This column will be my final one before Election Day. I feel as though this moment is like Neilah on Yom Kippur, l’havdil—my last chance to be convincing. Now, I’m making a final attempt to persuade those who plan to vote for Curtis Sliwa, or who are thinking of sitting out this election, to go out and vote for Andrew Cuomo.
Early voting will continue this week: Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Thursday from 9:00 to 5:00, Friday from 8:00 to 4:00, and the final day, Sunday, from 9:00 to 5:00. Election Day polls will be open from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
In last week’s Queens Jewish Link, I noticed that—with one exception—there was broad awareness of how dangerous a Mamdani mayoral administration would be, and that we must vote for the candidate with the best chance of defeating him: Andrew Cuomo.
The one exception was a fellow columnist who argued that a Mamdani victory would somehow benefit the Republican Party. It’s easy for him to say that since he doesn’t live in New York City. I doubt he would have the same attitude if Mamdani were running for Nassau County Executive. I suppose this is how Israelis feel when Americans living abroad try to advise the Israeli government on what to do.
I was on the platform at the Cuomo/Support Israel Rally with people like Dr. Paul Brody and Jeff Wiesenfeld—individuals with whom I rarely agree on most issues. Yet we were all united in supporting Cuomo for mayor.
There was even talk at the rally about asking Sliwa, at this late date, to drop out. It appears that won’t happen, so we need to move on. A candidate only matters if people actually vote for him.
This is the time for Sliwa voters to do some soul-searching. Do you really want to spend the next four—or possibly eight—years regretting that you didn’t vote for Cuomo simply because you “only vote Republican”?
Someone recently told me he believes Cuomo will win because there is unity in the Jewish community, as reflected in the letter signed by more than 800 Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox rabbis urging voters not to support Mamdani. I hope he’s right. However, I don’t yet see that unity, as some Jews are still voting for Mamdani and others remain loyal to Sliwa.
We Jews will decide this election. Are we going to hand victory to an avowed enemy of the Jewish people, or to someone who has always stood with Israel? Cuomo has consistently opposed BDS. On June 5, 2016, he issued an executive order requiring state entities to divest from any organization that supports BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) against Israel—while Mamdani openly supports it.
I remember when Andrew Cuomo’s father, Mario Cuomo, was one of the strongest defenders of the Jewish community during the battle over low-income housing in Forest Hills, a neighborhood with a large Jewish population. That fight not only helped launch Mario’s political career but also led to the creation of the Queens Jewish Community Council. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Don’t lose hope just because you see a large rally for Mamdani at Forest Hills Stadium featuring the who’s who of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, such as Senator Bernie Sanders and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Kamala Harris had plenty of star power too, and we all saw how that worked out for her in the presidential race.
If you’ve already voted and know someone who hasn’t, encourage them to do so—and try to convince them to vote for Cuomo instead of Sliwa. We must make our best effort, even as we remember that the ultimate outcome is in G-d’s hands.
By Warren S. Hecht
