Cuomo wins 1st endorsement of a leading Orthodox group in NYC mayoral race

Former New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo wins the endorsement of the Far Rockaway Jewish Alliance, an influential group in Queens, for his mayoral campaign.

The endorsement is significant because it is Cuomo’s first in the race from a leading Orthodox group, a population he has been courting during the race.

Cuomo, as governor, alienated many Orthodox and Hasidic Jews during the COVID pandemic by enacting virus restrictions that those groups felt targeted their communities. He has worked to repair the damage during the campaign meetings with a series of religious organizations.

Cuomo is leading in polls ahead of this month’s Democratic party primary, which will likely decide the winner of the November election in the mostly Democratic city. Cuomo has said combating antisemitism is a priority and has repeatedly expressed support for Israel during and leading up to the race.

His leading opponent, the far-left State Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani from Queens, has alarmed mainstream Jewish groups with his repeated, harsh criticism of Israel and policies targeting the Jewish state.

The Far Rockaway Jewish Alliance acknowledges past tensions toward Cuomo and zeroes in on Mamdani, calling his candidacy a “political crisis of historic proportions” in a statement announcing the endorsement.

“We still feel the pain of the unfair red zones imposed by Cuomo in 2020, which targeted our communities,” the statement says, according to the Yeshiva World News outlet.

“Despite this pain, we must look forward and consider our future as Jews in New York City, where new threats loom larger than past grievances.”

“If Zoran Mamdani and the movement behind him succeed, we risk losing everything we’ve built,” the statement says. “They aim to defund our yeshivas, strip our neighborhoods of police protection, and vilify support for Israel as a disqualifying offense. These aren’t empty threats. They’re drafting laws, redirecting budgets and winning elections — all while projecting a facade of goodwill.”

Cuomo celebrates the endorsement, calling it a “testament to the special relationship I have with the Orthodox community