Jewish group plans voter turnout drive in Westchester as Bowman-Latimer primary looms

A Jewish group plans a major push to register and mobilize Jewish voters in Westchester County in response to a national spike in antisemitic incidents and a looming House race that promises to focus on Israel's war in Gaza.

Teach Coalition, an offshoot of the Orthodox Union that advocates for public funding for Jewish schools, is launching a campaign through its New York branch that plans to spend up to $1.6 million to sign up new Westchester voters and get them to the polls this year. The organization says it already has raised $1 million in private donations.

The backdrop is a Democratic primary battle between U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman and Westchester County Executive George Latimer and their contrasting stances on Israel. Bowman, who took office three years ago, has alienated many Jewish leaders and constituents with his criticism of the Israeli government, especially in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel.

Teach Coalition doesn't plan to endorse candidates in that or any other races, which it's forbidden to do as a nonprofit organization. It says its goal is strictly to register thousands of new voters and use ads, robocalls, texts and other means to urge the Jewish community to cast ballots in all 2024 elections.

"It's just a campaign to get people out," Dan Mitzner, chief operating officer and director of government affairs for Teach Coalition, told the USA Today Network on Friday. "So people who want to vote a particular way, it's up to them to do their homework and their research on that. It's not Teach Coalition's job, and frankly we're restricted legally from doing so."

The group will soon open a voter registration center in New Rochelle and plans to add several field offices elsewhere in the county. It has five paid staff members so far and may hire more, and has also enlisted volunteers. Twelve Jewish schools and synagogues in Westchester and the Riverdale section of the Bronx have pledged to join the voter outreach campaign.

Latimer, who has been county executive since 2018 and held various public offices for 35 years in all, launched his campaign last month to challenge Bowman for the 16th Congressional District, which takes in the southern half of Westchester and the Wakefield neighborhood of the Bronx. A third Democrat, Marty Dolan, also plans to run.

The primary is set to take place on June 25, unless delayed by a potential court fight over the redrawing of New York's 26 House districts. The state's highest court last month ordered an independent panel to draft a new map.

Among those eager to cast ballots in the 16th District race is David Merel, a father of two from White Plains. Formerly an unaffiliated voter, he said Friday that he changed his enrollment to Democratic in order to vote in the primary, motivated by Bowman's statements on Israel and by rising antisemitism in the U.S.

“As a proud member of the Jewish community, I understand the implications this race holds for us," Merel said in a statement provided by Teach Coalition. "It’s critical that our elected officials represent our community, our needs and our values — and the only way to do that is to show up and vote. I implore the Westchester Jewish community to use the opportunity to assert our power by voting.”

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New York is one of seven states where Teach Coalition has chapters. Mitzner said the Westchester campaign is unique for his group in that it's focused on a single county and plans to spend a higher amount of money.

He said the group chose Westchester because the 16th District race is "a very important moment in time for our community," and Teach Coalition also hopes to influence certain state Legislature races. Westchester may serve as a starting point for similar efforts elsewhere in New York, he added.

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"We start in a place like that, and then we expand and do this in other areas in the coming months and years as well," Mitzner said.

Chris McKenna covers government and politics for The Journal News and USA Today Network. Reach him at cmckenna@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Bowman-Latimer primary: Jewish group plans Westchester NY voter push