Adams wins high Orthodox marks

Orthodox Jewish backers of New York City mayoral candidate Eric Adams are hopeful that the Brooklyn borough president will continue to lead in the city’s Democratic primary, cite his law-and-order message as being key to the race and to the future of the city.

“I am the face of the new Democratic Party,” Adams stated on Thursday, adding that the race’s results so far show that “America is saying, ‘We want to have justice, and safety and end inequalities’.”

Adams appeared to have a comfortable lead of election night, but in view of this week’s Board of Elections fiasco (in which the board reported having erroneously counted 135,000 test ballots), the status of Adams and the other leading candidate —former Sanitation Department Commissioner Kathryn Garcia and attorney Maya Wiley—is unclear. A final result is not expected until mid-July after absentee ballots are counted and ranked-choice votes are recalibrated.

“Ranked-choice voting has created a new dynamic we have never seen before,” said community leader Chaskel Bennett, a co-founder of the Flatbush Jewish Community Coalition, which represents some 200 synagogues, schools and other local organizations. The FJCC had “recommended” people vote for Adams as their first choice, followed by businessman and former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang second and Garcia in third place.

For those who supported and voted for Adams, particularly in the Orthodox community, one of the key factors that put him over the top was his stance on public safety. In the last few years, members of the Orthodox community in Brooklyn, many of whom are identifiable by their traditional dress, have become victims of numerous anti-Semitic incidents ranging from harassment to outright assault.

“Without a doubt, the Flatbush Jewish community, our leadership, residents, yeshivah leaders, parents and business owners all agree that, for our community, the No. 1 issue in the election was public safety,” said Bennett. “Our community relies a great deal on the New York Police Department and its ability to keep us safe.”

Avi Lesches, a community resident and activist in Crown Heights, said “there is no one more suited than Eric to help bring this city back. As a former cop, he’ll earn the respect of both the NYPD and our communities. Eric is a stronger supporter and advocate of small businesses. It is under his leadership that NYC will see a brighter and more prosperous future for all New Yorkers.”

Yang also received support from a segment of the Orthodox community, particularly the Chassidic community in Borough Park. Still, overall he only garnered 12 percent of the first round of voting, putting him in fourth place.

Those who backed him, included State Sen. Simcha Eichenstein and City Councilman Kalman Yeger, who believed that he would likely leave the haredi and Chassidic educational systems intact despite sharp criticism from some corners for not providing enough secular education.

One interesting dynamic in the election—beyond just the number of candidates—was the split several weeks ago in the endorsements coming from the Satmar Chassidim, who are concentrated in Williamsburg.

Followers of Satmar Rabbi Aron Teitelbaum, who is based in the Village of Kiryas Joel in upstate New York, were urged to support Adams. However, those following Satmar Rabbi Zalman Teitelbaum in Williamsburg had backed Yang.

“From the initial results, it looks like the Chassidim in Williamsburg overwhelmingly vot[ed] for Yang as their first choice,” said Samuel Heilman, professor emeritus of sociology and the Harold Proshansky Chair in Jewish Studies at Queens College and the Graduate Center CUNY.

What remains to be seen is the number of absentee ballots coupled with the impact of the second round of ranked-choice voting. Some political commentators who watch New York politics have suggested that Maya Wiley, a far-left candidate who has the support of Bronx-Queens Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, could end up moving into the lead if enough people had her as their second choice.

Whoever the Democratic candidate is, he or she will face off against Curtis Silwa, founder of the Guardian Angels, who won the Republican primary earlier this week. The Republican candidate is given next to no chance in November’s general election.