We urge the New York City Board of Elections and the officials to whom it answers to reconsider the practice of locating polling booths in religious houses of worship. According to some of our Jewish readers, the Board of Elections has notified them that their early voting poll site for the upcoming June primary elections and November general elections is a nearby church.
(Primary Election Day is June 15 and the early voting period runs from June 15 – June 23. General Election Day is November 5 and the early election period runs from October 2 – November 3.)
Historically, there are a number of reasons popularly given for why Jews will not enter a church. Non-Jewish religious symbols are thought to have the potential for rendering Jews more vulnerable to conversion efforts. In addition, given the long and ongoing history of attempts to convert Jews, they are loathe to enter churches in order to avoid even the appearance of interest in being converted or engaging in idol worship, which a Jew being seen entering or exiting a church could suggest.
Nor is this concern for appearances a matter of personal idiosyncrasy. In Judaism there is also the concept of maris ayin or “appearance to the eye” which is the prohibition of even giving the impression that one is doing something wrong when it may influence others to sin. Colloquially it has been described as representing the difference between doing something seemingly kosher, treif-style and something treif, in a seemingly kosher style.
To be sure, today is not then and the message now sent by a Jew’s entering or exiting a church may not be interested in idol worship or conversion. But it is also a tenet of Judaism that one does not just discard tradition.
We trust the change in venue could be easily accomplished. We believe it should happen.
