Yang Endorsed by Coalition of Activists From Borough Park Chasidic Groups

Andrew Yang, frontrunner in the New York City mayoral race, was endorsed Wednesday by a coalition of activists from Chasidic groups of Borough Park.

In an ad published in Yiddish media, the Borough Park activists from the Belz, Bobov, Bobov-45, Munkatsch, Pupa, Rachmastrivka, Sanz-Klausenberg, and both Satmar communities state that after meeting with the candidates, they have determined that Yang best understands the needs of the community. The ad particularly noted the threat to yeshiva independence posed by a government seeking to oversight over private schools’ secular-studies curriculum.

Yang, who has aggressively courted the Orthodox Jewish community, has supported yeshiva independence from government oversight, and has opposed the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel.

“I am so deeply proud to have earned the endorsement of this incredible group of community leaders, many of whom I’ve met and gotten to know on a personal level in recent weeks,” Yang, who met with the group of activists last week, said in a statement Wednesday. “New York’s Jewish community is not only core to who we are as a City, it is also going to be critical to New York’s comeback. I have had such an amazing time visiting Borough Park, bumping into people on 13th Avenue, visiting local shops — where everyone I met was so optimistic about New York’s future. The vibrancy, hope and joy felt on the streets in Borough Park is a palpable reminder of who we are as New Yorkers.”

Yang has also received the endorsement of Assemblyman Daniel Rosenthal of Queens, the only Orthodox elected official to have made an endorsement thus far.

Polls show Yang with a large lead in the crowded field vying for the Democratic nomination in the June 22 primary. A Spectrum News NY1/Ipsos poll this month puts Yang nine points ahead of Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, and a Data for Progress poll has Yang 13 points ahead of Adams. City Comptroller Scott Stringer, Maya Wiley, a former counsel to Mayor Bill de Blasio, come in third and fourth respectively.

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rborchardt@hamodia.com