Latest / In These Times with Rabbi Ammi Hirsch / Scott Stringer

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Scott Stringer · In These Times with Rabbi Ammi Hirsch

0:01
RABBI AMMI HIRSCH: I'm Rabbi Ami Hirsch of the Stephen Wise Free
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Synagogue in New York and you're listening to "In These Times."
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We're in the midst of an important mayoral campaign in New York
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City with local, national, and even international ramifications.
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Scott Stringer has spent decades in New York politics, a former Manhattan
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Assemblyman Borough President and New York City comptroller.
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He is running now for the Democratic nomination for the Mayor of New York City.
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One thing that has always distinguished Scott, especially in these
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polarized times, is his unwavering commitment to Judaism and Zionism.
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I'm pleased that he reached out to me as part of our mayoral forum
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to share his vision for the city.
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And to probe deeply into the issues that are important to
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Americans and American Jews.
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Mr. Scott Stringer, it's an honor to have you with us.
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Welcome to In These Times.
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SCOTT STRINGER: Thank you, rabbi.
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It's great to be here.
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It truly is a privilege.
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RABBI AMMI HIRSCH: We're in the midst of a quite heated primary
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campaign in New York for the nominee of the Democratic Party for Mayor.
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How goes the campaign?
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SCOTT STRINGER: Well, it's not my first rodeo.
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I've been through this before and I have to tell you, it really is
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great connecting with New Yorkers all over the borough, not just from
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Manhattan, but throughout the city.
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And I will tell you, it's a wonderfully diverse.
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City we have, and there's still so much hope about where the city can go.
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So I feel very uplifted as I make my case to the voters.
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It's been a tremendous experience.
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And uh, I have to tell you something, the voters are ready for change.
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I think they want experience.
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I think they want competence, but they also want someone as mayor who
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has a vision to end the corruption and the chaos and sort of restore
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our city to where it has to be.
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And that's what I offer in this campaign.
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RABBI AMMI HIRSCH: You've been in public life for many years.
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Do you think that government has changed over the decades that you've
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been involved in public service?
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Do you think people are as tolerant of different views as they used to be?
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Are they more short-tempered?
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Do they greet you on the campaign trail in the same kind of way?
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Respectful, and even if they disagree with you,
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SCOTT STRINGER: my observation about the shifting.
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Politics of the city and the country is there's definitely a much more divisive
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view of issues and life in the city.
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I also find that because the city government over many years has become
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so minimal in its approach to our problems, that people are really actually
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expecting less from the government.
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I have people come up to me and said, could you limit the corruption?
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Limit the corruption?
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Not in the corruption or zero tolerance.
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And I'm always like, what do you mean limited?
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People roll their eyes and say, what's what's happening
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in Washington at City Hall?
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And I say, how about if we just in the corruption and people
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don't believe that can happen.
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So when I came of age on the Upper West Side with Jerry Nadler and
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with Messenger corruption was not to be tolerated for one second.
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This was the Democratic reform movement.
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And there were certain principles that you abided by and never compromised.
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And I feel that we have to go back to the drawing board and build an
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administration that doesn't steal, that doesn't personally profit, that
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actually works for the people again.
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But Rabbi, I have to tell you, people are just hoping for the minimum, and I wanna
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show that we can go back to a time when.
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We were doing the big things without stealing and corruption.
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RABBI AMMI HIRSCH: What draws you generally, before we get to the
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issues themselves that are on the top of the agenda for New Yorkers now?
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You've been in public service for so much of your adult life.
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What is it that attracted you to public service and that keeps
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you involved in public service?
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SCOTT STRINGER: I was one of those kids.
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Grew up in a political household.
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My dad was council to Mayor Beam in the seventies, and my mom would
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eventually be the first woman to serve in the city council, also from
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Washington Heights in the seventies.
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But I really, really got started in politics and I was asked last night
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at a Jewish issues debate who was the.
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Jewish person you most admired, and I said, well, I admired my cousin, the late
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Bella Abzu who ran for Congress and I was a 12-year-old boy and I campaigned my
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heart out for her on my bike, and I never stopped working in government or politics.
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I actually believe that everyone that is involved in politics and
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social justice and served on my local community board as the first teenager.
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And then came down to the west side and worked with Jerry Nadler
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and Ruth Messenger, and so much of what this community had to offer.
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And so for me, it's been my life's work and I've loved every minute of it.
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I love serving in the state legislature.
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Manhattan Borough President was a dream job because of all that you could do.
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It shaped these offices and to serve as the controller of the
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Sea of New York for eight years.
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Accomplishing what we did was just something I could never have imagined
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growing up in Washington Heights.
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So for me personally, this really has been my life's work.
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I will tell you, rabbi, my son Miles, who's now 12 years old, said to me
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months ago when he said, dad, are you really gonna run for mayor again?
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And I said, miles, I'm thinking about it.
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What do you think?
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He said, okay, I'll support you, but dad.
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This is my last campaign and I said, miles, when I was your age, I
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wanted to do this for 50 more years.
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It got sad.
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This is my last campaign, so every generation feels differently.
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Rabbi,
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RABBI AMMI HIRSCH: do you think politicians are held in lower regard than
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when you first started out in your career, and if so, does that frustrate you?
