Mayor Eric Adams can run an unusually withheld race for re -election in New York City, who unsubscribes from the democratic primary and an independent general election run without even a campaign leader to send it.
But behind the scenes, he makes an aggressive game to try to form the field to his liking and hold an important voice block.
A top assistant from Mr Adams, Menashe Shapiro, has called Orthodox Jewish leaders in recent weeks to encourage them not to rely on Andrew M. Cuomo in in The Democratic Primary of 24 JuneOr to temper their support for him if they do, according to six people who are familiar with the effort.
Mr Adams’s allies have indicated that they believe that he would have a better chance of winning the general elections as ZOHRAN MAMDANIThe democratic socialist assembly nowadays now in second place, beats Mr. Cuomo and becomes the democratic nominee.
At the same time, Mr Adams used his mayors to make policy statements that seem to resonate with some Orthodox Jews. He drew one executive order Recognize the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti -Semitism and created the mayor’s office to combat anti -Semitism to tackle the peak in anti -Semitic hate crimes in the city.
“He goes to people to ask for support for the general elections,” said Rabbi Moishe Indig, a leader of one faction of the Satmar Hassidic Group in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. “He would love that everyone just ignores the primary and waiting for the fall.”
The mayor’s efforts have resulted in mixed results. Mr Cuomo, the leader of the race, has in recent days rolled out a series of notes of important Orthodox rabbis in Brooklyn and Queens, but has lost others.
The mayor’s influence campaign suggests that he sees the opportunity to try to weaken his most important rival in the margins and make a case before the general election that his own candidacy is still viable.
The long -term way from Mr Adams to victory depends on his winning support of ecclesiastical black New Yorkers and Orthodox Jews, who often in large numbers of voices like a block, a consultant said. It also depends on enough New Yorkers who give Mr Adams a pass about his federal criminal prosecution, which he successfully lobbyed the Trump government to leave.
On Tuesday, Mr Adams disputed the idea that Mr Cuomo had the Orthodox mood.
“He takes two or three people from a community and he will give the impression that he, oh, he has the whole community,” said Mr Adams. “That’s just not the reality.”
Rich Azzopardi, a spokesperson for Mr. Cuomo, shot back and said: “It is not surprised that the mayor is trying to play games behind the scenes. He will say and do everything against his own personal advantage – remember that this is the same person who sold New York City in a Quid Pro quo with Donald Trump.”
The Outreach from Mr Adams to the Orthodox community has come in various forms. He has collected petitions to walk on two polls, end -of -the -Isemitism and safe and affordable. (Rules of the state elections will have to choose to choose one of the other; he cannot run on both, said a spokesperson for the city council of the elections. Todd Shapiro, spokesperson for Mr Adams campaign, said that it actively assesses all legal options. Shapiro, said.)
His team has also emphasized the positions of other candidates that they seem to think is not popular in orthodox communities.
The Night of the Race First mayor debate Among democratic candidates, Menashe sent Shapiro messages to Orthodox Jewish leaders who emphasize the requirements of the candidates that immigration authorities release the Columbia University Student Mahmoud Khalil from detention. They include one Social Media Post From a reporter who emphasizes Mr Cuomo’s attitude that Mr. Khalil must be released.
A spokeswoman for the town hall had no immediate comments. Todd Shapiro said, “Menashe has completely right to his personal beliefs.” The mayor has taken the position that he will not comment on federal immigration actions.
A few days after the debate, Mr. Adams joined Dr. Phil McGraw, an avid supporter of the Trump Government deportation agenda, in a lower synagogue of Manhattan, where he signed executive order Recognize the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti -Semitism.
“Calling to globalize the Intifada are common hate -speech, but this kind of speech is normalized and campuses must prevent it from continuing,” said Mr Adams.
Mr Adams said that the actions that are eligible as anti -Semitism under that definition include the accusing of Jews of exaggerating the Holocaust, describing Israel as a “racist goal” or all Jews responsible for the actions of Israel. He suggested that the executive command would not affect the activities of law enforcement, but the Town Hall would enable to ‘collaborate’ of some non-profit organizations funded by the city.
A spokeswoman for Mr. Adams did not respond to what a performance would look like. “The procurement process for contracts is to go with the lowest responsible bidder, and that remains the law,” she said.
Donna Lieberman, the executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, said that Mr Adams “armed the critical fight against anti -Semitism to suppress protected political speech that he does not like.”
Kayla Mamelak Altus, a spokeswoman for the mayor, said that Mr Adams only did what he has always done.
“As mayor of the city with the greatest Jewish population outside of Israel, Mayor Adams has always been with the Jewish communities of New York City – not only to elevate and power them, but the disturbing rise in anti -Semitism since October 7, 2023,” she said.
In the past few days, Mr Cuomo has obtained support from important rabbis in the neighborhoods of Williamsburg and Crown Heights of Brooklyn and in Far Rockaway, Queens, despite persistent resentment of his policy during the Pandemie.
But he lost to Adrienne Adams, the speaker of the city council, late on Monday approval From some Jewish leaders in Borough Park. Two people who are familiar with the case, who, like the others, refused to discuss private conversations on the file, said the notes came after Menashe Shapiro encouraged community leaders to support everyone except Mr Cuomo.
Kalman Yeger, an orthodox assemblyer who once represented the area as a municipal councilor, sharply criticized Mrs Adams’ choice as’ irresponsible ‘, with the argument that she had not been a friend for Jewish New Yorkers.
Although he did not explicitly blamed the town hall of the approval, he told him it was clear that selection “has nothing to do with Adrienne Adams.”
A spokeswoman for Mrs. Adams refused to comment.
During the Sunday event with Dr. Phil, Rabbi indig neatly illustrated part of the dynamics in the game under Mr. Adams, Mr. Cuomo and the field. Rabbi Indig is one of the best allies of Mr Adams in the Orthodox community, which is on stage behind Mr Adams during his victory party in 2021.
“We will come out and show our great support for our great mayor and brother Eric Adams” in November, he told the mayor.
The next day he endorsed Mr Cuomo in the Democratic Primary, together with Mrs. Adams.
In an interview, Rabbi Indig said that he understood that Mr Adams wanted Mr Cuomo to fail, but that he would still endorse the former governor.
“I know what he wants, I know what he feels,” said Rabbi Indig. “But we have a good relationship with Cuomo when he was still governor.”
In a possible nod to the lobby efforts of the Adams team, Rabbi Indig said that he had met Mr Mamdani and is still considering adding him to his slate of notes despite the pronounced criticism from the assembler on Israel, who has driven out other orthodox leaders.
“He came across as a very nice guy, very modest,” he said about Mr Mamdani. “According to my conversation, he told me that he is not an anti -Semite and that he would work with the entire city, all communities. As a mayor we would not have a problem with him. But because of all the public statements it is a bit difficult.”
It remains unclear whether the approval of Rabbi Indiger goes beyond the democratic primary.
“The fall? God knows,” he said. “Nobody knows what will happen in the fall.”
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