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Many in NYC’s Orthodox neighborhoods flipped for Zeldin as yeshiva school oversight strengthens
By
Clayton Guse
,
Jake Offenhartz
and
Sophia Chang
Published Nov 10, 2022
Modified Nov 10, 2022
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Scott Heins for Gothamist
By
Clayton Guse
,
Jake Offenhartz
and
Sophia Chang
Published Nov 10, 2022
Modified Nov 10, 2022
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A flood of voters in New York City’s Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods broke from Gov. Kathy Hochul in Tuesday’s election — a move community leaders fear could embolden greater scrutiny from state officials over yeshiva schools after the incumbent held on in a tight race.
More than 80% of voters in Borough Park — home to the city’s largest population of Orthodox Jews — voted for Rep. Lee Zeldin, preliminary election data shows. That’s up sharply from 2018, when just over 50% of the neighborhood’s voters picked Republican nominee Marc Molinaro.
The shift was also seen in Orthodox Jewish areas of south Williamsburg, where a majority of voters went for Zeldin after mostly supporting former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s campaign in 2018. Data analyzed by the Center for Urban Research at the CUNY Graduate Center also found Zeldin won majorities in Orthodox Jewish areas of Midwood, Crown Heights and Far Rockaway — which all supported Cuomo four years ago.
In the weeks leading up to the election, state education officials launched an investigation into a lack of secular education at some Brooklyn yeshivas. The probe — which followed a New York Times investigation into publicly funded yeshivas flouting state education requirements — found at least one boys' school failed to give students basic education.
Late last month, the Central United Talmudical Academy that runs the largest all-boys yeshiva in the state was ordered to pay $8 million in fines and restitutions over fraud claims.
Facing mounting scrutiny, yeshivas must now prove they’re providing a robust secular education under the new state regulations.
Zeldin used the state’s investigation and the looming crackdown in his campaign strategy. In recent weeks, he aggressively courted Orthodox Jewish leaders — and publicly promised to take a hands-off approach to yeshivas.
Additional yeshiva oversight became a bright spot for many voters.
“I would say that there’s no question that the biggest motivator in the Orthodox community in this election was the issue of education,” said David Greenfield, a former Borough Park councilmember. “That’s why you saw a record turnout among the various Orthodox communities in New York City in New York state. However, there was … an internal difference as to what to do about that.”
The fractured voting bloc, and Republican gains elsewhere in the city and state, resulted in the closest governor's race in decades.
But many voters in orthodox neighborhoods didn’t vote Republican across the ticket, according to a Gothamist analysis of election night results. Democrat state Attorney General Letitia James, who was running for a second term, received more than 3,500 votes in Borough Park than Hochul, suggesting voters there split their ballots.
In late October, high-ranking leaders of the Satmar Hasidic sect in Williamsburg met with officials in the Hochul administration, agreeing to stay neutral in the gubernatorial race, according to a person in the governor’s office who was familiar with the talks but did not have permission to speak on the issue.
But some Satmar leaders later backtracked, endorsing Zeldin – and angering the Hochul administration, the person said.
As Zeldin made repeated stops in Hasidic neighborhoods, the Hochul administration was keeping close watch: Those who levied especially bad faith attacks on the governor, the source said, may find themselves cut out of future discussions about yeshiva oversight.
While the race between Hochul and Zeldin appeared to tighten, the governor last week met with influential leaders in the Orthodox Jewish community, earning the backing of one sect and issuing a letter reassuring the community that “Jewish schools will always be treated with fairness and respect.”
A spokesperson for Hochul said the state Education Department does not report to the governor, reiterating past comments that suggested the governor would not be involved in yeshiva oversight.
In the days following Hochul’s victory, Orthodox Jewish leaders blamed the shift toward Zeldin on the influence of former President Donald Trump.
“There’s some people, outside people, they were pushing the Trump agenda, or Republican agenda, and they were spending millions of dollars to convince people that the Republican governor will be better for our education than the Democrats, which I don’t believe is true,” said Rabbi Moishe Indig, a leader of the Satmar Hasidic group in Williamsburg.
“We just have to make sure to convince people and to prove that our education is a great education, there’s nothing wrong with it,” he said.
Correction: A previous version of this article’s headline and story misrepresented the status of yeshiva school regulations. They have already been issued.
Tagged
Lee Zeldin
education
Election 2022
Kathy Hochul
yeshivas
orthodox community
Clayton Guse
Clayton is the editor of the Transit and Infrastructure desk. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
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Jake Offenhartz
Jake Offenhartz is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Sophia Chang
Sophia Chang is a former WNYC and Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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