Zellnor Myrie, NYC mayoral candidate, on April 3. Photo by Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images
By Jacob Kornbluh
May 13, 2025
Zellnor Myrie’s direct appeal to Orthodox voters is not unusual – the myriad other candidates running for mayor of New York City are also canvassing the key constituency.
What makes the state senator’s memo, sent to a group of Hasidic leaders in Brooklyn and shared on Tuesday with the Forward, stand out is its focus: not antisemitism or Israel, but on affordable housing, taxes, education and public safety.
Myrie said in the memo that the issues are ones that “community leaders have brought to my attention,” and outlined the steps he would take as mayor to address them.
Roey Nornberg, the Myrie campaign’s Jewish outreach coordinator, called it “meaningful community outreach” that is “based on trust, listening and learning.”
Myrie is polling in the single digits. Andrew Cuomo, the former governor, is leading polls and State Rep. Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist, is in second place.
Myrie’s memo was sent to six leaders representing the Hasidic community from the Satmar sects, Bobov, Chabad, and Agudath Israel of America. The electorate often votes in blocs based on rabbinic endorsements.
Myrie, 38, highlighted his “special relationship with the Hasidic community,” noting that he was born and raised in Crown Heights, a neighborhood with a significant Orthodox population, and currently represents several heavily Jewish neighborhoods in central Brooklyn.
“I look forward to continuing to work together to ensure that the Hasidic community always feels safe, welcome and supported in our city,” Myrie wrote in his introduction.
Leading candidates in the June 24 Democratic primary frequently emphasize antisemitism and Israel. Canvassing in Orthodox communities and delivering speeches at Orthodox synagogues has become routine.
In 2021, Orthodox voters played a key role in Eric Adams’ victory, which was ultimately decided by just 7,000 votes in the final round of ranked-choice voting. Adams is running as an independent in the general election on a new “End Antisemitism” ballot line.
Myrie’s plan
On housing, Myrie’s plan, called “Rebuild NYC,” includes prioritizing the rezoning of empty lots allocated for industrial use to ease the housing burden in neighborhoods with growing Orthodox populations, like Williamsburg and Crown Heights.
Myrie also pledged to overhaul the property tax system, which, according to the United Jewish Organization, has unfairly impacted communities in Central Williamsburg.
On the issue of yeshiva and non-public school education, Myrie noted that he fought for changes in the recent state budget that eased regulations tied to the strict substantial equivalency standards adopted in 2022. The standards were a source of tension between the state and Orthodox leadership in recent years. “Our city government must approach our Hasidic leaders as partners, not adversaries,” the memo said.
In the State Senate, Myrie also introduced legislation aimed at waiving bank fees on Holocaust reparations.
Myrie does not neglect antisemitism. His public safety plan calls for increased funding for the Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes and a commission on human rights, as well as restoring NYPD staffing levels to a 2018 peak and expanding the state curriculum to include education on Jewish history.
The mayoral candidate also said he supports Mayor Eric Adams’ recent announcement creating a new office to combat antisemitism. “I am deeply troubled by the rise in antisemitism, and am glad the city is taking steps to proactively counter hate,” Myrie said Tuesday in an interview.
