New York – Orthodox Jewish Community Well Represented At De Blasio Inauguration

New York, NY – Hundreds of New Yorkers braved the freezing temperatures outside City Hall today to witness the inauguration of the city’s first Democratic mayor since David Dinkins, among them a large contingent from the Orthodox Jewish community, several of whom expressed their eagerness to work with the city’s 109th mayor, Bill de Blasio.

“It’s a bright new day in New York City under the leadership of Mayor Bill de Blasio,” Councilman David Greenfield told VIN News.

“As a member of the Assembly, I look forward to working with partners in government that will ensure the best interest of our communities and families are met,” added Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder.

Chaskel Bennett, a member of Agudath Israel of America’s board of trustees, noted that today’s inauguration was just the first step for the new mayor.

“Campaigns and inaugurals are a moment for hope and optimism, but at the same time, those of us out on the front lines of communal advocacy are deeply cognizant of the many serious challenges facing the city and our community,” said Bennett.

Having a mayor who once formally represented a large number of Orthodox residents as an elected official could bode well for the city’s Jewish population.

“The inauguration of Bill de Blasio as mayor will hopefully usher in a new era of collaboration between City Hall and our community,” said Ezra Friedlander, CEO of The Friedlander Group. “For the first time in history we have a mayor who represented parts of Borough Park in the City Council and is personally familiar with all our issues.”

Among those issues would be funding full day universal pre-K and after school programs for middle schoolers.

Philanthropist and CEO of OTR Media Group, Ari Noe, praised de Blasio’s plan to raise taxes on the city’s most affluent residents to fund these initiatives.

“As a businessman, I would say that spending less than three dollars a day, or approximately $975 a year, to fund these programs is a smart investment,” said Noe, adding that many within the city’s Jewish community would also benefit from these services.

Numerous representatives of the city’s Orthodox community took the opportunity to wish the new mayor well.

“I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations to our new mayor, Bill de Blasio, and look forward to continuing a great working relationship with him and his administration,” said newly sworn in City Councilman Chaim Deutsch.

“The spirit was optimistically high at this impressive organized historical event today,” added Isaac Sofer, a representative of the Satmar community.

de Blasio, who served as regional director the Department of Housing and Urban Development for New York and New Jersey under the Clinton administration, was sworn in by his former boss, Bill Clinton. In a nod towards the city’s diverse religious groups, four clergymen offered prayers prior to de Blasio’s inaugural speech: Reverend Fred Lucas Jr., Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, Monsignor Robert Romano and Imam Askia Muhammad.

According to CBS News reports, perhaps the most entertaining moment of the day came when Rabbi Potasnik addressed the crowd and quipped, “In keeping with the traditions of my people, next time can we do this in Boca?”

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