By all moral accounts, this should be simple. The Orthodox Jewish community stands at a critical juncture as New York City’s mayoral race heats up. On one side: Mayor Eric Adams—a proven friend who’s stood up for us when it mattered most. On the other: disgraced former Governor Andrew Cuomo—a man whose policies killed thousands and whose lockdown-era rhetoric fueled antisemitism well before it became hip for college kids to run around in keffiyehs. Yet somehow, instead of locking arms with the mayor who had our back, some in our community are cozying up to Cuomo. It’s an outrage, a betrayal, and a chillul Hashem. Let’s not dance around the truth. Andrew Cuomo’s COVID-era nursing home policies led to the deaths of 15,000 elderly New Yorkers. That’s not political spin—it’s blood on his hands. And for our community specifically, his policies were laced with hostility. While Cuomo’s allies gathered freely, Orthodox neighborhoods were painted red, vilified, and turned into national scapegoats. He singled us out, with falsehoods; on national TV. He made us a target of hate; on national TV. He fed and fanned the flames of antisemitism – specifically against Chareidim and Chassidim; again on National TV. Our community still bears the scares. Now he’s back, muttering half-scripted apologies to Orthodox leaders in closed-door meetings. And instead of throwing him out, some are taking selfies. Smiling. Nodding. Entertaining him. Why? For a promise of “access”? For jobs? For crumbs? Where is our self-respect? Of course, those cozying up to Cuomo will say, “What choice do we have? He’s the frontrunner. Adams is unlikely to win another term. We don’t like Cuomo, but we have to be pragmatic. We’re just holding our noses.” But that’s not pragmatism. That’s cowardice. That’s the most short-sighted thinking imaginable. Think about it: If we toss Eric Adams under the bus the moment political winds shift, what message does that send? Why would any future mayor, governor, or city council member ever want to align themselves with a community that abandons its allies the moment it’s inconvenient? You think you’re being strategic by cozying up to Cuomo. That might help you win a seat at the table today. But tomorrow? It torpedoes our credibility. It paints us as fair-weather friends. And it will haunt our political standing for years to come. This is not just bad politics. It’s a moral failure. It’s a slap in the face to every Jew who was smeared during Cuomo’s reign. It’s a desecration of our values to shake hands with a man whose actions brought pain and death to thousands—and then try to sell him to our community as a legitimate option. And then there’s Zohran Mamdani. A man who calls Israel’s right to self-defense “genocide.” A radical who wants to criminalize Jewish charities that support our brothers and sisters in Eretz Yisroel. A man who proudly declared he would arrest Prime Minister Netanyahu if he visited New York. That’s not “progressivism.” That’s dangerous extremism. That’s a direct threat to our safety, our values, and our future. Cuomo. Mamdani. One with a trail of bodies. The other with a mind warped by anti-Israel venom. There is no “lesser evil” here. Both are threats. And in the middle of this moral swamp stands Mayor Eric Adams—the only man in the […]