Personal life
Eichenstein is married,and the father of four children. He is a life-long resident of Borough Park,Brooklyn. [3]
Simcha Eichenstein | |
|---|---|
| Member of the New York State Assembly from the 48th district | |
| Assumed office January 2, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Dov Hikind |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 6,1983 Brooklyn,New York |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Children | 4 |
| Residence(s) | Brooklyn,New York City |
| Occupation | Assemblyman |
| Website | Assembly website |
Simcha Eichenstein (born August 6,1983) is an American politician from New York. He is a member of the New York State Assembly.
Simcha Eichenstein was born to a rabbi from a prominent Bobover rabbinical family in Borough Park,Brooklyn,where he grew up and attended yeshivas. [1] [2] [3]
In July 2011,Eichenstein,by then a known political operative,was at the front lines of the search for the suspect in the murder of Leiby Kletzky. His wife helped to identify Levi Aron through her job as a receptionist at the dentist's office that Aron was a patron of. [4]
Eichenstein started his career as an aide to political consultant Ezra Friedlander. [5]
From 2011 until 2015,Eichenstein was the senior adviser to New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. [1] [6] Following this,he was director of political and governmental services to the Mayor of New York City,Bill de Blasio. [7] [8]
On April 26,2018,Eichenstein announced his candidacy for the open New York State Assembly District 48 seat,covering most of Borough Park and part of Midwood,Brooklyn,being vacated by Dov Hikind. [1] He won the seat unopposed in the general election,becoming the first Hasidic lawmaker from Brooklyn elected to any level of government. As Hikind's hand-picked successor, [9] Eichenstein was considered to be the front-runner in the race,running unopposed as the Democratic candidate in the primary election in September 2018. [3] His candidacy was supported by Rebbes of various Hasidic sects,including Bobov,Satmar,Ger,and Belz, [10] as well as by Senator Charles Schumer, [11] former Senator Joe Lieberman, [12] and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. [13]
Eichenstein has strongly opposed the government mandating secular education in Hasidic schools. [3] [14]
In March 2020,Eichenstein co-sponsored a bill promoted by Pamela Hunter that sought to end driver license suspensions for drivers with unpaid fines,saying:"Without a driver's license,a person cannot drive to work or to school,or even to court to pay their fine... Let's keep our safe and responsible drivers on the roads,instead of being embroiled in needless and wasteful court appearances... This new legislation would represent a victory for all New York drivers." [15]
In October 2020,during the COVID-19 pandemic,Eichenstein said he was "outraged" with the "draconian measures" implemented by Governor Andrew Cuomo to curb the spread of coronavirus in various neighborhoods of New York City. [16] [17]
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie appointed Eichenstein to serve on a number of committees,including Aging,Cities,Housing,Real Property Taxation,and Social Services. [18] Eichenstein serves as Chair of the Subcommittee on Outreach and Oversight of Senior Citizen Programs. [19]
Eichenstein is married,and the father of four children. He is a life-long resident of Borough Park,Brooklyn. [3]
Borough Park is a neighborhood in the southwestern part of the borough of Brooklyn, in New York City. The neighborhood is bordered by Bensonhurst to the south, Dyker Heights to the southwest, Sunset Park to the west, Kensington and Green-Wood Cemetery to the northeast, Flatbush to the east, and Mapleton to the southeast.
Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin or Yeshivas Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin is an American Haredi Lithuanian-type boys' and men's yeshiva in Brooklyn, New York.
Vizhnitz is the name of a Hasidic dynasty founded by Rabbi Menachem Mendel Hager. Vizhnitz is the Yiddish name of Vyzhnytsia, a town in present-day Ukraine.
Belz is a Hasidic dynasty founded in the town of Belz in Western Ukraine, near the Polish border, historically the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland. The group was founded in the early 19th century by Rabbi Shalom Rokeach, also known as the Sar Shalom, and led by his son, Rabbi Yehoshua Rokeach, and grandson, Rabbi Yissachar Dov, and great-grandson, Rabbi Aharon, before the Nazi invasion of Poland in 1939. While Rabbi Aharon managed to escape Europe, together with his brother Rabbi Mordechai Rokeach, most of the Belz Hasidim were murdered in the Holocaust. Rabbi Aharon re-established the Hasidic community in Israel following World War II. At present, Belz has sizable communities in Israel, Western Europe, and the Anglosphere.
Chernobyl is a Hasidic dynasty that was founded by Grand Rabbi Menachem Nachum Twersky, known by the name of his work as the Meor Einayim. The dynasty is named after the northern Ukrainian town of Chernobyl, where Rabbi Nachum served as the maggid. The lineage has continued to exist to this day, although not always with the name Chernobyl. Today there are several rebbes named Chernobyl. The central court is in Bnei Brak, headed by Rabbi Menachem Nachum Twersky.
