In a bold move ahead of New York’s mayoral race, Brooklyn’s largest Syrian-Jewish synagogue is requiring proof of voter registration before granting High Holiday seats, framing the election as a moment of existential risk.
In a move that is already sparking intense debate, Congregation Shaare Zion — one of the largest Sephardic synagogues in the United States — has announced that members and their spouses must show proof of voter registration in order to reserve seats for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur this year.
The unprecedented directive, detailed in a letter sent last week and obtained by Yeshiva World News, casts the upcoming November 4 mayoral election as a pivotal threat to Jewish life in New York City.
“The outcome of this election could result in very serious problems throughout the city and, in particular, the Jewish communities across the city including our own,” the synagogue’s executive committee warned. “The safety and quality of life for our community and our institutions may be at serious risk.”
Shaare Zion’s policy comes just weeks after Magen David Yeshivah, a prominent Sephardic day school in nearby Gravesend, issued a similar requirement for parents, intensifying questions over whether religious institutions should pressure their communities to register to vote.
At the heart of the concern is Zohran Mamdani, the Muslim democratic socialist frontrunner whose support for the boycott movement and sharp criticism of Israel has alarmed Jewish leaders across the city.
With Rosh Hashanah beginning September 22 and Yom Kippur on October 1, Shaare Zion’s decision effectively transforms its holiday seating process into a mass voter-registration drive.
The synagogue, which draws thousands of worshippers annually, is widely seen as the beating heart of Brooklyn’s Syrian-Jewish community. Its mandate follows a joint declaration by over 50 Syrian-Jewish rabbis in New York and New Jersey, who proclaimed voter registration a mitzvah — a religious obligation on par with prayer, charity, and Jewish education.
Together, these moves underscore a community treating the mayoral election not as routine politics, but as a turning point for Jewish safety, identity, and influence in New York City.
