New York Director of Government Relations Rabbi Yeruchim Silber testifying
Rabbi Shragi Greenbaum, director of Agudah’s Rockland County Regional Office testifying
Redistricting is a process that takes place every ten years which many fail to pay attention to. People don’t realize that the process of drawing district lines is one that impacts the legislative process for years to come. In New York, the New York State Independent Redistricting Commission, which was formed as a result of a constitutional amendment approved by the voters in 2014, has begun to hold hearings to receive input from members of different communities, to make sure their input is considered, as the lines are redrawn.
Agudah’s main concern in the redistricting process is that Orthodox Jewish communities are kept together, as the boundaries of legislative districts can impact a community’s influence. If a community is divided over a few districts they make up a smaller percentage of each district’s electorate and their political significance is diminished. However, if a community is consolidated, they make up a more significant part of the district’s electorate and their voice can become amplified.
At the hearing which focused on Kings County, New York Director of Government Relations Rabbi Yeruchim Silber testified, urging the committee to consolidate the large Orthodox Jewish community in Kings County as it is a “community of interest” which, by law, has to be taken into consideration during the process of drawing the lines. “When it comes to electoral representation, we have been treated as anything but a community of interest… As a result of this marginalization, we have legislators who are not as familiar with these areas as they should be. They do not have their district offices in our communities, rarely visit, and ultimately are not able to provide the type of representation that this community should have,” explained Rabbi Silber. Leon Goldenberg, a member of the Agudah Board of Trustees, also testified at the Brooklyn hearing telling the commission members that the Orthodox community is divided among so many districts that you “need a scorecard to see who’s representing you.”
Additionally, Rabbi Shragi Greenbaum, director of Agudah’s Rockland County Regional Office, testified at the hearing that focused on the Hudson Valley, asking for the Town of Ramapo – currently cut up into three separate assembly districts – to be consolidated. “I ask that the new district no longer be a disorganized jumble of communities with different interests. Rather, we appeal for a representative that is from the people, for the people, and is familiar with the community needs,” concluded Rabbi Greenbaum.
“The redistricting process is extremely important to our communities, and we would like to thank COJO of Flatbush, Boro Park JCC, Flatbush Jewish Community Coalition (FJCC), and the Sephardic Community Federation in New York City, and, in Rockland, the Monsey Outreach Center, for working with the Agudah in our efforts to make sure that our voices are heard during this important process,” said Rabbi Silber.