A group of New York Orthodox Jews have formed a group, “Jews Pick Rick,” supporting presidential candidate Rick Santorum in his quest for the White House, they announced in a statement this morning.
“What started as three men in a small room has grown into a larger operation as many Jews have emailed or communicated to us their interest in helping Santorum,” David Shor, the spokesman for the organization, said in the release.
“The sole goal of Jews Pick Rick is to turn the Orthodox community into Santorum territory, spreading Rick’s conservative message to Boro Park, Flatbush, Monsey, Lakewood and Five Towns,” he continued, touting Mr. Santorum’s foreign policy views.
The group also took the bat to Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign, “whose Jewish advisers are primarily secular Jews,” according to the release.
“These statistics are reflected in the list of delegates from New York which both campaigns have — there are several distinctly Orthodox names in Santorum’s list with much fewer in Romney’s. Santorum has a longstanding relationship with Agudath Israel, and the Orthodox community in his home state of Pennsylvania speaks highly of him.”
As to what Jews Pick Rick will do for Mr. Santorum’s campaign, they said their current plan “is to issue press releases to highlight Santorum’s positions that are relevant to the community.”
Mr. Santorum should probably keep those Hanukkah cards in the drawer, however.
Update: A reader points out that Mr. Romney does, in fact, have an Orthodox Jewish policy adviser on his campaign team, Tevi Troy.
Update II: Mr. Troy tweets that he’s not alone, either.