What Jewish Voters Need To Know Before Today’s Mayoral Elections In NYC

It is election day, here in New York today, with polls that have opened from 6:00 a.m., and will be open until 9:00 p.m. So, before you set out to cast your vote, here is what you need to know about the candidates that are running today.

First and foremost, Eric Adams, the Brooklyn Borough President, and former NYPD officer overcame a crowded field in the Democratic primaries, including a number of prominent progressives, is set to be the most important candidate in today’s round of votes. He is set to become the second African-American mayor of New York, after David Dinkins. He faces Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels community patrol and talk radio host.

Source: JTA (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Next up, in the City Comptroller’s post, Jewish candidate Brad Lander is likely to replace Scott Stringer, who has been the city’s top financial officer since 2013. Lander, previously served as a City Council member for District 39, representing the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Park Slope, Gowanus, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Columbia Waterfront, and parts of Windsor Terrace, Borough Park, and Kensington. Lander was the first citywide candidate endorsed by The Jewish Vote, the political arm of Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, where he volunteered and was later a co-chair in the 1990s.

As for the Manhattan Borough President, Mark Levine, a former public school teacher and current City Council member for District 7 in Northern Manhattan, will likely be succeeding Gale Brewer as Manhattan Borough President. He served as the chair of the Council Committee on Health during the pandemic and is a member of the Progressive Caucus and chaired the Council’s Jewish Caucus. Levine is an active member of his Jewish community and a congregant of Hebrew Tabernacle, a Reform synagogue in Washington Heights.

In City Council District 29, Lynn Schulman, who is the New York City Council Senior Community and Emergency Services Liaison, will be replacing term-limited Karen Koslowitz in their central Queens district. Schulman, who grew up in Forest Hills, expects to replace Koslowitz in the Jewish Caucus as well. She has been endorsed by The Queens Jewish Alliance, a coalition of Orthodox activists.

Coming to City Council District 33, Progressive candidate Lincoln Restler is likely replacing term-limited Stephen Levin. Restler is a lifelong member of the district and has served as a District Leader. In the primaries, Restler was endorsed by activists from a coalition of Hasidic groups in Williamsburg, where Hasidic residents mostly voted for Donald Trump in 2020 and where Andrew Yang picked up the endorsement from local leaders.

Lastly, in City Council District 48, the race is between Jewish candidates Steven Saperstein, a special education teacher endorsed by the NYC Police Benevolent Association, and Inna Vernikov, an attorney and immigrant from Ukraine. Vernikov, a Republican, is backed by former State Assemblyman Dov Hikind and has been outspoken about her support for Donald Trump for his treatment of Israel. District 48 has the city’s largest concentration of Russian speakers and a significant Orthodox Jewish population.