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Continuing the Legacy of Maurice Hedaya By Strengthening Our Jewish Community Through Voting
By: Gary Tilzer
As we approach the critical Presidential Election on November 5th, 2024, it is imperative that the Jewish community heeds the timeless message of Maurice Hedaya–his unwavering dedication to ensuring that every Jew exercises their right to vote to protect the future of our families, our community, and the state of Israel.
You can register to vote online to make the needs of our community heard on or before November 5th, 2024, online at https://vote.nyc/page/
Please note that the last day to register to vote online is October 26, 2024!
Our leaders must ensure that Maurice’s message, that it is “the obligation of every Jew to vote,” continues to be heard loud and clear, by registering every member of our community to vote and by making sure we actually cast our ballots on or before election day.
Many people *still* aren’t sure if they’re registered to vote. If you want to win this November, check your registration now!
You can also check family 😉
Action is the key!
Check it out: https://t.co/9toJHbGewQ
— Tanya Tay Posobiec ☦️ (@realTanyaTay) August 5, 2024
To quote Sam Sutton, the President of Sephardic Community Federation, “Maurice understood that the voice of the community cannot be heard without our voting.” The great Rabbi Sam Kassin, of Shehebar Sephardic Center remembered that “Maurice Hedaya was the conscience of our community and saw what needed to be done for the benefit of the community before others did.”
Maurice Hedaya’s journey as a community leader began in the late 1980s when our Jewish community had a minimal presence in the voting booths and, consequently, our needs and concerns were not heard in government. Maurice, driven by a deep sense of responsibility to keep the traditions and values of our community strong, made it his mission to change this disconnect. He traversed neighborhoods, walking miles between shuls, armed with voter registration cards. His commitment was such that no event was inappropriate for the cause—be it a wedding, bris, bar mitzvah, and even his granddaughter’s dance recital, he made sure to bring voter registration forms in his pockets.
Maurice’s understanding of the political landscape extended beyond voter registration. He knew the power of political alliances and leveraged his voter registration drives with key elected officials for our community’s benefit. His fight for government support of our community put him on a first name base with figures such as U.S. Senator Charles Schumer, Congressmen Solarz, Weiner, Nadler, and Congresswoman Malliotakis.
In the late 1980s, together with other leaders of our community, Maurice established a community think tank named “Save Our Syrian Jews” (SOSJ). SOSJ worked tirelessly to raise awareness about 4,000 Syrian Jews suffering persecution from the Syrian government and built political support for our community in Washington, DC. The collective efforts of many groups in our community culminated in a joyous victory when Assad released the Jews from Syria and made it possible for thousands of Syrians to come to America.
Maurice and his wife Gladys, after meeting Lena Cymbrowitz campaigning to be elected to the NYS Assembly on Avenue M, allowed their living room to become the unofficial headquarters of her successful campaign to become the first member of our Sephardic community elected to the NYS government. Lena and her husband Steven Cymbrowitz, who took over Lena’s NYS
Assembly seat after Lena lost her life to cancer, were responsible for millions in NY State government grants directed to our center, nonprofits, and community. Maurice’s early and unwavering support of Lena Cymbrozitz’s campaign to be elected to NYS Assembly is testament to Maurice’s unwavering lifelong dedication to elect members of our community to government, promoting respect and legitimacy of our community with the other elected officials, increasing government grants and funding for our community programs, security funds for our institutions, schools, senior citizen housing, mental health services and a long list of other government benefits. Maurice Hedaya’s lifelong dedication to civic engagement made the needs of our community addressed in government.
The Jewish Voice’s Call to Action
To honor Maurice Hedaya’s legacy, the Jewish Voice is spearheading a voting drive. We call upon volunteers, community leaders, and religious leaders to join us in this critical effort. By registering to vote and turning out in record numbers in the presidential election, we can ensure that our community needs are recognized and properly addressed in Albany, City Hall, and Washington, D.C.
Maurice Hedaya’s vision for an empowered Jewish community lives on through our collective actions. Let us come together and fulfill our duty to vote, ensuring a bright and secure future for our families, our community, and the state of Israel.
You can register to vote online to make the needs of our community heard on or before November 5th, 2024, online at https://vote.nyc/page/
Please note that the last day to register to vote online is October 26, 2024!
Maurice Hedaya was deeply dedicated to educating our community about the need to both register to vote but actually voting and making our voices heard and I applaud you recognizing him.
However, I would just like to correct some of your misinformation. “Save Our Syrian Jews” was not a think tank but was the name of the organization of which Maurice Hedaya was one of the founders. Within a month of its inception, we changed the name to The Council for the Rescue of Syrian Jews (CRSJ). We were the only political advocacy organization in our community solely dedicated to obtaining freedom for the 4500 Syrian Jews being held in Syria and we successfully completed our mission. Thank you.
Love this! Miss my great grandfather. A true legend!
Maurice Hedaya was a very special person. MIT Graduate, successful businessman, my partner and most of all esteemed community leader. He worked tirelessly to help free the Syrian Jews being held captive by the Assad regime, bringing all of them safely to our shores. Maurice spearheaded a get-out-and-vote campaign for the entire Sephardic Community. He attended every function, convinced everyone he spoke with to register to vote and imploring us to have an active voice as a community. He was a GIANT.