes

LGBT rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Notably, , 33 ...

and

. Levin is a member of the advisory committee of Jews Against Anti-Christian Defamation, a US-based Jewish group dedicated to fighting discrimination directed against Christians, and tends to be in alliance with Christian

evangelicals Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...

on efforts opposed to LGBTQ rights and other social issues. This led to his 1996 support for

Pat Buchanan Patrick Joseph Buchanan (; born November 2, 1938) is an American paleoconservative political commentator, columnist, politician, and broadcaster. Buchanan was an assistant and special consultant to U.S. Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, an ...

. Levin has run for public office numerous times. He ran for Congress in 1984 on the Republican ticket; for mayor of New York City in 1985 on the

Right to Life The right to life is the belief that a being has the right to live and, in particular, should not be killed by another entity. The concept of a right to life arises in debates on issues including capital punishment, with some people seeing it as ...

ticket, and for New York City Council in 1991 and 1993 on the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

ticket. He was unsuccessful in each of these elections. Levin was involved in stopping a

gay pride LGBT pride (also known as gay pride or simply pride) is the promotion of the self-affirmation, dignity, equality, and increased visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people as a social group. Pride, as opposed to sham ...

event from taking place in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. In October 2010, Levin worked with Carl Paladino to prepare a homophobic statement that Paladino read at a meeting of New York Orthodox groups, which made national news. Paladino later apologized for that statement, causing Levin to withdraw his support from Paladino. Levin is often noted in popular culture for his strong anti-gay statements, most notably his statement blaming the

2010 Haiti earthquake A disaster, catastrophic Moment magnitude scale, magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake struck Haiti at 16:53 local time (21:53 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. The epicenter was near the town of Léogâne, Ouest (department), Ouest department, a ...

on the presence of homosexuals in the military. Levin posted a video onto

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

the same day as

2011 Virginia earthquake On August 23, 2011, a magnitude 5.8 earthquake hit the Piedmont region of the U.S. state of Virginia at 1:51:04 p.m. EDT. The epicenter, in Louisa County, was northwest of Richmond and south-southwest of the town of Mineral. It was an ...

in which he said, "The

Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cente ...

states, "You have shaken your male member in a place where it doesn’t belong. I too, will shake the Earth." He said that homosexuals shouldn't take it personally: "We don’t hate homosexuals. I feel bad for homosexuals. It’s a revolt against God and literally, there’s hell to pay."

Endorsements

Levin supported

Randall Terry Randall Allen Terry (born 1959) is an American activist and political candidate. Terry founded the anti-abortion organization Operation Rescue, which he later abandoned. Beginning in 1987, the group became particularly prominent for blockading t ...

's bid to run as a Democrat in 2012 for President of the United States.

Praise and criticism

Levin, a student of

Avigdor Miller Avigdor HaKohen Miller (August 28, 1908 – April 20, 2001) was an American Haredi rabbi, author, and lecturer most prominently known for instigating and invigorating extreme right-wing politics in American Orthodox Jewry. He served simultan ...

, has received praise by Orthodox rabbis for defending tradition. Nevertheless, some Orthodox rabbis and community leaders from Ashkenazic and Hasidic communities have responded negatively to Levin. Levin has also received support from some conservative Catholics for causes relevant to the

World Congress of Families The World Congress of Families (WCF) is a United States coalition that promotes Christian right values internationally. It opposes same-sex marriage, pornography, and abortion, while supporting a society built on "the voluntary union of a man and ...

.Indian Catholic
reprint of

Zenit News Agency ZENIT was a non-profit news agency that reported on the Catholic Church and matters important to it from the perspective of Catholic doctrine. Its motto was "the world seen from Rome." The agency suspended operations at the end of 2020, citing the ...

article

References

External links

http://rabbilevin.com

https://web.archive.org/web/20080319141958/http://www.godreignoverus.com/

Rabbi Levin's radio show
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Levin, Yehuda American Haredi rabbis Living people 1954 births Orthodox rabbis from New York City New York (state) Republicans Conservative Party of New York State politicians New York State Right to Life Party politicians American anti-abortion activists American anti-same-sex-marriage activists 20th-century American rabbis 21st-century American rabbis