Eddie Esses
For our community and Jewish communities across NYC, the November election comes at a moment unlike any in the past.
The political landscape of New York has shifted dramatically. The Democratic Socialists of America and the broader socialist movement have moved from the political margins into positions of real power, with DSA-backed candidates winning major races and New York’s mayor emerging as one of the country’s most influential political figures. Recent elections have demonstrated that this movement is capable of defeating established Democrats and expanding its influence well beyond the few districts where it traditionally found support.
For our community, that development sets off a greater alarm than any we’ve ever experienced. Frankly, they DSA put at risk everything we’ve built in Brooklyn over decades.
The concern is not simply about political labels. It is about what a rapidly changing political establishment means for public safety, anti-Semitism, Israel, policing, taxation, our schools, and the neighborhoods our community has spent generations building.
This November, the campaigns of Sam Sutton for New York State Senate and Joey Saban for New York State Assembly present us our real opportunity to fight back.
A New Political Reality
The mayor and his allies have promoted a radical vision for New York, one of: sky-high taxes on successful New Yorkers and businesses, a reduced police presence, homeless shelters in our neighborhoods, and a constant targeting of Zionist New Yorkers.
The DSA has continued expanding its political operation, while the mayor has helped elevate DSA-aligned candidates with major victories in this year’s primaries on not just a local but even on a congressional level.
For our community, this presents an emergency unlike any we’ve ever faced before. The DSA’s radical agenda has already reached our neighborhoods. The question is whether we fight back.
Anti-Semitism
Perhaps nowhere are these concerns more immediate than on the issue of anti-Semitism.
Jewish New Yorkers have watched anti-Semitic demonstrations against Israel increasingly target Jewish neighborhoods and places of worship.
That is precisely why Senator Sam Sutton and Chief of Staff Joey Saban made their buffer-zone legislation a top priority.
The legislation ensured that Jewish families and other worshippers could enter their houses of worship without having to confront harassment or intimidation at the doors. It ultimately passed as part of the state’s budget and became the biggest legislative win for Jewish New Yorkers in years.
Sutton has also secured approximately $20 million in security funding for religious institutions, while helping direct additional millions of dollars toward our community organizations such as SAFE and SBH.
These accomplishments demonstrate the results of having a strong advocate in Albany.
Public Safety
Another defining issue is the future of public safety. While the DSA works toward their long-term goal of abolishing the police, Senator Sutton and Saban have fought tooth and nail to support the NYPD and for stronger enforcement against hate crimes in order to protect our community
Their platform also calls for reforming nonsensical bail policies, opposing homeless shelter placements in our neighborhoods, and ensuring that law-abiding families, not criminals, are the ones protected.
Protecting Our Schools and Institutions
Over the decades, our community has built an extraordinary network of yeshivas, synagogues, and nonprofit institutions. These critical organizations are, too, targets of the DSA, as showcased by their “Not on Our Dime” bill, which seeks to remove nonprofit status of organizations with a connection to Israel.
Senator Sutton and Saban have made protecting private education and ensuring appropriate funding for yeshivas a foundational part of their work. They are crafting the responding bill to “Not on Our Dime,” which would target institutions with connections to terror organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah.
Why Representation Inside Albany Matters
This is perhaps the most important consideration of all.
Senator Sutton and Saban are under the Democratic Party label, which is what makes their presence in Albany all the more critical.
In Albany the Democrats have a supermajority. The DSA’s influence is growing within that broader ecosystem. Recent victories have demonstrated that socialist-aligned candidates can increasingly shape Democratic politics rather than simply operate on its fringe.
The question, therefore, is not simply whether someone will criticize these policies.
It is whether there will be strong voices inside the room willing to challenge them.
The Stakes Have Never Been Greater
The most important lesson of the past several years is that civic engagement matters.
Our community’s increased voter registration and political participation have already produced major results. Greater engagement has given our community a louder voice in Albany and helped produce legislation, security funding, and the allocation of millions of dollars for our institutions.
But political influence cannot be taken for granted.
The DSA is organized, disciplined, and increasingly successful. Its supporters are organizing year-round, knocking on doors seven days a week, and are building major political power. Recent victories show that this strategy is working.
That means disengagement carries enormous consequences.
The November election will determine what kind of voices represent our community, South Brooklyn, and Jewish New Yorkers at large as New York’s political landscape continues to shift. For community members concerned about anti-Semitism, public safety, education, taxation, and the growing influence of the socialist movement, the moment demands urgent attention.
Get Out and Vote
Our community has spent generations building something extraordinary. The question now is whether we will remain sufficiently engaged to protect it, and ensure that our voice remains impossible to ignore in Albany. Every single community member must get out this election and vote for Sam Sutton for State Senate and for Joey Saban for State Assembly.
Delivering for the Community
Senator Sutton has already established himself as a pragmatic and independent voice within the Senate Democratic Conference. Saban, after serving as Sutton’s Chief of Staff, is seeking to bring that same approach to the Assembly.
The duo would serve as an incredibly powerful team in Albany:
- Standing up against anti-Semitism and protecting Jewish institutions.
- Fighting for stronger hate-crime enforcement.
- Supporting the NYPD and public safety.
- Protecting private education and yeshiva funding.
- Securing additional security funding for religious institutions.
- Bringing millions of dollars to community institutions
- Opposing policies they believe threaten neighborhood stability and affordability.
- Providing a strong moderate voice against the growing influence of the DSA.