A Brooklyn Orthodox synagogue said it will require congregants to provide proof of voter registration before securing seats for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, citing worries that the outcome of the mayoral election could create "serious problems" for the community.
The notice from Congregation Shaare Zion in Gravesend — first reported by Yeshiva World News and later obtained by the New York Post — instructs members and their spouses to show proof of voter registration prior to obtaining High Holiday tickets. A synagogue representative declined to comment to the Post. Rosh Hashana begins at sundown on Sept. 22 and Yom Kippur at sundown on Oct. 1.
A source with the Orthodox synagogue told the Post the policy is aimed at rallying the community against Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani, an Assembly member from Queens who has drawn concern from many Jewish voters over his statements and policy positions regarding Israel. The notice does not name any candidate.
Leaders of a coalition of Sephardic rabbis in the Syrian Jewish community have issued a separate declaration urging congregants to vote in November, saying in part, "We dare not be passive when our way of life is on the line. This is not optional. It is a mitzvah." A synagogue source said the Sephardic community, concentrated in southern Brooklyn, largely supported former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary and is expected to turn out in the general election.
Mamdani has drawn both praise and criticism. He has defended his record and said he is not antisemitic, but critics point to past positions including support for the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel, a pledge to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits New York City, and statements in which he declined to denounce the rallying cry to "globalize the intifada." Supporters cast him as a progressive who appeals to younger and new voters.
Polling has shown mixed support for Mamdani among Jewish New Yorkers. A late July Zenith Research and Public Progress Solutions poll found Mamdani with 43% support among Jewish voters, driven largely by younger cohorts — 67% of Jewish Gen Z and millennial voters in that survey. A separate GQR poll in partnership with the pro-Israel New York Solidarity Network found 37% support among Jewish respondents. Mamdani has also drawn endorsements from some Jewish elected officials, including City Comptroller Brad Lander and Rep. Jerry Nadler.
The decision by Congregation Shaare Zion reflects heightened anxiety in parts of the city’s Jewish communities as the mayoral contest tightens and candidates vie for diverse coalitions of voters. Religious institutions in recent election cycles have sometimes taken public stances aimed at mobilizing congregations, but requiring documentation of voter registration as a condition for holiday seating is an uncommon step and has drawn attention.
The synagogue notice, according to the reporting, said the congregation had "no choice" but to take the measure because of the perceived risk to members’ safety depending on the election outcome. The move underscores how local political dynamics and concerns about public safety and community rights are intersecting with religious life in the run-up to the November election.
Representatives for Mamdani did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Congregation Shaare Zion declined to comment to the New York Post on Friday.