NY Governor Criticizes Rabbi's Comments Blaming Sandy On Same-Sex Marriage

Yesterday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued a press release strongly criticizing comments made by Rabbi Noson Leiter, Executive Director of Torah Jews for Decency. Leiter in an appearance on VC America's Crosstalk (audio recording of program) blamed the flooding from Hurricane Sandy in New York on the state's legalization of same-sex marriage. Cuomo said in part:

The comments made by Rabbi Noson Leiter that sought to link the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy to our state's embrace of marriage equality are as offensive as they are ignorant.... This kind of hateful rhetoric has no place in our public discourse, and is particularly distasteful in times of tragedy.... I call on Rabbi Leiter to apologize immediately for his hurtful comments.

Vos Iz Neias? also reports on these developments.