Governor Kathy Hochul and her running mate Lt. Governor Antonio Delgado have received the backing of prominent leaders of the Crown Heights Jewish community in the upcoming Democratic primaries next week.
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The endorsement by the Crown Heights PAC on Sunday came just days after the governor got the support from the largest Chassidic voting blocs in New York, the two Satmar factions in Williamsburg.
“These elections are crucial for our community,” the Crown Heights PAC said in a statement. “One or two hundred votes may make the difference in the outcome of the election. It is essential that we come out and vote to ensure that our community’s voice is heard on issues like Safety, Yeshivah Education and Justice Reform.”
Since she was appointed as lieutenant governor in 2014 until this very day, Hochul has managed to establish a working relationship with community leaders and has proven to be a reliable ally.
In 2018, Hochul visited the Jewish Children’s Museum, headed by Devorah Halberstam, in Crown Heights. A year later, as the community faced a rash of antisemitic attacks in the fall of 2019, Hochul embarked on a walking tour of the neighborhood, including a visit to the Chabad Lubavitch headquarters on Eastern Parkway.
Weeks after she was sworn in as governor, Hochul visited the community for a Sukkos celebration at the home of Rabbi Chanina Sperlin, the executive vice president of governmental affairs at the Crown Heights Jewish Community Council. “I won’t let you down,” Hochul said in her remarks. “I am going to continue to come back and make sure that we address all the needs of all New Yorkers, because you are all part of my family.”
We are proud to call Governor Hochul a friend,” Rabbi Sperlin said. “We are united in our gratitude and enthusiastic about supporting her and her Lt. governor Antonio Delgado, for re-election.”
Rabbi Jacob Goldstein, retired U.S. Army chaplain (col) and former chairman of Community Board 9, said Hochul “always felt very comfortable being in our community and has earned our support.”
The primary for governor and lieutenant governor is on Tuesday, June 28. Early voting started on June 18 through Sunday, June 26.
The endorsement comes at a time when antisemitic attacks in Brooklyn and throughout the five boroughs are surging, in addition to other violent crime. Many believe that the state’s no-cash-bail law is at least partially responsible, and while Governor Hochul has been under pressure to support bail reform, she has displayed mixed signals.