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New York’s next state legislature is set to include a record 11 Sabbath-observant Jewish lawmakers, according to a count shared Wednesday by Met Council CEO David Greenfield and reported by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Eight are returning legislators and three are newcomers to state elected office, JTA reported Wednesday evening. Greenfield called the group the “Shomer Shabbos caucus.” The record figure is his count, rather than an independently verified JBizNews tally or a certification of election results.
For Orthodox communities in Queens, Brooklyn, Long Island and beyond, the results mean a larger group of lawmakers who share Sabbath observance will be headed to Albany. The group includes members of both parties, with Republican Ari Brown alongside Democratic lawmakers, according to JTA’s account.
Three newcomers, two chambers
Pesach Osina, a longtime New York City Council staffer, won an Assembly seat in a Queens district that includes Far Rockaway’s large Orthodox community, JTA reported. He ran as a Democrat.
Lisa “Malkie” Vider, a healthcare administrator and first-time political candidate, narrowly flipped a Long Island State Senate seat as a Democrat, according to JTA. Her race was for the Senate, not the Assembly.
The distinction between a reported outcome and a final official result matters. City & State’s earlier Wednesday report described Vider as leading Republican Sen. Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick by roughly 2,900 votes in Senate District 9, with the race then uncalled. JTA’s later report described her as the winner.
In South Brooklyn, Democrat Joey Cohen-Saban defeated Republican Assembly incumbent Michael Novakhov in a rematch, JTA reported. Cohen-Saban had lost their 2024 contest by 232 votes. City & State also reported his substantial lead in Assembly District 45 on Wednesday.
Returning lawmakers round out the group
JTA identified the eight returning legislators in Greenfield’s count as Assembly members Simcha Eichenstein, Kalman Yeger, Sam Berger, David Weprin, Aron Wieder, Nily Rozic and Ari Brown, along with State Sen. Sam Sutton.
The count concerns Sabbath-observant legislators, not all Jewish candidates who won around New York. JTA separately reported victories for other Jewish candidates across a range of political views.
Osina, Vider and Cohen-Saban’s reported wins give the group new members in both legislative chambers. Greenfield’s record claim captures that change in representation; it does not establish that the lawmakers will vote together on every issue.
JBizNews Desk | Politics
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