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SCOTT STRINGER: When I was growing up during that time period in the seventies,
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it was the height of Watergate, and so people were really hating on politicians.
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That was a very.
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Divisive time and the Nixon presidency really shocked the world.
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Remember, we're in the midst of the Vietnam War.
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People can't believe the Watergate tapes the break in, so there
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was really a problem rebuilding people's confidence after that.
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But I gotta tell you something, Nixon.
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Was our boy scout compared to what we have now.
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Mm-hmm.
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So I actually think we are at a moment where people are not just angry,
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people are legitimately frightened.
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People from all walks of life, not just the Jewish community, but
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large segments of the population are genuinely scared of this guy
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and what is coming outta Washington.
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RABBI AMMI HIRSCH: Can you elaborate on that for us?
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What are the issues for Americans in general and also specifically for New
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Yorkers with the Trump administration?
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SCOTT STRINGER: You know, going right to New York.
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I think Trump two, you know, I was in Trump one when I was city controller
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and had to fight him on most days.
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But I have to say that this Trump two is smarter, more focused on
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destroying the New York City safety net.
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They wanna destroy a big blue city, and New York is really
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on the chopping block for them.
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I would say LA is a close second.
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But look, we need to have an experienced mayor who knows how to fight back, and
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when he comes in and takes $80 million of money that's already been appropriated to
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our city and claws it back in the middle of the night, need a mayor who understands
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the finances of the city and knows how to look at those budget codes and.
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Create a strategy to make sure this doesn't happen.
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I believe that we should have a rainy day fund of a billion dollars, 500
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million from the state, $500 million from the city, so we can continue to
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replenish any cuts to our social programs.
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So when he comes to cut migrant services and immigrant
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services, we can replenish that.
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When it comes to cutting senior services or education
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services, we can replenish that.
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And the strategy for me.
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Is to get us to the midterm congressional elections where we have
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got to create a Democratic Congress elect, Hakeem Jeffrey speaker.
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There's nothing more important than that, but we also have to have a mayor
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who can navigate us through these issues without destroying the city.
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So I understand how important that is going to be for the next mayor.
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RABBI AMMI HIRSCH: You see the primary threat from this administration as a
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financial threat against the financing of New York City in particular, focused
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on the weaker elements of society, the people who can least withstand those cuts?
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SCOTT STRINGER: Yes, and I think that there has to be a strategy, but
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look, you know, as somebody who's a lifelong New Yorker, I worry about.
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His foreign policy.
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I worry about tariffs from a economic perspective, but also
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from uniting the world and making this planet a better place.
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I worry about his attack on the green economy and what that would
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have meaning for climate change.
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So as a parent, as a lifelong New Yorker, I care about these issues, but the mayor
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has a real unique opportunity taking experience and turning it into action to
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really make sure that we protect our city.
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We're a sanctuary city.
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We're a city that is resilient.
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We are the most diverse city in the world.
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We represent some 200 countries, and the next mayor has to have the
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skill to bring us all together in these tough times and come up with a
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financial and political strategy that will get us to where we have to be.
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By the way, rabbi, as you know, as a student of New York City history, you
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know, we had another president in the 1970s, Gerald Ford, who told our city
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to drop dead when we were on the edge of bankruptcy, and the strategy back
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then should be the same strategy now.
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Organizing and mobilizing the business community, the labor community,
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the religious community, to go to Washington, build stakeholders, and
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come up with that cohesive strategy.
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And I think I'm uniquely qualified to do that.
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RABBI AMMI HIRSCH: Can you share with us on the campaign trail, I
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imagine that you are interacting with undocumented immigrants and
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activists who act on their behalf.
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What's the mood like in New York City?
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Now, are these populations afraid?
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Physically afraid?
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Do they think twice before they go to various places in public?
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SCOTT STRINGER: You know, in talking to a lot of the people who run immigrant
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rights organizations and service delivery organizations, there is a. Terrible fear,
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and I see it in my kids' public schools.
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You know, I have a 13-year-old and a 12-year-old in public school,
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and I know that a lot of their friends aren't coming to school
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anymore, and who could blame them?
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I mean, I try to put myself into a same position an immigrant person feels
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right now raising a family in New York.
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If I had a choice between sending my kid to school knowing there's a
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chance I may never see him again.
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My first job as a parent is protect at all costs, right?
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So suddenly education becomes secondary.
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Wondering how you maneuver through ice and all the things
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that could come to your family.
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It's a terrible moment.
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And for the Jewish community in particular, who.
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Over the course of our history, when we have seen what it's like for a
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government to bang on doors and take away children and families, this
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has gotta be the scariest moment for other generations of people.
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But for the Jewish community, it's a reminder of why we
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have to step up and defend
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RABBI AMMI HIRSCH: because we have a history of being immigrants
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ourselves and persecuted ourselves
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SCOTT STRINGER: a hundred percent.
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And it really.
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To me, it's just a reminder.
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Unfortunately, how history can repeat itself may be, and
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we cannot sweep through this.
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We have to stand up and fight back.
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RABBI AMMI HIRSCH: Can I ask you just a follow up question on, uh, what
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you mentioned with respect to the schools is that literally happening
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that kids are not coming to school because they fear being literally
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grabbed by immigration authorities and processed and eventually deported.
