A version of this piece first ran as part of the New York Jewish Week’s daily newsletter, rounding up the latest on politics, culture, food and what’s new with Jews in the city. Sign up here to get it in your inbox.
🗳 Israel on the campaign trail
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Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, running a longshot campaign to unseat his boss Gov. Kathy Hochul, said the United States should halt all arms sales and “diplomatic cover” to Israel in an interview with student journalist Luke Radel on Wednesday.
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Delgado staked out a more critical position on Israel than Hochul, calling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “war criminal.” Asked if he thought Israel was committing genocide, Delgado said he “could see how people want to argue it both ways” but it was “hard to argue against scholars.”
- Delgado has not previously made Israel a major issue in his politics. His comments come as support for Israel has plummeted among Democrats.
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Delgado also said he was “sensitive” to the issue because of personal relationships. He is married to Black Jewish filmmaker Lacey Schwartz Delgado, who joined him on a trip to Israel when he represented his upstate district in Congress, and they have two Jewish sons. He said it “felt good” to visit Israel with her.
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Hochul has disagreed with Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s pledge to arrest Netanyahu, maintained an anti-BDS executive order by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and announced legislation to ban protests — including Israel-related demonstrations — outside synagogues this week.
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Meanwhile, Republican Hudson Valley Rep. Mike Lawler is being attacked over his support for Israel in a new ad from the Institute for Middle East Understanding.
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“Lawler voted to give Israel billions of dollars paid for by your taxes,” said the ad, which launches today on CNN, MSNBC and digital platforms. “Israelis enjoy universal healthcare while Americans go bankrupt from medical bills.”
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Lawler’s spokesperson Ciro Riccardi dismissed this in a statement to Politico, saying, “Congressman Lawler considers it a badge of honor to be attacked by a dark money group of far-left Hamas sympathizers who lie about Medicaid reform and cloak their message in antisemitism.”
◼️ Reflecting on Renee Good
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Sam Rosen, the cantor at Congregation Beth Elohim in Park Slope, chanted El Maleh Rachamim (or “God full of mercy,” a prayer for the dead), at a vigil for Renee Good and other people killed by ICE on Monday.
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Good’s death in Minneapolis last week has largely divided Jewish leaders on partisan lines. Bruce Blakeman, the Jewish Nassau County executive and Republican candidate for New York governor, said on Wednesday that Good seemed to be at fault.
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Blakeman also stood by President Donald Trump’s immigration and deportation policies, saying he did not want to “put any shackles on ICE.”
🩺 Hellerstein’s health
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Alvin Hellerstein, the 92-year-old Orthodox Jewish judge overseeing Nicolás Maduro’s case in Manhattan, is being closely watched for any signs of fading health in a momentous trial that will test American power.
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Hellerstein works out twice a week and maintains an active social life, but he was also seen falling asleep during a trial last year, reported The New York Times. Jeffrey Toobin, a Jewish legal analyst, questioned Hellerstein’s fitness in an op-ed.
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He is known among colleagues as an empathetic judge with a conversational style, and has said that he schedules sentencings on Fridays to reflect on his decisions over Shabbat.
🤐 Young Republicans’ dirty laundry
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The New York Young Republicans Club is suing its former press chair, Lucian Wintrich, reported amNewYork. The group accused Wintrich of defamation and violating confidentiality and non-disparagement agreements after its controversial gala last month.
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The dispute surrounded Wintrich’s public statements about the gala, which fueled a debate about antisemitism. Its guest list included white nationalist Jared Taylor and lawmakers from Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany party.
🥯 Jewish food report
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What’s the hottest hangout for Jewish teens on the Upper East Side? This teen says it’s a kosher grocery store.
🗓 Coming up
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Temple Emanu-El will host its annual Martin Luther King Shabbat on Friday, Jan. 16 at 6 p.m. An online broadcast will be available here.
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The interfaith service will include a reflection from Rabbi Joshua Davidson on the recent arson attack on Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson, Mississippi.
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Rev. Dr. Gary V. Simpson, the senior pastor of Concord Baptist Church of Christ in Brooklyn, will also return for a sermon followed by a joint musical program from both congregations’ choirs.
