The Hasidic Jewish community in New York has become a political force in New York, drawing the attention of politicians because they tend to loyally vote as a unified bloc — even if that voting bloc is not as large as the perceived political influence, according to The New York Times.
There are around 200,000 Hasidic Jews in New York, making up 10% of the Jewish population and 1% of the state's total population, according to the Times, which reported keeping their vote has long been a priority for political candidates.
Notably, Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., the grandson of an Orthodox rabbi, is gaining support of New York's Hasidic Jewish community, and now that voting bloc is expressing concern over crime in the state — a difficult issue for Democrats this midterm election cycle.
"They should be fair, they should be sure to keep us safe, protect us from all of the violence and crime, especially the hate-crime spike," Rabbi Moishe Indig, a leader of the Satmar Hasidic group in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, told the Times. "The only thing we ask is that they should be sensitive to our culture."
Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani reached out to the Hasidic Jewish community in his 1993 mayoral campaign, and invited Hasidic leaders on stage at his inauguration, the Times reported.
"It was a critical moment in the city's history in relation to the rising influence and power of the Hasidic community," Bruce Teitelbaum, a top Giuliani aide told the Times. "We were working hand in glove with them, and they were highly organized and highly motivated."
Former President Donald Trump, like Giuliani, also tapped into the Hasidic vote in New York, according to the report.
Hasidic Judaism has its roots in Poland and territory now recognized as western Ukraine.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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