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It's happened young Dylan was
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SCOTT STRINGER: taken off the streets.
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This is real.
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This is real.
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Could you imagine your home expecting a kid to come back from school
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and there's even a 1% possibility you may not see that child?
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I, I just couldn't even live with myself.
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And so this is the Trump administration coming for New York City and that's why.
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Our mayor, the first thing we're gonna do on January 1st is we're gonna order
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every commissioner that we appoint and every agency that represents
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service delivery for our city.
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We're going to come up with a comprehensive action plan to protect
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the people in the city from ice.
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Obviously, we will do everything legally and above board.
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We're not gonna give them an excuse to cause a constitutional
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crisis in the streets.
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But we also have to be very smart about how we approach this, and I
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think if we are successful winning the Democratic primary, I think we have to
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start thinking about this immediately.
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RABBI AMMI HIRSCH: What are some of the other issues that you think are at the
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top of the priority list for New Yorkers?
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SCOTT STRINGER: I think it's affordability.
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The rent is just too high.
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I think we have to do a number of things to create a more affordable
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city if we're going to continue to attract people from around the world
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to get educated here, but also to stay here and be part of our economy.
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I think young couples, once the second child comes, cannot afford to be here.
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We see that throughout the five boroughs, and so here's how we deal with it.
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In my view, we have to create a mechanism for people to stay here,
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and that means we do need to build the next generation of affordable housing.
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All the great mayors have been able to create not just minimalist housing
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plans, but really go for it in a big way.
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I wanna do Michel Lama too, as you know, rabbi on the FOS side, the urban
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renewal area represented the middle class housing that's last for generations.
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I want to do more of that.
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There's a thousand vacant properties in the city.
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Why not?
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Give those properties to, uh, not-for-profits and limited profit
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developers to do exactly what we've always done and build tens of
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thousands of affordable housing units.
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But look, I think the real issue also is for families.
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How do we keep you here?
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Well, we do need to have a childcare plan.
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We gotta reduce childcare costs by 50%.
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We have to baseline three K and pre-K, and the big plan is to keep kids in
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school till at least four 30 so that they can get the help, whether it's mental
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health services, tutoring services, or just participating in a chess tournament
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to keep them in class, keep them out of trouble, but keep them being educated and
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also keep their parents in the workforce.
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So they don't have to rush out of their jobs or choose between
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a career and raising children.
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That's what is our problem.
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People end up being forced out because of affordability.
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They're going to mosquito states like Florida and Texas, or worse, they're
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going to New Jersey and who wants that?
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This is our town and we wanna be here.
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So as mayor, I'm gonna attack affordability with specific plans that
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will actually meet the needs of the middle class and those aspiring to get there.
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RABBI AMMI HIRSCH: You know, every campaign, uh, one of the
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key issues is the rent is too high and it really is too high.
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It's way too high.
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One of your opponents is calling for a rent freeze.
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Do you agree with that?
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Look, a rent
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SCOTT STRINGER: freeze is justified with the data says
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so and so, I have testified on.
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Many occasions since my assembly days where I led the fight to protect men
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stabilization in Albany for a red freeze.
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But look, I also wanna just remind viewers that empty promises based on
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inexperience may get you votes, but doesn't make you somebody who can govern.
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And I hope that people see that.
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I will tell people what can be done and what can't be done, and put forward
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plans that I think we can accomplish.
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RABBI AMMI HIRSCH: Why do you think you're the best of all the candidates
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to implement some of the plans that you're talking about as mayor?
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Why would you be the best mayor of the whole list of candidates?
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SCOTT STRINGER: I think it comes down to city experience.
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When you've served as a state legislator who fought for the red laws and
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understood Albany, back in the time when I was assembly member, we didn't
16:35
have a Democratic senate, so I had actually worked with Republicans to
16:39
pass legislation on domestic violence on issues relating to New York City.
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I chaired the city's committee in Albany, so I was very much.
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The New York City Point person during my time at Albany, when I became
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Manhattan Borough President, you know, I expanded three universities.
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Columbia, NYU, Fordham University.
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'cause I really believe that it expanded education system would
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be good to attract people from all over the world to our city.
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But it would also be a economic engine.
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I accomplished that.
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Having to work with communities, I basically, I don't wanna sound like
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Al Gore and S Invent, I invented the internet, but I really did perfect
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community-based planning, letting communities through the community
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boards have a say in what happens in a neighborhood, and then working
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collaboratively to land some of the big projects that were necessary.
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And as controller, we fixed the back office of the pension fund.
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Even during Trump, I divested $4 billion from fossil fuel,
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divested from gun manufacturers, divested from private prisons.
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At the same time, we got a 9% return on our investments to protect
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hundreds of thousands of retirees.
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I consolidated the pension into one investment meeting so that we
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could meet those financial goals.
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And so I guess what I'm saying is in every office I've held over the last 29 years.
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It hasn't just been about existing in that office, sitting in that
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office, but I've really made change.
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So I wanna take that experience and use that experience as my baseline
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to implement the programs that I've outlined in this campaign.
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I do not come from chaos.
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I am not.
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This for redemption.
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I am not somebody who is going to slink through this office, and
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I think I'm the one who is best positioned based on credibility to
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end the corruption once and for all.
