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By: Ilana Siyance
Daniel Norber has become the first Republican elected to a seat in the state assembly representing northern Hempstead, Long Island, in over 50 years. Norber narrowly defeated two-term Democratic incumbent Gina Silitti to represent NY’s 16th District, creating a historic political shift. As reported by the NY Post, a former soldier in the Israel Defense Force, the 45-year-old dual US- Israeli citizen, will take over the Nassau County seat that once held by Democratic state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli.
Norber, a self-made business owner who prioritizes crime, protecting freedom and creating jobs, won what was his first bid for elective office by just 1,000 votes. He got a good deal of help from President-elect Donald Trump on the ticket, per the Post. Trump carried the 16th Assembly District winning Vice President Kamala Harris by over 2,000 votes. The district includes Nassau County villages of Manhasset, Port Washington, Roslyn, Merrick, Garden City, New Hyde Park, Old Westbury, Searingtown, Williston Park, as well as Great Neck, which boasts a large Jewish population. Antisemitism took on a key role in the election, which gave Norber a boost. Norber was in Israel last year on Oct. 7 when the Hamas terror group brutally attacked the Jewish state. He had to hide in a bomb shelter with his wife, Inbal, and their four children, aged 15 through 8. “It was the worst atrocity to Jews since the Holocaust. Israel is not the same anymore,” he told the Post at the time. “I saw what happened in Israel. I should do whatever I can to prevent that from happening here.”
Norber noted an act of hate on Aug. 30 at the Shelter Rock Jewish Center in Searingtown, in the district, where red paint was thrown over a banner that read, “We stand with Israel, bring them home now,” referring to Israeli hostages held captive in Gaza. Silitti’s campaign had suffered a setback when one of her staffers bashed Israel on social media, Norber added. “She wasn’t sensitive to what was going on. I felt she was out of touch,” Norber said.
Norber was born in the United States and raised in Israel. Per the Post, he joined the IDF at age 17, where he served as a staff sergeant in the military police. Norber’s grandparents were Holocaust survivors, and his mother escaped communism in the former Soviet Union. “As a first generation American, self-made business owner, and community leader who has lived the American Dream, I understand service, sacrifice, and the importance of helping others. I have seen the harm Albany’s policies have had on our quality of life and economy. I want to ensure everyone has the same opportunities I have had to build a career, raise a family, and achieve their own dreams,” Norber said in his campaign website.
Norber’s main priorities in the campaign included repealing cashless bail, fighting crime and illegal drugs, cutting taxes and imposing a state mask ban aimed at preventing lawbreakers from shielding themselves during protests. Nassau County approved such a ban, “and we need to do that at the state level,” Norber said. “It’s about keeping minorities safe. It was in place for the Ku Klux Klan,” he said of the ban.
