By COLlive reporter
Photos: Shalom Burkis/COLlive
U.S. Congressman Lee Zeldin, who represents New York’s 1st congressional district and is running for Governor of New York, visited Crown Heights on Monday, where he met with local residents and community leaders.
Zeldin, who is the Republican Party’s presumptive nominee for governor, was reported recently to have a commanding 31-point lead over his GOP rivals seeking to challenge him in a primary, according to a poll released by his campaign.
Zeldin garnered the backing of 45 percent of Republicans, followed by Andrew Giuliani and former Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino with 14 percent apiece, businessman Harry Wilson with 7 percent and the remaining 20 percent undecided, the NY Post reported.
During his visit to Crown Heights, Zeldin was accompanied by Crown Heights residents Ari Rimler and Max Coen, who discussed various issues with him including Religious freedoms in school as well as his ties with the Jewish community and the support that Crown Heights has shown him in the past and he hopes they will show him in the future.
Zeldin visited the Crown Heights Matzah Bakery, where he was amazed by how quickly the Matzah is produced and how many pounds of Matzah are being baked daily ahead of Pesach.
The group then headed over to Kingston Avenue, where they visited Primo Hatters and Raskin’s Fish, getting to meet small business owners in the neighborhood.
He then visited Judaica World, where he put on Tefillin and was gifted an English-Hebrew Hagaddah, ahead of the Pesach holiday.
The final stop was a meeting with Rabbi Shea Hecht of NCFJE, where they discussed issues affecting the community and the concerns of local residents.
“We were pleased to join Congressman Zeldin on his tour of Crown Heights. We feel that seeing the community in action gave him a good picture of what we stand for,” said Coen, a resident of Crown Heights.
“Congressman Zeldin is a staunch friend of the Jewish community, and has stood up for our concerns on many occasions. Additionally, Congressman Zeldin stands for many of the same values as our community, including Religious liberty, Constitutional freedoms, and support of Law Enforcement.
“We of the Crown Heights Republican Committee are proud to put our support behind him, and endorse him for Governor of the State of New York.”
Rimler, a resident as well, agreed. “It’s time to change the narrative and vote for someone who actually supports the Jewish community and the United States Constitution hand in hand,” he said.
The visit was coordinated by community activist Michael Fragin.
A recent poll shows Zeldin with a 45.5 percent lead to 44 percent for Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul, making the race a close call if both win their party’s nomination.
Go Ari and max!! Great job!
It’s about time we come out and do what’s right and stop going with the flow and follow the democrats and watch our neighborhood go to sh#% with crime out of control ect for those that think we get all this wonderful things from the democrats how about this new rule they wanna implement for our yeshivas I think it’s time to come out and vote republican and get our freedoms and safety back don’t listen to everyone calling himself a crown heights askin and telling you to vote democrat vote your conscience vote for who will actually make a… Read more »
Lee Zeldin is a mentsch. He fights for the values our community holds dear, and he has a real chance of winning if we all support him. As with Mayor Rudy Giuliani, crime will go down, the cost of living will go down, and NY will be great again. Plus, hopefully he will get charter schools funded, so that we can use our tax dollars for our kids in our schools.
Ari Rimler! You go man!
From The House, and Moonshiners
its a no brainer we are obligated to vote for him, its a grave sin to vote for any demorat in our times. they are NOT the dems of the past
All Crown Heightsers that are above the age of 18 MUST MUST MUST register to vote and vote red once and for all!!! In one election we can fix this destroyed state!!!
VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!!!!