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At City Hall,
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RABBI AMMI HIRSCH: you've been a strong, proud member of the Jewish community.
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Since you entered public life, you speak about it eloquently.
18:43
Thank you.
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You mentioned that you were recently in a Jewish issues debate.
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What do you find are the key issues that affect particularly the Jewish community?
18:53
SCOTT STRINGER: Look, it was always my hope.
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I. That we would be a community that was safe and we're not.
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October 7th, I think, was a wake up call to all of us, the worst attack on
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the Jewish people since the Holocaust, and I don't think we should ever
19:11
be silent or compromising about it.
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What I tried to convey during this debate among Jewish voters.
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Just the other night was I want people to know exactly where I stand.
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I am a Zionist.
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I believe Israel must and will always remain a Jewish state.
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I invested in Israeli bonds.
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When I controller, I didn't divest and.
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My lived experience really has to do a lot with my wife, who is at the
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Jewish Heritage Museum, which is a living memorial to the Holocaust.
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So I've have had a unique window into the work that she does, educating
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public school kids to the Holocaust, and we're also raising our own two kids.
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My 13-year-old just had the bar mitzvah and I got another one on deck.
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And so we are very proud of who we are.
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I am not confused.
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I also pointed out for those who wanna know, I believe that BDS is anti-Semitic.
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It is not just anti-Israel.
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And I think we need more people, elected officials to speak out about that.
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And Rabbi, I understand that if I am successful as a Jewish mayor in this
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perilous times, I have an obligation to speak out and step up and protect
20:29
the Jewish people in the city.
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And make no mistake, I will, but it'll also be somebody who will.
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Work with all of our communities because hate is not just
20:37
limited to the Jewish community.
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It's also in the Muslim community and it's in the Asian community.
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And one of the things I was always able to do in elective office is when there
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was a SWAT sticker on a synagogue, I could call up all people from all different
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faiths and say, meet me in front of the synagogue, meet me in front of the mosque.
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We have a job to do here to root out evil and hate, and I will be able to do that as
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mayor, both in terms of my relationships.
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But also my beliefs.
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And remember, we are under attack, random attack.
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I see it with those protests, the people who are screaming down streets
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screaming from the river to the sea.
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Half the people who are just screaming that have no idea what river or what sea.
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Sometimes I think they think it's the Hudson River or the East
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River, but for those who are the agitators, this is also antisemitism.
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And I'm somebody who believes a peaceful protest.
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But when it crosses the line, you need to have the strength to stand out
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and step up even in a mob mentality.
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RABBI AMMI HIRSCH: My observation, I speak with dozens of people a week and
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some of whom come into my office and talk to me and many others who I, uh, meet
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either one-on-one or in group settings.
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And I've never seen the kind of fear that we're seeing now in the Jewish community.
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Real fear.
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Not quite what you're describing in terms of the immigrant community,
22:00
but unprecedented in terms of the American Jewish experience here, at
22:05
least since the end of World War ii.
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Is that your experience?
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Are you encountering that on the campaign trail?
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SCOTT STRINGER: This is a question that people are.
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Fearful for themselves, for their families.
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We have a 64% increase in antisemitic hate.
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This is something that we never thought we would have to deal with again.
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And yeah, it's real.
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People want to feel safe.
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They need to feel safe.
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New York City was kind like Israel.
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You're in Israel and you feel safe as a Jew.
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But if you're in New York, you feel safe as a Jew.
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And that is not what people feel right now.
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The question is how do we protect our people?
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And you know, it was a shock to me in a way, just talking personally
22:48
when my wife and I, I got married a little, little late in life.
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So I have these two little amazing boys and we.
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Put them into Rod of Shalom pre-K, and it was very important.
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My wife said, let's give them the basis of a Jewish education.
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I said, you got it.
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It's very expensive, by the way.
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It was, it was, you know, W2 employee.
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This was not easy, but we did it.
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And I gotta tell you, we would bring the kids to school every morning.
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They had a run through a GU of security, but serious security,
23:15
police detail in Rodos.
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RABBI AMMI HIRSCH: And that was 10 years ago.
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That's not even today, right?
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Or eight years ago.
23:21
Yeah.
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SCOTT STRINGER: This was before any of this.
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Yeah.
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And I always said to myself, what a way to grow up, right?
23:26
I mean, when I went to public school in Washington Heights,
23:29
there was no security or anything.
23:30
We just walked in, we walked out as Jews.
23:32
We never thought about it.
23:34
And I just always struck me.
23:36
And then today.
23:37
You're right.
23:38
Eight years, nine years later, it's not a luxury.
23:40
Now it's a necessity for our kids.
23:44
That says something about where we're at.
23:46
RABBI AMMI HIRSCH: What does it say?
23:47
What does it say about New York City?
23:50
About the United States?
23:52
Because you know, there's something in Congress.
23:54
Of course, we spend a fortune on security.
23:57
Every Jewish institution does, and I was hesitant.
24:01
I remember when we first installed our metal detectors, and it just seemed so
24:05
incongruous to me that in a house of God people would need to go through airport
24:09
like security to pray or to study.
24:13
What does it say about the state of the country that we're
24:17
living in at this point in time?
24:19
SCOTT STRINGER: I always, when I've attended services, I look around,
24:23
I just do, my wife's sitting next to me, I check out the doors.