Ziditshov is a Hasidic dynasty originating in town Ziditshov, in Galicia. It was founded by Rebbe Tzvi Hirsh of Ziditshov. Today, the few who remain of the Ziditshov dynasty live in Brooklyn, Monticello, New York, Chicago, Baltimore, London, and Israel.
Amshinov is a dynasty of Hasidic Judaism founded in the town of Mszczonów, Poland, by Yaakov Dovid Kalish, the son of Israel Yitzhak Kalish. Amshinov is a branch of Warka Hasidism, which in part is a branch of Peshischa Hasidism, as Israel Yitzhak Kalish was a leading disciple of Simcha Bunim of Peshischa (1765-1827).
Dov Hikind is an American politician, activist, and radio talk show host in the state of New York. Hikind served as a Democratic New York State Assemblyman representing Brooklyn's Assembly district 48 for 35 years – from January 1983 until December 2018.
Simcha Felder is an American politician from Borough Park, Brooklyn. He represents the 22nd district of the New York State Senate. Felder has been elected to multiple offices as a Democrat, but is known for having caucused with the Republicans during the early part of his New York State Senate tenure. Prior to serving in the State Senate, Felder represented the 44th district in the New York City Council.
Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah is the supreme rabbinical policy-making council of the Agudat Yisrael and Degel HaTorah movements in Israel; and of Agudath Israel of America in the United States. Members are usually prestigious Roshei Yeshiva or Hasidic rebbes, who are also usually regarded by many Haredi Jews to be the Gedolim ("great/est") sages of Torah Judaism. Before the Holocaust, it was the supreme authority for the World Agudath Israel in Europe.
Noach Dear was an American attorney, politician, and jurist who served as a New York Supreme Court judge. Dear was elected in 2008 as a civil court judge, in 2010 as an Acting Supreme Court Justice, and in 2015 for a 15-year term as a Permanent Justice on the New York Supreme Court. Prior to his appointment, he served as a member of the New York City Council from 1983 to 2001. He died during the COVID-19 pandemic due to complications of COVID-19.
Yaakov Perlow was an American Hasidic rabbi and rosh yeshiva, and Rebbe of the Novominsk Hasidic dynasty. From 1998 until his death in 2020, he was president of Agudath Israel of America, a Haredi advocacy organization. He was also head of that organization's Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah. He was one of the most respected leaders of the American Orthodox Jewish community, known for his scholarly and oratorical skills.
Kashau (קאשוי) is a hasidic dynasty, named after Kassa (Košice), the town where it originated. Kashau has institutions in Williamsburg, Monsey, and Bedford Hills in New York State.
David G. Greenfield is an American politician, law professor, and non-profit organization executive. He served as a Democrat in the New York City Council from the 44th district from 2010 to 2017. The district includes Bensonhurst, Borough Park, Gravesend, Kensington, Midwood, and Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn.
Mendy Werdyger is an American Hasidic singer, songwriter, and owner of the Jewish record label Aderet [Records] Music Corp. and its retail store Mostly Music in Brooklyn. In 2010, he released his fifth studio album.
On July 11, 2011, Leiby Kletzky, a Hasidic Jewish boy, was kidnapped as he walked home from his school day camp in the mainly Hasidic neighborhood of Borough Park, Brooklyn in New York City, New York. Kletzky's disappearance sparked an all-out search by New York City police and a block-by-block search by up to 5,000 Orthodox Jewish volunteers from New York and other states coordinated by the Brooklyn South Shomrim volunteer civilian patrol.
Radomsk is a hasidic dynasty named after the town of Radomsko in Łódź province, south-central Poland. The dynasty was founded in 1843 by Shlomo Hakohen Rabinowicz. His son, grandson and great-grandson also led the dynasty, which had thousands of followers. On the eve of World War II, Radomsk was the third largest Hasidic dynasty in Poland, after Ger and Alexander.
Kalman Yeger is an American politician who serves in the New York City Council for the 44th district. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes all or parts of the Bensonhurst, Borough Park, Gravesend, Kensington, and Midwood neighborhoods in Brooklyn.
Veretzky is the name of a Hasidic dynasty originating in Nyzhni Vorota, Ukraine, near the borders with Hungary and Slovakia. While the dynasty reestablished its court in the United States, a dynasty of the same name has been recently established in Israel as well.
In 2012, alumni of the New York Hasidic school system formed a group named Young Advocates for Fair Education (Yaffed) and voiced allegations that these schools, in particular boys schools, provide little to no secular education, thus initiating an ongoing campaign to bring about improvement in this matter through litigation and media exposure. These activities were met with fierce opposition from Hasidic school and community leaders who viewed it as an attack on the community's religious lifestyle, and in turn formed an organization called PEARLS, which serves to defend the right to give children a religious education, and satisfy mandatory educational standards in a way that fits with the community's values.
Simcha Eichenstein, a Hasid regarded as a political wunderkind, is the senior adviser to State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli
formerly worked for Mr. de Blasio's legislative affairs team
