Republican members of Congress visiting Israel
Republican members of Congress visiting IsraelYoel Davis

Not a day goes by without someone reaching out to me in New York lecturing me that Jews must register as Democrats even if they are voting for President Donald Trump.

Facts and history prove otherwise.

I’m using New York as an example, but the same holds true in other parts of the country, particularly in states run by Democratic governors and mayors with a majority of Democratic elected officials running their state and representing them in Washington DC.

Let’s start with Governor Cuomo and Mayor DeBlasio

Both run in elections with votes, volunteers and donors from the Jewish voters of New York. Both claim to be pro-Israel, but befriend its enemies. They claim to want to end the antisemitism, but cannot control the everyday physical attacks on Jews in the streets, or graffiti and destruction to Jewish houses of worship, schools, businesses and cemeteries.

Two weeks ago, I published an article asking Governor Cuomo and Mayor Bill DeBlasio, along with other Democratic elected officials how they were going to guarantee Jews can safely celebrate The High Holidays, Sukkot and Simchat Torah. Many of you, my local followers, asked me for help afterwards. I am still asking that question— and their silence and your avoiding the issue speaks volumes.

Running to the Hamptons or moving to Florida is simply not an answer for every New York Jew, religious nor not. For the first time, those who are the most unaffiliated are reaching out to me for help and answers.

We fear the best we will get is a mean-spirited tweet from the mayor targeting Jews for gathering in socially-distanced smaller groups, and assigning undercover law enforcement officers to hand out tickets, while, hypocritically, both the mayor and governor encourage Black Lives Matter to gather, destroy and intimidate.

Where should New York turn?

“In New York, Jews have to vote for President Donald J.Trump but register and vote for Democrats for everything else,” is a sentence I hear every day. It doesn’t matter where you live, Brooklyn, Long Island, Westchester or Albany. It doesn’t matter if you are Lubavitcher or consider yourself a Jew as a product of an intermarriage. It doesn’t matter if you are a Black Jew, an Asian Jew, Bukarian, Sephardic or Ashkenasi. It doesn’t matter if you are a Holocaust survivor or an Iranian Jew who left that country in the 1979s. Why?

Jews are united, all of us are once again “The Wandering Jew.”

First of all, overall the numbers show Jews as a group are not registered to vote, are not educated on who to vote for and on the issues that make us influential.as a group.

This must change. This is why I started Jewish Vote GOP, and single handily have not only registered Jews to vote, but helped those in Israel eligible to get ballots in time, speak directly to voters about their local races and introduce candidates on all levels who will win in November on Zoom meetings.

Is the New York State Republican Party Perfect?

I am going to get a lot of criticism for this statement, but honesty is the best policy, NO!

Despite all the problems in New York pre-COVID and BLM, like being broke, despite socialism in Albany and a New York City public school system bias against merit, choosing skin color as the requirement for admission to select schools, Republicans on all levels of government in New York will probably face defeat.

The Peter King congressional seat will probably flip into a progressive Democratic seat. Upstate, in the Monsey area, Republicans left the Congressional seat unopposed, and a socialist will be heading to Washington representing religious Jews from there.

On Long Island, Nassau and Suffolk GOP county leadership “played” games and lost in court the ability to compete against State Senator John Brooks.

Ask the average person on the street who their county GOP leader is, or even better, the New York State GOP leader is and they will admit, they have NO CLUE.

So, why give them money or support their candidates. Most candidates are “benchwarmers” who fill the spot on the ballot in exchange for a job, judgeship or money.

In the congressional district of NY-04, the candidate running is a “Romney Republican” who thinks the pro-Trump Jews of the Five Towns, West Hempstead, Long Beach and Merrick will automatically vote for him. WRONG

So, you ask, why register Republican?

We know from recent history in Brooklyn, donating, endorsing and voting for Democrats like Attorney General Letitia James, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and evening the re-elections of DeBlasio and Cuomo hurt us.

We saw how “our” religious Jewish City Council leaders, Chaim Deutsch and Kalman Yeger have been treated differently from their co-workers.

We support Yvette Clark and Hakeem Jeffries, but do they really represent us? Even Jewish Max Rose voted for impeachment, voted with the Democrats to avoid talks about further sanctions for those who support BDS, and remains silent on “The Squad.”

Next year’s mayoral race is in full swing. Jews need a better choice than Eric Adams, a supporter of Louis Farrakhan and Black Lives Matter.

We are taken for granted!!!

Leaders within the business, real estate and education communities want change. We can do it together. First, recognize that the Democratic Party has changed drastically, even within this decade.

Groups are forming daily to gain power and candidates in the Republican Party. We will come to the table with our power, not the reverse! It’s all about, “Votes, Volunteers and Donations.” There are ways to do it. Come to me for help. You are not alone.

Cindy Grosz can be reached at [email protected]