24:28
It's become part of how we have to live as Jews, and I think where people have
24:34
to understand and why we have to point this out, hate speech has consequences.
24:40
If we look at what just occurred, I. At the Jewish Museum in
24:45
Washington, a wonderful couple about to be buried, a Jew and a Gentile
24:51
Gundel, Jews in Boulder, Colorado.
24:54
Set on fire.
24:56
Set on fire in America.
24:57
This is not some far off place.
25:00
My first reaction was when my wife said, I'm going to work at
25:05
the Heritage Museum downtown.
25:07
I have to tell you, I, I cringed.
25:10
You know, I said, you don't have to go today.
25:13
Hate does have consequences, and we have to speak up and say,
25:17
hate speech cannot be tolerated because it leads to other things.
25:22
And I think we as Jewish community have to be more politically
25:26
organized, more thoughtful in how we approach politics and government.
25:30
I think younger Jews have an obligation like their parents and
25:35
grandparents to participate and vote.
25:38
I'd spend a lot of times outside Zabars as couples, Jewish
25:42
families walk by and barely
25:44
RABBI AMMI HIRSCH: say hello.
25:44
Zabars is the place where the Jews hang out for brunch and lux and vagals,
25:49
and you're sure to find a large Jewish hungry crowd when you hang out there.
25:54
It's a good place to campaign.
25:55
Thank you.
25:56
I, I guess I spent my adult life outside
25:57
SCOTT STRINGER: Zabars and Fairway Barney Green Grass.
26:00
Is just to round it all out, but like you can't bypass the elected officials.
26:04
It's gotta be part of your DNA.
26:06
Again, that's what made our grandparents and parents so special when they came to
26:10
this country to get involved in politics.
26:12
And by the way, that's the great tradition of our city waves of people
26:16
come to our country and our city and get involved in political process in part
26:21
to uplift and protect their community.
26:24
We have to go back to thinking about that.
26:27
Apart from the mayoral election, people have to get involved in the
26:30
congressionals, get involved in the next presidential election.
26:33
Vote for me, for mayor is a great start.
26:37
RABBI AMMI HIRSCH: You mentioned that in your public career when there was
26:40
an incident of a swastika uh synagogue or a Jewish institution, you would
26:44
contact members of other faiths and they would immediately respond.
26:51
Do you find that more difficult now?
26:53
Is there less enthusiasm to stand by and beside the Jewish community?
27:01
I'm very hopeful in
27:01
SCOTT STRINGER: that regard.
27:03
I think fresh leadership at City Hall that can bring people together with preexisting
27:10
relationships, I think will matter.
27:12
I remember.
27:14
When I was controller and a lot of people in the Muslim community came to
27:17
me and said, you know, our children are not eating lunch in the public schools.
27:22
And I said, why?
27:22
I said, you know that there are dietary religious restrictions for
27:26
our children and they need to have halal food of the public schools.
27:30
And I brought together the Muslim community and then the Jewish community,
27:35
which also shared concerns about the lack of kosher options in the public schools.
27:40
So we come into the controller's office for this meeting.
27:44
It is really wonderful.
27:45
It's a big, beautiful table.
27:47
The controller's office in the conference room, and there I am at
27:50
the head of the table with the Muslim community and with the Jewish community.
27:55
I felt like I was the head of the United Nations and we collaborated and we came
28:01
together and we got the mayor to start a pilot program for Halal Cher food.
28:07
That's what we gotta go back to in the city.
28:09
We have to start.
28:10
Building trust again and bringing people together on the issues
28:13
that we see that we can work on.
28:15
RABBI AMMI HIRSCH: So on the issue of antisemitism is, is it implicit
28:18
in your response that you think it's more difficult now to get that
28:23
kind of interfaith cooperation?
28:25
SCOTT STRINGER: I believe that I. We have to go back to
28:29
working on those relationships.
28:31
I can't tell you, obviously we have some frayed relationships.
28:35
We have some very heated discussions, but we have to cut through it and
28:39
we've done that before and I think I have the skills to do that.
28:43
Look, I think under your leadership and the Jewish clergy, I think.
28:49
We have to start talking more, and I think we have to do that with different
28:54
religious leaders around the city who have credibility on these issues.
28:57
And I think we can create a plan to do that, that I'm very hopeful about.
29:03
RABBI AMMI HIRSCH: Let me ask you about the Democratic Party.
29:05
As I know you know, this is a statement of fact, it's not a moral statement.
29:11
The American Jewish community has supported the Democratic Party.
29:16
In every way in terms of vote, as well as supporting financially and culturally.
29:23
Politically.
29:24
In terms of the discourse, the American Jewish community has supported the
29:27
Democratic Party by at least two thirds majority since the days of FDR and.
29:36
In particular post-OC October 7th, there is a broad based disillusionment
29:41
with the Democratic Party, even among American liberal Jews, and
29:46
I see that, of course, I'm here on the upper west side of New York.
29:50
It's hard to make a generalized statement, but I am hearing more
29:55
and more and the numbers are bearing out that there seems to be a
30:00
decline in the confidence that the.
30:05
Overall American Jewish community has in the Democratic party, is
30:09
that statement true in your view?
30:11
And if so, to what do you attribute then?
