By: Abe Wertenheim

It is not often that matters of faith and politics collide so openly in New York’s Jewish community. Yet, as The New York Post reported on Friday, Congregation Shaare Zion in Gravesend has taken the extraordinary step of tying access to coveted High Holiday seats to proof of voter registration, a move that underscores the deep anxiety Sephardic leaders feel about the potential election of Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York City.

The synagogue, a prominent institution within Brooklyn’s tight-knit Syrian Jewish community, issued a stark notice warning congregants that the city’s political future posed “serious problems.” The only recourse, the synagogue leadership said, was to make voting an absolute prerequisite for participation in Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur services.

“We have no choice but to require that all of our members and their spouses provide proof of voter registration prior to securing their High Holiday seats,” the announcement stated, in language obtained and verified by The New York Post.

While Mamdani is not explicitly named in the synagogue’s notice, sources told the paper the message was unmistakable: the requirement was aimed squarely at mobilizing the Sephardic Jewish vote against the Democratic nominee, whose sharp criticism of Israel and refusal to denounce incendiary slogans has left many Jewish leaders alarmed.

The High Holidays — Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, beginning at sundown on Sept. 22, and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, beginning Oct. 1 — are the most sacred and widely attended days of the Jewish calendar. Securing seats at synagogues during this period is often a competitive process, as space is limited and demand surges. For Congregation Shaare Zion to use access to those seats as leverage for voter registration reflects both the gravity of the current political moment and the depth of unease surrounding Mamdani’s rise.

According to the information provided in The New York Post report, the Orthodox synagogue’s leadership was particularly troubled by Mamdani’s history of antisemitic statements. These include his refusal to condemn the slogan “globalize the intifada,” which the Anti-Defamation League describes as a rallying cry for violence against Jews, and his outspoken support for the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement targeting Israel. Mamdani has even pledged to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should he set foot in New York City, a threat that sent shockwaves through Jewish circles in the city and beyond.

The move by Shaare Zion comes amid a broader mobilization of the Sephardic Jewish community. In recent weeks, as The New York Post report highlighted, a coalition of prominent Sephardic rabbis issued a rare joint declaration urging their congregants to vote in November’s mayoral election. Their language was blunt and urgent: “We dare not be passive when our way of life is on the line,” the declaration read. “This is not optional. It is a mitzvah.”