NEW YORK — Former New York State governor Andrew Cuomo on Friday secured the endorsement of the Bobov Hasidic movement in a boon to his campaign ahead of this month’s primary vote.
The Bobov endorsement came a day after Cuomo won the backing of the Far Rockaway Jewish Alliance based in Queens, his first official endorsement from an influential Orthodox group.
Cuomo is leading in polls ahead of this month’s Democratic party primary, which will likely decide the winner of the November election in the mostly Democratic city.
Cuomo has said combating antisemitism is a priority and has repeatedly expressed support for Israel during and leading up to the race.
His leading opponent, the far-left State Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani from Queens, has alarmed mainstream Jewish groups with his repeated, harsh criticism of Israel and policies targeting the Jewish state.
Cuomo has been courting Jewish voters, including Orthodox constituents, but faced a roadblock with those communities due to some of the policies he enacted while serving as governor during the COVID pandemic. At the time, Cuomo levied restrictions on gatherings that Orthodox communities felt targeted them, and some of that bitterness still lingers. Cuomo resigned as governor in 2021 amid allegations of sexual harassment and mismanagement of nursing homes during the pandemic.
Cuomo has held a series of meetings with Orthodox communities in an effort to repair the damage. Last month, he met with the Agudath Orthodox umbrella group, which sued him over the virus restrictions in 2020.
The two endorsements acknowledged both the tensions over the pandemic restrictions and the perceived threat from Mamdani, a member of the far-left Democratic Socialists of America.
The Bobov endorsement, without naming Mamdani, said that the primary features of candidates are “from the far-left socialist spectrum who have expressed hostility toward the Jewish community.”
“This election is critical, and we cannot afford to let those who oppose our values lead our city,” it said.
The endorsement said that community leaders brought up the COVID controversies in meetings with Cuomo, saying the community felt “unfairly targeted.”
“Cuomo expressed deep regret for the distress caused, acknowledging past mistakes,” it said. “He pledged to maintain an open line of communication with community leaders and to appoint Orthodox Jewish advisors to ensure culturally sensitive decision-making.”
The Far Rockaway Jewish Alliance also acknowledged the “pain” caused by the COVID lockdowns, and was more explicit in its condemnation of Mamdani.
“If Zoran Mamdani and the movement behind him succeed, we risk losing everything we’ve built,” the group’s statement said, citing threats to yeshivas, police protection, and supporters of Israel.
“Cuomo is no tzaddik, and no one claims he is. But we’re not choosing a rebbe — we’re choosing a shield. If we don’t seize the shield before us, we’ll be left utterly defenseless,” the group said.
New York City uses a ranked-choice voting system that allows voters to select up to five candidates, ranked from their first preference to their last. Bobov urged its followers to rank Cuomo first, followed by New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, and State Senator Zellnor Myrie.
Bobov, based in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Boro Park, is one of the larger Orthodox voting blocs in the city. Leaders of the Satmar movement, another coveted endorsement, have not yet weighed in.
Mamdani advocates for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement targeting Israel, which has been identified as anti-Zionist, and has repeatedly refused to acknowledge Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state. He has said that, if elected, he would arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if Netanyahu visits New York, citing the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for him. The ICC does not have jurisdiction in the US, though, and federal law bars city governments from cooperating with the court.
The primary takes place on June 24, and early voting begins on June 14.