30:16
SCOTT STRINGER: I think people feel that the antisemitism and hate
30:25
speech has infiltrated a lot of thought in the Democratic Party and.
30:33
It has to be rooted out.
30:34
We can have disagreements on foreign policy, but I do feel that a lot of Jews
30:39
that I talk to feel that the Democratic party no longer represents them.
30:44
And what I try to explain to Jewish voters who feel alienated that your
30:50
obligation is to stay within the Democratic party and fight for the party
30:56
because this is the party that Jews have the best chance to prevail in.
31:01
Even with the conflicts going on.
31:04
The Republican party and Donald Trump will use the Democratic Party.
31:08
And look, everyone knows there's a Jewish community.
31:11
The Jewish donor base, the Jewish voter base is very strong.
31:15
You know, one of my opponents, Andrew Cuomo, played us like a fiddle, right?
31:19
And so when you see that happening, you say, why am I giving money to Andrew komo?
31:24
To run ads, fighting antisemitism and education.
31:27
When he basically used us all to raise money for his own mayoral
31:32
campaign that drives people like mad.
31:35
Like why is that happening in the Democratic Party?
31:37
And I think we have to confront that and say it, you know, and not get conned.
31:41
But I do think the Democratic Party is our best hope.
31:44
We have to fight through these issues, and I think we will.
31:47
RABBI AMMI HIRSCH: Where does the approach of the squad, for example,
31:51
and that wing of the Democratic Party, the progressive wing of the
31:56
Democratic Party, where do they stand on Israel and Jewish related issues?
32:01
And are they persuadable?
32:04
SCOTT STRINGER: Look, I think some of them are not, but I do think some are.
32:10
I'm betting big that a OC.
32:12
Somebody who has unusual intelligence and will, I think, be someone we can
32:18
talk to and build a relationship with.
32:21
I think some of the others are gone, but I do think, again, we've
32:26
always been a party of disagreement.
32:29
I am not angry that someone disagrees with me on.
32:34
International and national issues.
32:35
So if I have, you know, ed Kat used to say, if you agree with me, 80%
32:40
of the time, you should vote for me.
32:42
If you agree with me a hundred percent of the time, you should see a psychiatrist.
32:45
Mm-hmm.
32:45
So I don't expect people to be in lockstep with our thinking, but I do
32:51
think open dialogue isn't critical.
32:53
And then if there are real disagreements, that's what elections
32:57
are all about and that's why the Jewish community has to be engaged.
33:02
RABBI AMMI HIRSCH: Yeah, I think most people would agree.
33:03
Uh, we don't expect to reach unanimity on every issue, let alone important issues.
33:08
That's what makes them important and controversial, is that people have
33:12
different views, and that's okay.
33:15
Of course, it's okay.
33:16
Not only, okay, it's actually desirable.
33:19
That's what democracy is based on.
33:20
That's what pluralism is based on, and that's the idea of reaching
33:24
better decisions is through this fermentation of differing views.
33:29
Over time, you get to a better decision.
33:32
So I think that's kind of assumed, and I don't think people really in the
33:37
Jewish community have an issue with that as much as just downright supporters
33:44
of people who want to destroy Israel, people who want to, you mentioned BDS
33:49
before, people who want to boycott Israel out of existence, people who.
33:54
Just blatantly support terrorists and part of the Democratic Party is giving
34:01
the impression to the American Jewish community that there is a wing of the
34:05
Democratic party that holds those views, which are not, you know, reasonable
34:10
people can differ, but hey, you're just completely on the other side.
34:15
Is that fair?
34:16
SCOTT STRINGER: There is definitely an element of.
34:20
Antisemitism and anti hate, and we have to hold those within the
34:25
Democratic Party accountable to this.
34:27
And the best way to do that is to vote, to participate, to engage.
34:32
That is always been our best lane.
34:36
I. To fight back.
34:36
What I always find really wonderful is so many people in our community,
34:42
we are the first ones at the protest.
34:44
We're the first ones at the fundraiser.
34:46
We believe in justice, not just for the Jewish community, but for all people.
34:51
I. But sometimes we have to also recognize that when we are under attack, we have
34:56
to get engaged for ourselves as well, and that is something that I want to
35:00
see happen after the mayor's election.
35:03
We have to become participatory in politics because the future
35:07
of our people are at stake.
35:08
I do believe the Democratic Party is a vest vehicle to do this, and
35:12
I think we have to work at it.
35:14
And look, I'm very proud to, for our time being the top ranking
35:18
Jewish elected official in the city.
35:20
I understand my responsibilities if I'm elected as a Jewish mayor of the city and
35:25
what it means, not just to New York, but to Israel and the larger conversation.
35:28
I'm prepared to have that mature conversation, but also I will step
35:33
up and stand up, and that's what I tried to convey the other night.
35:36
I'm not confused.
35:38
We need to elect people who are not confused and who are
35:41
not going to ever compromise on antisemitism, on anti-Israel hate.
35:46
And I'm looking forward to the fight.
35:48
RABBI AMMI HIRSCH: Do you remember where you were on October 7th when
35:50
you first began to hear the news?
35:52
And what was your reaction?
35:54
Like
35:54
SCOTT STRINGER: many of us, I woke up and first thing we do is we go right to.
