By Sam Sutton and Ronnie Tawil, Founders, Sephardic Community Federation (SCF)
For more than twenty years, the Sephardic Community Federation (SCF) has served as the political and civic backbone of our community. Long before civic engagement became widely embraced, SCF was doing the quiet, necessary work – building relationships with elected officials, advocating for our institutions, and ensuring that community concerns were represented at every level of government.
Over time, our work produced real results. SCF helped secure tens of millions of dollars in government funding for community schools, synagogues, and social service organizations. It played a central role in defeating harmful proposals like the Coney Island Casino, advancing critical rezonings to protect community properties, and registering tens of thousands of voters.
Through years of advocacy and groundwork laid by SCF, the conditions were created for a deeper level of community involvement. Joey Saban is the byproduct of that foundation, reflecting the long-term impact of SCF’s efforts.
The Turning Point
Joey Saban’s 2024 run for New York State Assembly was more than a campaign – it was a turning point in our community’s political consciousness. His candidacy ignited a passion for civic engagement that reshaped how our community saw itself and its power. Joey did not simply run for office; he inspired belief. Belief that leadership could come from within. Belief that participation mattered. Belief that our community could move to the center of political life.
Few believed a challenger could make a serious impact in that race, but Joey proved that assumption wrong. His campaign galvanized thousands – especially younger voters and families who had never before engaged politically. Neighbors became organizers. First-time voters became advocates.
By Election Day, more than 15,000 members of our community turned out to vote – an unprecedented show of engagement. But the most important result of Joey Saban’s campaign was not found in a vote total. It was found in a permanent shift in mindset.
Joey’s run put our community on the political map in ways we never even knew were possible. Leaders across New York State took notice – not just of a candidate, but of a community that had awakened to its influence and was ready to exercise it.
That awakening directly led to the election of Sam Sutton to the New York State Senate. Once again, this outcome was no accident.
From the earliest conversations to the final strategy, Joey Saban played a profound and indispensable role. Sam Sutton’s decades of relationships and political work opened doors in Albany for Joey to be able to line up the nomination for him and build the political infrastructure necessary for success. He then stepped fully into his role as Chief of Staff to Senator Sutton, where his impact has been nothing short of transformative.
Together with Senator Sutton, Joey has been deeply involved in shaping every major policy initiative, guiding strategy, building coalitions, and ensuring that the community’s priorities were not just heard, but delivered.
The Results
The results speak for themselves. In just a matter of months, Senator Sutton secured nearly $30 million in funding for religious communities across New York State – resources that will strengthen schools, protect institutions, and serve families for generations.
Equally significant has been the introduction of landmark legislation to protect the Jewish community and confront anti-Semitism, including:
• Legislation establishing buffer zones between houses of worship and protests, safeguarding the dignity and security of prayer.
• A bill to codify the IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance) definition of anti-Semitism into New York State law, providing clear standards for accountability and enforcement.
The momentum Joey ignited, with our guidance, has only continued to grow. This past summer alone, SCF and its partners registered over 10,000 additional community members to vote. That energy carried into the most recent mayoral election, with nearly 25,000 Sephardic voters casting ballots – a powerful demonstration of a community fully awake to its strength. This is what sustained leadership looks like. A community that votes is respected. A community that organizes is heard. A community that believes in itself shapes its future.
What began as a single political campaign has become a movement rooted in belief, participation, and results. With our mentorship, Joey Saban showed our community what is possible when vision meets courage. The momentum he created continues to grow – and as we set our eyes to the 2026 elections, its greatest impact is still ahead.