The Flatbush Jewish Community Coalition (FJCC), a particularly prominent and powerful group, provided its coveted endorsement to frontrunning mayoral candidate Eric Adams, the morning after New York City’s second mayoral debate, during which Adams stood out as an experienced, calm, and reasoned leaders with a practical vision for the future of the city.
The FJCC’s support comes after a week several other Orthodox Jewish communities in Staten Island, Far Rockaway, and Crown Heights stood behind Brooklyn’s borough president. In addition, the influential Sephardic Community Federation also endorsed Adams last week.
“Before deciding on a candidate to recommend for New York City, the FJCC leadership met with every single serious Democratic candidate for mayor for in-depth discussions on the issues of most importance to our community,” said Chasket Bennet, the FJCC’s co-founder. “Representing the Flatbush community in front of our elected officials is a responsibility that we all take very seriously.”
“Flatbush rabbanim leaders, business owners, homeowners, and regular citizens have shared [with us] the issues they are about most,” said Bennet, who also is a member of the board of trustees at Agudath Israel. “At the top of almost every person’s list are two specific issues: public safety and religious freedom.”
Since June 2013, the FJCC, has represented more than 200 Shuls, yeshivas, kollelim, and Bais Yaakov schools in Flatbush, which is powerhouse of Torah scholarship and Jewish philanthropy, to earn the respect and the ear of the New York City Jewish community.
“I appreciate this community so much and for such an important endorsement,” Adams told FJCC representatives at a Pescada, which is a kosher Italian restaurant, which is at 1776 Ocean Ave. in Midwood.
In his closing statement on debate stage, Eric Adams quoted Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a South African human rights activist, who said, “We spend a lifetime pulling people out of river. No one goes upstream to prevent them from falling in in the first place.”
“We are not only allowing people to fall in the river of homelessness, crime, lack of education, health care crises, and all the other issues that betray New Yorkers and hold them back, we are actually pushing them in,” said Adams, who said, “We can’t allow another generation to be betrayed.”
“It is time to take our city upstream.”