With growing concerns over rising antisemitism and hate-charged rhetoric from public officials, the Crown Heights Jewish community is stepping up its civic engagement and rapidly becoming one of New York City’s most influential Jewish voting communities.
Community leaders are now urging everyone to remind friends and family who are not yet registered—whether because they just turned 18, recently moved to the neighborhood, or simply haven’t registered—to do so ahead of the June 14 deadline for the Democratic primary, a key election that could shape the city’s future. Voters can register at AnashVote.com.
“Voting has become a vital defense,” said Rabbi Yaacov Behrman of the Jewish Future Alliance. “We’re facing candidates openly expressing antisemitic views. The rhetoric from elected officials is translating into violence. We must ensure that extremists and antisemites are not given power.”
According to data collected by the Jewish Future Alliance, 7,161 Anash voters in Crown Heights have cast ballots at least once in the past five years. Of these, 4,420 are registered Democrats—the party that typically determines the outcome in mayoral elections. An additional 299 Anash registered in the two years before the presidential election but have yet to vote, including 150 Democrats.
The numbers reflect a major shift in civic engagement. In 2013, around 500 Anash residents voted in the mayoral primary. By 2021, that number had grown to almost 3,000—a 400% increase. In the most recent presidential election, nearly 6,000 Anash voters participated, up from approximately 4,200 in 2020, marking a historic turnout for the neighborhood.
That surge in the presidential election followed a major outreach campaign by the Jewish Future Alliance, in conjunction with COLlive, which organized voter education, registration efforts, and awareness events leading up to the election.
The Jewish Future Alliance has since sent thank-you letters to participants in the presidential election and plans to send “Where Were You?” postcards to those who sit out the upcoming mayoral election.
“Every vote matters. If we don’t show up, we surrender our voice—and we endanger our community,” Behrman said.
Crown Heights, once viewed as politically quiet, is now becoming a model of Jewish civic engagement in New York City.
Can you kindly innumerate some the tangible benefits the community got for it:
“rapidly becoming one of New York City’s most influential Jewish voting communities”
…our community “leaders” will still urge us to vote for the most anti-Semitic Democrat. Well, at least now they can avoid backing Menachem Raitport a”h with a clear conscience.
I appreciate Berman’s efforts to register Anash. At the same time, do they have to promote self-fulfilling prophesies by saying that somehow most of the time, democrats win? Don’t register them as democrats! The democrat party is 100% treif, and most of the democrats they are supporting commit hashchasa! They are asking you to vote for the least of the 2 evils, while Curtis Sliwa is our clear choice for our way of living./ S Balberg, Republican district leader