35:59
Twitter to see the news in the morning, and I didn't understand it at first.
36:03
It was almost like a nine 11 experience where you didn't quite know what was
36:07
happening until you realize a couple of hours into following it that Israel was
36:13
being invaded and there were people in the kibbutz who were being taken away,
36:20
and it was just unbelievable to see that.
36:25
And then what enraged me was certain organizations started to
36:31
organize a protest against Israel and pro Hamas within the day of
36:39
this serious, horrible attack.
36:41
And I always say to people, when we have the discussion about Israel, there
36:46
are two questions I always ask people.
36:48
You do believe that Hamas is a terrorist organization.
36:52
If you don't say yes, the conversation with me is over.
36:56
And then the second question is, I want our hostages back, don't you?
37:02
And if someone can't answer that question, we have a problem.
37:07
Those hostages must come home.
37:08
They never should have been taken in the first place.
37:11
We had a ceasefire on October 6th.
37:14
Wasn't perfect, but we had a ceasefire.
37:17
And then Hama cleared war on the Jewish people.
37:20
And I think that has to be always out there.
37:23
So when someone says, from the river to the sea, do you support Hamas?
37:29
And where are our hostages?
37:32
RABBI AMMI HIRSCH: Did it surprise you to see the response on so many
37:36
American universities, both on the part of the student bodies.
37:40
As well as the apparent ineffectiveness of the administrations of even the most elite
37:47
American institutions of higher learning.
37:50
SCOTT STRINGER: This had been building way before October 7th, and I think
37:54
everybody sort of knew that antisemitism was being rooted in our campuses,
38:01
both from some of the professors who are actually teaching this hate and
38:07
administrations that wouldn't address it.
38:11
As long ago, 10 years ago, if not longer, and it's a disgrace
38:15
and this cannot be tolerated.
38:18
You know, I used to rabbi have this dream as an older dad.
38:22
Wouldn't it be great if my children, if Max Miles can do well in school and then
38:29
get accepted to Harvard or Columbia?
38:33
What a proud Jewish father I would be.
38:35
I'd be crying at the ceremony.
38:37
And then I said to my wife not long ago, I said, you know what?
38:41
Maybe the University of Alabama is okay because I want them to have a good
38:47
experience and be safe and I don't need some bunch of idiots banging on their
38:52
doors, interrupting their classes, spewing hate in front of them without
38:57
them having an ability to respond.
38:59
And that's the, that I hold.
39:01
The administrations of these universities cannot attend that.
39:05
And I would say if I would say that when there was a different moment in history
39:08
and people would show up in hoods in the south, going to black families when
39:13
they moved into neighborhoods, there also had to be a response to that.
39:19
RABBI AMMI HIRSCH: So we have these, uh, great institutions of higher
39:22
learning in our city at Columbia, NYU.
39:26
Cuny.
39:27
If you were mayor, what would you do?
39:31
How would you interact with these universities to ensure that they're in
39:35
a better place as you understand them?
39:38
SCOTT STRINGER: This is gonna be ongoing for quite some time.
39:41
The mayor has to showcase what the rules of the road look like.
39:45
Again, we are not trying to limit protests and the inability for students to protest.
39:52
I was arrested for civil disobedience in my twenties, protesting
39:55
apartheid in South Africa.
39:57
I understood the consequence of blocking ExxonMobil.
40:01
That means you get arrested, you go to court.
40:03
So I understand it.
40:04
So if you block a bridge, if you block an ambulance, you're gonna get arrested.
40:08
Some say that's a rite of passage, I get it.
40:10
But what you don't do is create a situation where you
40:15
put somebody else in danger.
40:18
When protest starts to be vile and hateful, we see what happened
40:23
in Washington and Colorado.
40:25
It ends up bleeding to violence.
40:28
And as mayor, I'm gonna call all university presidents,
40:31
CUNY Columbia, NYU, Fordham.
40:34
We're gonna start having conversations at City Hall not
40:37
to do false press conferences, but to drill down on protocols
40:41
that will keep all students safe.
40:44
RABBI AMMI HIRSCH: Can you help us understand the nexus in your view
40:47
between anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism?
40:51
Are the two by definition the same, or is there a space to be opposed to the
40:57
existence of the state of Israel and yet have that not be considered antisemitic?
41:05
SCOTT STRINGER: I don't see the difference between being.
41:10
anti-Israel, meaning Israel doesn't have a right to exist as
41:13
a Jewish state and anti-Semitism.
41:17
Uh, what could possibly be the difference and overlay that with the
41:22
BDS movement And we can't shut our eyes.
41:26
I mean, we're not that stupid right now.
41:29
Is there a difference between people like you or me or having disagreements
41:34
with the Netanyahu government?
41:36
I. We have a right to criticize the Israeli government, both Jews and
41:40
non-Jews, but you cross the line into whether Israel should exist.
41:48
That means the Jewish people shouldn't exist criticizing the Israeli government,
41:52
criticizing the way a Netanyahu approaches democracy and so many other
41:57
things that should always be focused.
42:00
And by the way, the day the Jews can't criticize.
42:04
What the Israeli government looks like.
42:05
Let's not democracy anymore.
42:07
Jews within Israel, outside of Israel, that's what we do, and
42:09
that's what we do in this country.
42:10
Right?
