For What it’s Worth: Warren Hecht

For those who expected me to talk about the consequential 1932 presidential election between then-President Herbert Hoover and the Democratic challenger Franklin Roosevelt, they will be disappointed. I want to address the 1932 election in Germany. It is a sobering lesson for the time we live in. There were two elections that year. The percentages changed from one election to the next, but the number-one party stayed the same.

It is time to get back to writing after two weeks off. There is so much to discuss that it was hard to decide what to address. I was going to focus on the Hamas-Israel deal in detail; however, that would require an article of its own. Instead, there is an issue that has a greater impact on New York City and needs to be addressed.

By the time this column is published, we should know who the next mayor of New York will be. As I write, I sit and wait with trepidation about what the final results will be. The polls are all over the lot. Although all of them have Mamdani in the lead, some have him ahead by 5 percentage points and others by 25. The same applies to Sliwa’s strength: Some have him within a couple of percentage points of Cuomo, and others have him in low double digits. It just shows the uselessness of the polls.

Since Trump returned as president, he has been able to bully various sectors of society to bend to his will. Examples include law firms, universities, and media outlets. Sometimes the media outlets pay a “settlement” in response to a frivolous lawsuit brought by Trump because they fear the consequences. Trump wanted Stephen Colbert off the air, and Paramount—seeking approval for its acquisition by Skydance—acquiesced to Trump’s request by not renewing Colbert’s contract.

This column will be my final one before Election Day. I feel as though this moment is like Neilah on Yom Kippur, l’havdil—my last chance to be convincing. Now, I’m making a final attempt to persuade those who plan to vote for Curtis Sliwa, or who are thinking of sitting out this election, to go out and vote for Andrew Cuomo.

In preparation for the High Holy Days, Sephardim began saying Selichos at the start of Elul, and Ashkenazim began on Saturday night, September 13. The Queens Jewish Link published its September 18 edition with the front page wishing “Shanah Tovah.” Throughout the paper were greetings from elected officials—Jewish and non-Jewish, religious and not—as well as from private entities, some just a few words and others more detailed.