Former allies, divided by Trumpian style, vie to represent NYC Orthodox neighborhood

JTA — In June 2020, as much of New York City remained shut down due to COVID-19, State Sen. Simcha Felder and Orthodox radio host Heshy Tischler joined with a couple of other Orthodox politicians to remove the locks from Brooklyn’s playgrounds.

After a bolt cutter snapped off one of the chains, Felder and Tischler smiled and put their arms on each other’s shoulders.

Now, almost five years later, they’re running against each other for City Council. A special election on Tuesday will determine who represents the city’s 44th district, which covers Orthodox areas of south Brooklyn as well as several other neighborhoods.

Turnout in early voting has been low, according to City and State, suggesting the election to replace Kalman Yeger, an Orthodox politician elected to State Assembly in November, and also present at the playground, is up for grabs.

In certain ways, the two men are similar. They’re both public figures in the haredi Orthodox neighborhood of Borough Park and its surroundings. Both emphasize conservative messages in their campaigns as well as support for yeshivas as the schools come under state scrutiny. The playground protest was a moment of overlap in their respective agendas.

But in other ways, they couldn’t be more different — and the divide between them reflects recent seismic shifts in Orthodox as well as in Republican politics, that have made Borough Park a stronghold of support for Donald Trump in a mostly blue city.

Felder is a career politician, having held office in the City Council, and then as a state senator for around 20 of the past 23 years. He gained national attention a decade ago as a member of a group of Democrats that caucused with Republicans to give them a majority. A pragmatist who says his allegiance is to his community and not to any party, he began caucusing with Democrats in 2019.

Tischler cuts a different figure: He hosts a radio show, called “Just Enough Heshy,” and is perhaps best known as a COVID-era rabble-rouser who riled up street protests against pandemic closures and mask mandates. At one point, he sicced a mob on journalist Jacob Kornbluh, which led to a guilty plea for incitement. Years earlier, he was also convicted of fraud. He’s a perennial candidate but has never held office. (He and Kornbluh have since made up on his radio show.)

Tischler is also a devoted fan of US President Donald Trump, running under the “Team Trump” mantle and embracing the stylings and attitudes of Trump’s MAGA movement. “Heshy will fight for us fiercely to protect us and work on our behalf and bring the MAGA agenda of peace and prosperity to the City Council,” says one mailer he posted on Instagram.

Both men are leaning into their respective personas. Felder’s campaign video begins with him saying, in measured tones, “My name is Simcha Felder, I have a beard, and I am wearing a suit and tie” — a signal that he is a conventional representative of the haredi community. It may be intended as a contrast to Tischler, who has often been seen in an untucked white shirt — though he also suited up for his video.

Tischler, meanwhile, is highlighting the pandemic-era activism that gave him the spotlight — while adding a dose of pugilism when it comes to pro-Palestinian protests that rocked the city in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war.

His website says he “rose to national prominence when he restored ownership of New York City’s parks to its citizens.” He vowed in his campaign video to “shake things up.” His logo is red, white and blue. Above his name is the image of a chain getting snapped by a bolt cutter.