42:11
I have a right to criticize the Trump administration.
42:13
So do you, and we have a right to disagree with other elected officials who may have
42:18
a different view of international issues, whether it's Israel or something else.
42:22
We criticize the anti-war movement, the Vietnam War movement.
42:25
People said it was un-American to criticize.
42:27
Others said It's our obligation as Americans and New Yorkers.
42:31
I get that, but there is a difference and we should point
42:34
out that difference as well.
42:37
RABBI AMMI HIRSCH: My last question to you is, uh, now a couple of weeks before
42:41
the primary vote, do you have a final message to New Yorkers and to all of
42:46
the people listening to this podcast?
42:50
SCOTT STRINGER: Well, first of all, thanks for giving me this opportunity
42:52
to address the people directly.
42:54
It's pretty cool to be on your show.
42:56
But look, my pitch is really simple.
42:59
If you think the next mayor should be competent and have real government
43:04
experience, I. Then vote for me if you think the next mayor must also have
43:09
a vision for what this city can be.
43:11
Then I ask people to vote for me.
43:13
I do not represent the cast of the current administration and I do not
43:19
represent the cast of Andrew Cuomo.
43:22
I'm somebody who is grounded.
43:24
I have a specific view of what can get done.
43:27
I'm a West Sider for many, many decades.
43:30
I've represented Stephen Wise longer than, not as long as during
43:35
nta, but certainly up there.
43:36
I've been in the synagogue, I've been to the services, I've been
43:40
to the synagogue in good times and in bad times, and I understand.
43:45
Very much what the West side means to the city and the people who are in
43:50
your shul and the surrounding areas.
43:52
So I hope people will continue to vote for me as they always have on
43:56
the Upper West Side and to your.
43:58
Larger city constituency.
44:01
RABBI AMMI HIRSCH: Scott Stringer, first of all, on behalf of the Jewish
44:04
community, thank you for decades of proud and vocal support for our community and
44:10
the issues that are most important to us.
44:13
And good luck on the remainder of the campaign.
44:16
Thank you, rabbi.
44:16
Bye-bye.
44:22
Scott Stringer has been a proud Jew throughout his entire life.
44:26
In every public office he occupied, he has worn his Judaism and his Zionism
44:31
on his sleeve loudly and proudly.
44:35
It is especially important to take note of and commend his defense
44:38
of the Jewish people because it is more difficult now to be a proud
44:42
Zionist in the Democratic Party.
44:45
In a recent debate with other mayoral candidates, Mr. Stringer
44:48
responded forcefully to unwarranted attacks on Israel since October 7th.
44:54
American Jews can no longer minimize the influence our opponent's wield.
44:58
One of the lessons of that awful day and the nearly two years since is that
45:03
it is imperative to demarcate clearly what the American Jewish community
45:08
considers legitimate and what is beyond the pale criticism of Israeli policies.
45:14
Its government, even Israeli society itself is of course legitimate,
45:19
appropriate, and even necessary.
45:22
anti-Zionism denial of Israel's right to exist is obscene chance
45:28
of free Palestine and globalize.
45:30
The Antifa lead to murder of Israelis and Jews.
45:35
These are antisemitic at their core and by their nature we
45:40
have been much too complacent.
45:42
Many of us do not consider ourselves a minority group at all.
45:46
We assume that antisemitism is a thing of the past.
45:49
There is no past.
45:50
When it comes to antisemitism.
45:51
There is only eternal vigilance.
45:54
The idea that Jews anywhere, let alone in the United States, cower in fear their
46:02
lives and livelihoods threatened by hatem.
46:04
Mongers is deeply unsettling and unnerving.
46:09
We vowed never again.
46:11
It was a solemn oath.
46:14
Never again would Jews hide.
46:16
Fretful and anxious, isolated and exposed to the mad passions of
46:21
the mob, especially in America.
46:24
The land of the free and the home of the brave stand up
46:29
and be counted, do something.
46:33
It seems to me that the American Jewish community has an obligation
46:36
now to call out every anti-Israel act and every anti-Zionist statement.
46:42
We should not be supporting any institution or political
46:45
candidate who does not support us.
46:48
Otherwise, we will lose the traditional bipartisan support of
46:52
Israel that has been so instrumental for Israel's survival and wellbeing.
46:57
We have already lost enormous ground in the academies of higher learning.
47:02
In the years to come, we must push back in every arena where we have influence.
47:08
Synagogues are nonpartisan.
47:11
We do not endorse political parties or candidates.
47:14
We do, however endorse values.
47:18
My advice to American voters is to remember that every political choice we
47:23
make is fundamentally a moral choice.
47:26
Every election is a contest for the soul of society.
47:31
Ultimately, politics is about conscience and character.
47:36
Vote for those who can inspire us to reach our highest potential.
47:41
Vote for those who remind us to consider the good of others.
47:45
Vote for those who seek justice, love, and mercy, and who walk humbly,
47:50
who encourage us to deal loyally and compassionately with each other.
47:55
Vote for those who remind us of the stranger, the widow, the orphan, the
47:58
suffering, and those left behind vote for those who seek to soften our hard hearts.
48:05
Vote for those who lift us up rather than tear us down.
48:10
Who unite rather than divide.
48:17
Until next time, this is "In These Times."