By: Chaya Abecassis

In a move without precedent in New York’s Jewish educational landscape, Magen David Yeshivah, one of Brooklyn’s largest Orthodox Jewish schools and a flagship institution of the city’s Sephardic community, announced this week that parents must provide proof of voter registration before the new school year begins. The requirement, framed as a measure of civic responsibility, comes against the backdrop of a heated and divisive mayoral race in which Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist with openly pro-Palestinian views, leads the field.

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA), which first reported on the new policy, emphasized how the mandate has become both a symbolic and practical call to action for a community increasingly uneasy about its political future. While Jewish communal organizations have long conducted voter registration drives, the move by a private yeshivah to link school enrollment to voter registration represents a new frontier in communal political strategy.

In a short letter sent to families, the school’s administration explained the reasoning behind the directive.

“We trust that our parent body understands that this policy stems from and reflects our school’s commitment to ensuring that our community plays an active role in shaping the policies that affect us all every day,” the letter read. “Registering to vote is a small but critical step toward protecting the future of our yeshivot and our broader community.”

The JTA report noted that school officials did not respond to inquiries about how they intend to enforce the rule, nor why it was introduced at this particular moment. But observers have widely interpreted the move as a direct response to Mamdani’s rise and his consistent criticism of Israel. For many in the Syrian Jewish enclave of Gravesend, where the school is located, the stakes of this election feel existential.

The Sephardic-Syrian Jewish community of South Brooklyn has long demonstrated a keen awareness of its political leverage. As the JTA reported, the neighborhood largely favored Donald Trump in the last presidential election. In June’s Democratic mayoral primary, most Democrats in the area cast ballots for Andrew Cuomo, the former governor now pursuing an independent run, rather than Mamdani.

For Magen David Yeshivah, which educates thousands of children from pre-kindergarten through high school, the new policy reflects a long tradition of viewing political engagement not merely as a civic option but as a communal responsibility. The move, however, elevates that tradition into a formal institutional requirement.

While the mandate has raised eyebrows, legal experts consulted by the JTA clarified that the school is within its rights.

Federal and state laws bar coercion in voting or enrollment based on party affiliation, but private schools have wide latitude in setting conditions for participation. “This may or may not be a good idea, but there is no legal issue here,” said Samuel Issacharoff, a constitutional law professor at New York University.

Election law specialist Jeffrey M. Wice told the JTA that the move represented a “smart” innovation in mobilizing turnout. “Acting through private schools is a new and unique concept,” he said. He added that the policy could withstand legal scrutiny so long as it remains nonpartisan and applies equally to all parents, regardless of political affiliation.

The New York State Board of Elections declined to comment directly, noting that “New York State Election Law does not speak directly to this specific issue.”

At the heart of the matter is the rise of Zohran Mamdani, whose outspoken support for the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement, and frequent criticism of Israel, have alienated Jewish voters across the spectrum. Mamdani has denied accusations of antisemitism, framing his stance as a critique of Israeli policy. But as the JTA report indicated, his rhetoric has convinced many Jewish leaders and activists that his election would represent a profound threat.

For Orthodox institutions in particular, which depend on municipal funding for security, educational programs, and basic infrastructure, the mayor’s office exerts enormous influence. The outcomes of this year’s race could affect yeshiva oversight, responses to antisemitic hate crimes, and the balance of power between progressive and traditional constituencies.

What distinguishes this moment is not only the yeshivah’s policy but also the broader rhetorical shift within the Sephardic-Syrian rabbinical leadership. The JTA reported that more than 50 rabbis from New York and New Jersey recently signed a sweeping declaration that equates registering to vote with a mitzvah, or religious obligation, alongside prayer and charity.

“This is not optional. It is a mitzvah,” the statement proclaimed, warning that the upcoming election would shape Jewish identity, safety, and institutions for years to come.

Rabbi Shlomo Farhi, in a widely shared sermon, castigated those who fail to register. “We should be embarrassed of the fact that there is an antisemite who hates Israel,” he declared. “You have the chance to stop it, and if you did nothing because of some selfish reason … shame on you.”

The new policy has elicited mixed responses across the Jewish spectrum. Shabbos Kestenbaum, who gained national attention for suing Harvard University over antisemitism, applauded the move and urged other institutions to follow suit. By contrast, Elliot Resnick, a former Jewish Press editor pardoned by Trump for his involvement in the January 6 Capitol riot, criticized the idea, saying that schools should not “play parent to parents.”

Even within the right-wing and Orthodox camps, debate continues over whether conditioning school enrollment on voter registration is appropriate. Some, such as pro-Israel activist Stephanie Neta Benshimol, argued against “using children as pawns,” though she emphasized her own household’s commitment to voting.

Magen David Yeshivah’s decision is part of a wider wave of Jewish get-out-the-vote campaigns. The JTA report detailed initiatives ranging from the Orthodox Union’s Teach Coalition, which distributes voter information, to the Jewish Voters Action Network, which has launched peer-to-peer registration drives. On the progressive side, Jews for Racial & Economic Justice is promoting its own initiative, “The Jewish Vote.”

The UJA-Federation of New York told the JTA that it has observed renewed interest in political activism, particularly within hard-to-reach communities such as Russian-speaking Jews, Sephardim, and Haredim. These efforts reflect a recognition that the Jewish vote — often decisive in local elections — cannot be taken for granted.

The school’s new policy also intersects with broader shifts in Jewish political alignments. Many Syrian Jews in Brooklyn rallied behind Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary, only to see him falter. Cuomo now runs as an independent, but polls suggest he trails far behind Mamdani. Incumbent Eric Adams, meanwhile, is pursuing reelection outside the Democratic primary process, complicating the electoral calculus for Jewish voters.

As the JTA report highlighted, the stakes go beyond partisan preference. For many Orthodox leaders, the upcoming election is less about ideology and more about communal survival.

The requirement at Magen David Yeshivah could serve as a bellwether for similar policies in other Orthodox communities across the United States. If successful in boosting turnout, the policy might inspire replication in other private schools, synagogues, and community institutions.

At the same time, critics warn that such measures risk alienating some families and could reinforce perceptions of coercion. Balancing civic urgency with inclusivity will remain a delicate challenge.

As the JTA report indicated, the decision by Magen David Yeshivah crystallizes a pivotal moment for New York’s Jewish community. Faced with the rise of a mayoral candidate who is clearly hostile to Jewish interests, one of the city’s largest yeshivot has transformed civic duty into institutional policy.

Whether this experiment will strengthen Jewish political influence or sow division within the community remains to be seen. What is clear, however, is that the stakes of the 2025 mayoral race are reshaping Jewish life in New York — not only at the ballot box but also in the very classrooms where the next generation of Jewish New Yorkers is educated.

In the words of one rabbinic declaration quoted by the JTA, “This is a turning point for our community.” For Magen David Yeshivah and the families it serves, that turning point begins with something as simple, and as profound, as registering to vote.