By: Ilana Siyance
Tali Farhadian Weinstein, a candidate for Manhattan District Attorney, has been sharing her personal origin story to make her more relatable and to quell criticism from her opponents who say that she represents Manhattan’s most affluent residents.
In 1979, Farhadian Weinstein immigrated to Queens at the age of 4 to flee the Iranian Revolution with her family. “I know what it’s like to be given an opportunity,” said Ms. Farhadian Weinstein, who is a graduate of Yale Law School. “That motivates me and makes me want others to have opportunity and prosperity, and I think safety is a precondition for all of that.”
As reported by the Wall Street Journal, Ms. Farhadian Weinstein, 45, has been criticized by her running mates who point to her husband, Boaz Weinstein, founder of hedge fund Saba Capital Management LP, for having raised an impressive $2.5 million, with heavy funding emanating from the financial sector. Her campaign has amassed more than any other candidate, but those who know her say that’s not what she’s all about. “She knows what it feels like to be the stranger and to be vulnerable,” said her Rabbi, Angela Buchdahl, who has known her since she was a teen. “She came to this country with absolutely nothing.”
Moreover, Farhadian Weinstein would be the first female and first immigrant ever elected as Manhattan DA. For the past 45 years, the title has been held by two white men. She is also the only candidate who has worked in a NYC district attorney’s office, or been a federal prosecutor. In her campaign, she has made combating violence a priority. As per the WSJ, she has emphasized gun prosecutions, and proposed a version of the Brooklyn DA’s diversion program for youth who are charged with gun possession but have no police record. Farhadian Weinstein has also said that she would open a division to focus on gender-based violence including sex crimes, domestic violence, human trafficking and gender-related hate crimes.
Challengers have questioned whether she would prosecute white-collar crime, being that she received such heavy donations from the financial sector. She has responded saying, “I will prosecute anyone who breaks the law, including my donors.”
The approaching June 22 Democratic primary will most likely name the winner well before the general election takes place, and Incumbent Cyrus Vance Jr. , a three-term Democrat, has confirmed that he won’t be on the ballot.
