FrumNews Endorses Andrew Cuomo For NYC Mayor “The Least Evil Candidate”

Andrew Cuomo wants to lead City Hall. His past anti-Semitic policies during COVID-19, against the NY Jewish community are inexcusable, this election cycle—however, the race is between very bad and even worse.

By FrumNews 

Brooklyn, NY – We in the Jewish community have to be very careful who we vote for in the upcoming NYC elections.

New York’s disgraced former Governor Andrew Cuomo announced earlier this year that he is running for NYC Mayor. After his resignation as Governor in 2021, the Jewish community was hoping to never have to interact with Cuomo ever again—because of his deliberate betrayal and attacks on Shuls, Yeshivas and the Jewish neighborhoods and communities at large during COVID-19.

In his heyday, the three-term governor was seen as a potential presidential candidate and a darling in democratic circles, with an approval rating as high as COVID-19, as the pandemic raged in New York. But as his favorability hit highs, Cuomo’s seat on the top of the New York political scene ended swiftly with his disastrous policies transferring covid infected patients into nursing home and harassment allegations, which led to his close allies abandoning the once-powerful governor during his impeachment inquiry and subsequent resignation.

In early 2021, an investigation conducted by NY Attorney General Letitia James concluded that the Cuomo administration undercounted COVID-19-related deaths at nursing homes by as much as 50%. Other investigations brought to light other terrible practices during the pandemic.

Up until the start of COVID-19, former Governor Cuomo was a friend and ally to the Jewish community. But apparently, the pandemic revealed people’s true intentions.

While in office, Andrew Cuomo, deliberately “redlined” and targeted New York’s Jewish communities by adding special restrictions, regulations, and punishments many months after the pandemic reached its peak and just weeks after tens of thousands of New Yorkers protested, rioted and looted, without any social distancing due to COVID-19 in Downtown Brooklyn and Manhattan. He also blamed the frum community at every opportunity for the rising rates of COVID-19, even when they were the same as the rest of the City.

Four years later, Cuomo is looking at a comeback into the political spectrum, with strong support from most union leaders and moderate elected officials across NYC, Cuomo is building a coalition that might bring him all the way to Gracie’s mansion.

After his resignation, Cuomo stayed low and avoided the spotlight and the press. That strategy shifted in the past year during this campaign cycle, Cuomo says that there are many failures on both the city and state level and these issues reflect poorly on both Mayor Adams and Governor Hochul.

Andrew Cuomo, now, speaks publicly against congestion pricing and No cash bail and discovery / bail reform (the most pro-crime bill in the history of NY) but Cuomo fails to acknowledge that both these bills he advocated for and signed into law when he was the governor, and other liberal issues that he is now taking a full 180-degree turn, at least ‘rhetorically’.

“He’s just circling around the wounded prey to see who he’s going to take out,” a source told the Daily News. “He’s looking for the opportunity to reinsert himself into public office, back into everyone’s lives.” Cuomo’s lust for power in the state has not shifted. He still wants a seat in New York politics.

While the Jewish community was hoping to support NYC Mayor Eric Adams for re-election, Adams decision to only run as an independent, puts him at a large disadvantage, since almost always the winner of the NYC Democratic primary, continues on to win the general election and is thus elected Mayor.

In the Frum kehila, activists, community leaders and Askunim generally back, support and endorse the candidate which is most likely to win, and not the “best candidate.” Now however, with polls inching closer by the day of the two leading candidates, the choice couldn’t be clearer.

The 2 leading candidates, one of which most likely will be the next NYC Mayor is:

1. Zohran Mamdani YM”S, an Assemblyman in Queens, NY, who is a radical Muslim and the most Anti-Israel elected official in the state of New York. He is an immigrant born in Uganda, Africa, that hates America and western civilization. Besides for the crystal clear danger that this anti-Semite will do to the Jewish community’s of NYC, if elected cv”s, he is also a far-left progressive socialist with communist run agendas that he is campaigning on, which threatens to destroy the greater New York City as we know it.

Zohran Mamdani said that as Mayor:

• He will arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Knesset Members if they dare visit NYC.
• Mamdani has vowed to Abolish (his exact word was “dismantle”) the NYPD and to shut down Rikers Island with an early release, back onto the streets of New York City, for the majority of criminals.
• To have the DSNY actively boot, tow and confiscate vehicles that don’t move for alternative side parking, bike lanes, fire hydrants, “no standing zones,” or if you receive 5 tickets from the automatic city speed cameras.
• Implement NYC Government owned and run grocery stores and supermarkets (similar to how communist USSR Russia in the 1900’s operated with food stores.)
• To encourage illegal aliens that are already in America, wishing to relocate to NYC, to do so with financial incentives. While building new homeless shelters for these “migrants” under the phrase “permanent housing.
• Overburden with extremely high taxes, home and business owners “to pay their fare share.” According to the NYpost editorial board, Mamdani will bankrupt NYC, sending tens of thousands of high-earners along with their tax dollars, who haven’t already fled New York City until now—to make the decision and permanently move to another city and state which is business friendly.

Although Mamdani hasn’t addressed Yeshivas, Askunim that spoke with FrumNews shared, that it is deeply concerning since Mamdani can easily weaponize his hatered of Jews by targeting and shutting down each and every Yeshiva in NYC, similar to what NYS was doing, but to a much stronger and hateful degree in the form of persecution. Today, Jewish activists, leaders and Rabbonim in Far Rockaway said that if Mamdani wins, we won’t be able to live as Torah Jews anymore in New York City.

2. Andrew Cuomo, as clearly outlined in this article—is far from perfect, but he is unquestionably the “lesser evil candidate.” For the frum/Jewish community, Cuomo is the best option from those that have a viable chance at winning the democratic primary, to vote for.

Most voters in the Frum/Jewish community vowed “Not to forgive, and never to forget” how Cuomo, with an anti-Semitic passion and energy, during COVID-19 sent State Troopers and other NYS agencies to padlock Shuls and Yeshivas in Boro Park, to forcibly shut down small businesses and shops in Flatbush, to fine stores that were open in Crown Heights, and to summons Yidden walking the streets of Williamsburg without a mask, while spreading anti-Semitic blood libels on a daily basis during his Covid interviews, which occurred after the BLM rioting and looting.

With all this, which is inexcusable, FrumNews demands with the strongest urgency possible, to each and every reader in NYC, to go out to the polls on June 24 (early voting beforehand) and vote #1 for Andrew Cuomo in the primary election.

The frustration runs deep, the urge to stay home on election and feel disgusted that these are our only two choices is understandable. But these are the cards that are being dealt, and we have to work with the best of the worst candidate option.

If Cuomo becomes Mayor: Practically speaking, it will be 4 years of “All talk, do nothing with no action” broken promises and weekly photo ops with community leaders that will bring absolutely zero results, and unless Cuomo snaps again like he did during Covid, life will be survivable. But, if the other guy wins, the Soneh Yisroel Mamdani ym”s, who celebrated October 7th, unquestionably it will be the end of NYC, with thousands of Jewish families fleeing to other cities and states.

The correct, smart and mature thing to do is vote for Cuomo.

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As Frum Yidden, we know everything Hashem does is for the best. While physically this is likely the most important election of our lives, and each and every Yid should vote. Likewise, spirituality, it’s a time to daven and be mispalel for good results.