Lancman wants to be your landsman in Congress

Rory Lancman is convinced he can make a difference in Washington. The New York State Assemblyman has thrown his hat in the ring for the seat being vacated by Rep. Gary Ackerman in the Sixth Congressional District.

“I’ve been instrumental in producing legislation in Albany on issues that are directly translatable to Congress, ” asserts the Queens Democrat — issues such as homeland security , economic opportunities, tax fairness, reining in public college tuition and leveling the playing field between banks and homeowners in foreclosure proceedings.

Lancman is quick to point out that his steadfast record of Israel advocacy bolsters his strength as a candidate in a newly drawn district that has strong Jewish roots and affiliation. He is proud to mention that he facilitated a forum with the Kupferberg Holocaust Resource Center at Queensborough Community College concerning the anti-Semitic roots of the delegitimization movement and its use of boycotts, divestment, lawfare (using lawsuits to stifle pro-Israel debate) and sanctions.

The Libel Terrorism Protection Act that he was instrumentaln drafting and sponsoring in the Assembly was designed to protect American journalists from being intimidated by libel suits in Great Britain where they don’t have First Amendment protection. Congress later enacted a similar law. Lancman even got traction in the United Kingdom. When he keynoted a conference on “How Britain’s Libel laws are undermining free speech in the U.S.” Parliament responded by opening a study to revisit and review libel

His bio is truly a Queens story. Born in Bayside and raised in Kew Garden Hills in a rent stabilized apartment, Lancman attended Hillcrest High School and Queens College— where he met his wife. He earned a law degree from Columbia University and currently resides in Hillcrest.

Members of Hillcrest Jewish Center, he and his wife are parents of a 14-year-old boy, a 12-year-old girl and a 10-year-old girl. He’s Ashkenazi, she’s a Sephardic woman of Persian descent. Their household, Lancman believes, is representative of the blending amongst Jews of many cultures in the district.

His current Assembly district encompasses about two thirds of the new Congressional District, so he is confident that he’s ready to face City Councilwoman Liz Crowley, (Ridgewood) and State Assemblywoman Grace Meng, (Flushing), in a Democratic primary on June 26.

Meng, who received the endorsement of the Queens County Democrats, would be the first Asian-American Representative from New York. The district is 38 percent Asian-American.

But the Orthodox community in the District has also seen steady growth, especially a surge among Bucharan Jews. Lancman emphasizes the need for an additional strong supporter of Israel from the New York delegation who will echo the priorities of a strong Jewish constituency that includes Forest Hills, Rego Park, Kew Gardens, Kew Gardens Hills, Hillcrest, Fresh Meadows, Hollis Hills, Briarwood, Maspeth and Middle Village.

Lancman’s role as chair of the New York State Assembly Workplace Safety Subcommittee has showcased his commitment to the needs of the middle class and the working class, he says, resulting in a victory for the Retail and Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), which endorsed Lancman on Wednesday, the first crucial labor endorsement in the campaign.

Lancman tirelessly advocated for fair and proper treatment of workers in their struggle against Walmart, scrutinizing the corporate giant’s record on health and safety, job creation, and the negative impact on communities and small businesseses. “I’ve dedicated my career in public life to fighting for the things that matter to working New Yorkers… together we can take back Congress from those who have been tilting the economic playing field away from the middle-class and working people for years,” said Lancman.

With the dynamic of several Conservative congregations closing or merging, Lancman spearheaded a plan to make a “shidduch” between Briarwood Jewish Center — with dwindling membership on the brink of closing — and a growing Bucharan community with a need for space. He stepped in, providing a capital grant to Ohr Natan, a Bucharan community service organization that enabled the Bucharan congregation to have a new home In the former Briarwood Jewish Center. What was destined to be a condominium, remained a shul through Rory Lancman’s efforts.