A rabbi running for an open Assembly seat in Queens thinks he’s the one to lead the GOP to the promised land.
Orthodox Rabbi David Hirsch will take on Democrat Sam Berger next month in a north-central Queens special election and insists his background makes him the candidate of choice.
“I think it gave me a certain perspective on a variety of issues, especially on religious freedom and sensitivity for all religions,” Hirsch, 34, told The Post.
Hirsch was ordained in 2019 after three years of study at Yeshivas Ohr HaChaim in Kew Gardens.
If elected he will be the first rabbi ever elected to the House.
Brooklyn State Senator Simcha Felder is also a rabbi.
“It gives you a new way of looking at things and how to break them down and find solutions,” he said of his rabbinical studies.
Hirsch said if elected he plans to join a synagogue in Albany and will be ready to serve his fellow lawmakers.
Republicans are pinning their hopes on Rabbi David Hirsch to win the Queens Assembly seat.Aristide Economopoulos
“If anyone wants it I will gladly offer it,” he said, adding that he took his legislative inspiration from Moses in the book of Exodus.
“Moses was advised to take 70 people to help him judge people. You can’t concentrate too much power. That is a good way to manage government to ensure there is proper representation and feedback,” he said.
Hirsch, who is not a practicing rabbi and makes a living as an independent education policy consultant, said his top priorities are crime, the migrant crisis and education.
Orthodox Rabbi David Hirsch (pictured) will face Democrat Sam Berger next month in a north-central Queens special election.Aristide Economopoulos
“I want to replace cashless bail and replace it with proportional bail, which is set based on the severity of the crime and the number of offenses,” Hirsch said. “We can’t have the catch and release system we have now.”
The seat opened last month after Democratic Assemblyman Dan Rosenthal resigned to take a role with the United Jewish Appeal-Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of New York and Gov. Hochul called for a special election on Sept. 12.
The district is more than 30% Asian and 35% white, with a large number of Jews.
Queens Assembly seat opens after resignation of Democratic Assemblyman Dan Rosenthal.assembly.state.ny.us
Hirsch’s team said they have raised “several thousand dollars” since opening their campaign committee earlier this month.
Berger, who is also Jewish, is a 25-year-old law school graduate of the University of St. John in Queens and has Rosenthal’s support.
The outgoing congressman has called on labor and advocacy groups to help keep the seat in Democratic hands, Politico reported in July.
Sen. The state Simcha Felder is also an ordained rabbi.AP
The north-central enclave of Queens went for President Biden in 2020, but former GOP Rep. Lee Zeldin won nearly 56% of the district’s voters in his 2022 contest against Gov. Hochul.
These areas include GOP strongholds like Whitestone and Flushing Meadow Park.
“David Hirsch is an outstanding candidate for this State Assembly seat,” Zeldin, himself the grandson of an Orthodox rabbi, told The Post.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
