The New York state senate has been hit with a blue tsunami.
Last week’s elections swept into power the most commanding Democratic majority in state senate history. The 63-seat upper chamber previously pitted 32 Democrats against 31 Republicans; however, the seven-member Independent Democratic Caucus (IDC), along with Democratic state senator Simcha Felder, caucused with the Republicans to form a working 40-23 GOP majority.

Now, that situation has been flipped: The election results handed the Democrats a straight-out 40-23 advantage. All but two IDC members had already been turned out in party primaries in September. The Democrats now control both houses of the state legislature by wide margins.

Democratic leaders are ecstatic and wasted no time indicating they will do their best to pass legislation that has been held up by senate Republicans until now. Democratic state assembly speaker Carl E. Heastie said in a press release after the vote that “the 2018 elections marked a turning point in New York politics that has the potential to reverberate for generations to come.” Among the issues he intends to tackle are reforming the criminal justice system, gun control, reforming rent laws, and passing the Dream Act, which would allow undocumented immigrant minors college assistance and permanent residency.

With Empire State voting rolls showing 5,792,497 registered Democrats as opposed to just 2,731,688 registered Republicans, it’s no surprise which party controls the levers of state government. But what is noteworthy is that the new generation of Democratic office holders are more liberal and progressive than their predecessors, and that could make a big difference as they begin to implement their policies and agenda.

Jewish community leaders are keeping a watchful eye on developments in the New York state senate and intend to make their voices heard, despite the massive turnabout.
“There’s no doubt that there’s been a seismic change,” says Chaskel Bennett, member of Agudath Israel’s Board of Trustees. “But Agudath Israel’s approach remains the same, regardless of which party holds the reins of power. Ultimately, I am confident that legislators understand it’s in everyone’s best interest to engage with and represent the needs of all of their constituents in order to be successful long term.”

Rabbi Yeruchim Silber, director of state government relations for Agudath Israel, points out that the former Republican state senate was “very supportive of non-public school education,” a significant issue for the frum community. And now?

“We’ll see what happens,” Rabbi Silber says. Still, he points out, “Agudath Israel has a long history of working with both parties. And with this new Democratic state senate we have a lot of friends on both sides of the aisle. We are confident that our issues will continue to be heard and addressed.”
Ezra Friedlander, CEO of the Friedlander Group, a firm that represents many community-based organizations, says he’s worked with both incoming senate majority leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Democratic conference chair Michael Gianaris.

“Both are positively predisposed to working with our community,” Friedlander says. He adds that Stewart-Cousins, who will be the first African-American and the first woman to serve as majority leader, “embodies class, poise, a sincere sensitivity, and most importantly, a civility from a bygone era. I sense a true willingness to address the unique challenges facing the Jewish community.”
Regarding Michael Gianaris, who is of Greek heritage, Friedlander says, “He certainly gets it when it comes to addressing our communal concerns.”

Maury Litwack, director of state political affairs for the Orthodox Union, says it’s “too early” to say how the change in power will play out: “You have to allow for elected officials and leadership to learn our issues and understand the things we care about.”

But he is cautiously optimistic about several Democratic state senators being sympathetic to Jewish communal concerns. “Consider Senator Todd Kaminsky who represents the Five Towns, Shelley Mayer from Westchester, and the newly elected Anna Kaplan, a Jewish woman from Iran who will serve as state senator from Great Neck. They will be in the majority now. We believe it’s our job to educate them as they go from the minority to the majority.”

“It is a highest priority,” says Bennett, “for Agudah activists to create new meaningful working relationships, enhance old ones, and seek to forge common ground and understanding on the issues that matter most to our community. That process has already begun. Based on conversations I’ve had with senior senate Democrats, I believe there is an interest in finding commonality with Orthodox constituents. Time will tell.”

The new reality presents a quandary for State Senator Simcha Felder, who is a Democrat but previously caucused with Republicans, often acting as a swing vote on crucial issues. Now that the Democrats are in control, Felder — who won the race in his district by an overwhelming majority — will have to decide how to proceed.

“Simcha Felder’s accomplishments,” says Friedlander, “will go down in history as nothing less than heroic.”

But Friedlander says the new political arithmetic means “now is the time to identify areas where our community can work closely with the incoming Democratic majority. Our community representatives will also have to be creative on how to address the issues where we may not see eye to eye. Our mandate should be to work collaboratively with the new Democratic majority.”

Even after all the votes have been counted, there remain avenues for people to make their voices heard. Rabbi Silber remembers the words of New York State Assemblyman Daniel Rosenthal, who spoke about advocacy at a yeshivah summit: “If he gets forty e-mails about an issue, he told us, then that issue will become important to him.”

“Times are changing, that’s for sure,” says Chaskel Bennett. “And we need to adapt. But there’s no substitute for passionate, engaged, and principled advocacy.”

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 734)

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