Senator Sutton and UJA Team Up to Protect Jewish Communities
Eddie Esses
On Wednesday, March 11, the grand “Million Dollar Staircase” inside the New York State Capitol in Albany served as the backdrop for a powerful gathering in support of legislation designed to protect the right of New Yorkers to worship in peace. The press conference, organized by State Senator Sam Sutton and his Chief of Staff Joey Saban, rallied lawmakers, faith leaders, and advocates behind a bill establishing a 25-foot protective buffer zone around houses of worship.
The proposed legislation would prohibit demonstrations within 25 feet from the structures of synagogues, churches, mosques, and other houses of worship. The goal is straightforward but critical, ensuring that congregants can enter and leave their places of worship without harassment, intimidation, or obstruction, while still preserving the constitutional right to protest.
Senator Sutton and Saban have been at the center of the effort, introducing the legislation and leading the push to advance it through the New York State Legislature. From the earliest stages, they have worked tirelessly to build a broad coalition in support of the bill and to ensure that its language remains strong and meaningful. Behind the scenes, Saban has driven the legislative strategy, coordinated advocacy efforts, and organized the coalition that came together in Albany on March 11 to demonstrate the depth of support for the proposal.
The press conference itself reflected the growing momentum behind the legislation. In addition to Senator Sutton and Lead Assembly Sponsor, Micah Lasher, roughly ten other elected officials across a broad ideological range delivered powerful remarks in support of the bill, emphasizing the importance of protecting both freedom of speech and freedom of religion.
As Senator Sutton explained during the event, the proposal seeks to balance these fundamental rights. “Protecting the right to protest and protecting the right to pray are not competing values,” he said. “We will protect our communities, we will defend our civil liberties, and we will uphold the values that make this state strong.”
Among the strongest supporters of the legislation has been UJA-Federation of New York, which has been deeply engaged in advocating for its passage. UJA demonstrated that commitment in a major way by bringing a delegation of roughly 60 community leaders and advocates to Albany for the day’s events.
The delegation was led by UJA CEO Eric Goldstein, who spoke forcefully about the urgency of the legislation. “I want to thank the incredible leadership of Senators Sutton and Krueger and Assemblymember Lasher for bringing this bill to Albany,” Goldstein said. “The largest Jewish community outside of Israel is feeling more unsettled than it has been in my lifetime.”
Goldstein emphasized that the legislation carefully balances competing constitutional rights. “The beauty of this bill is it carefully calibrates between freedom of expression, freedom of protest, and freedom to worship,” he said. “This is not simply a Jewish issue.”
“Thank you, Senator Sutton and Joey Saban, for proactively taking the bold initiative to introduce and push this critical legislation,” Dan Rosenthal, UJA’s Legislative Director, said. “The rare ability to push such significant legislation forward so soon after assuming office is a testament to the importance of having strong and effective leadership representing Jewish communities.”
The large UJA delegation helped demonstrate how deeply the Jewish community cares about the issue. Advocates spent the day not only attending the press conference but also meeting with lawmakers to make the case for including the legislation in the final state budget.
Joey Saban also helped bring a powerful group of students from the community to Albany that day. Delegations from Yeshiva of Flatbush, Magen David Yeshivah, and Barkai Yeshiva traveled to the Capitol to support the legislation and take part in the advocacy effort.
The students attended the press conference and stood behind the elected officials at the top of the famous Million Dollar Staircase, creating a striking visual demonstration of community support. Their presence underscored the real-world impact of the issue on families and young people across the Jewish community.
After the press conference, Saban addressed the students and shared the story of how the legislation first came to life. He explained that the idea for the bill began simply from a conversation between himself, Senator Sutton, and Eddie Esses. In his remarks, Saban encouraged the students to recognize the power they have to shape public policy. By showing them how an idea discussed in a meeting could become legislation debated in the State Capitol, he illustrated the enormous difference that community involvement in the political process can make.
The turnout for the event was remarkable by Albany standards. Between UJA’s delegation, the student groups, faith leaders, and other supporters, roughly 150 to 200 people filled the staircase, an unusually large crowd for a Capitol press conference. The energy and scale of the event reflected the urgency surrounding the legislation. In recent years, religious communities across New York have grown increasingly concerned about demonstrations targeting houses of worship, particularly amid a significant rise in hate crimes and antisemitic incidents.
Despite the broad coalition supporting the bill, passing such legislation is far from easy. In Albany, powerful detractors have raised concerns and are working either to defeat the proposal outright or to water down its language.
That reality has meant constant work behind the scenes. Senator Sutton, Joey Saban, and their team have been engaged in nonstop meetings with legislative leadership and key stakeholders, pushing to ensure that the bill moves forward and that its protections remain strong and meaningful.
Importantly, the effort has also received support from the highest levels of state government. Governor Kathy Hochul herself highlighted Senator Sutton’s legislation in her State of the State Address and has pushed to include the measure in the state budget, signaling the importance of getting the policy enacted.
Ultimately, the rally at the Capitol was about more than a single piece of legislation. It was a demonstration of what can happen when strong partnerships are formed between community leaders and elected officials who are willing to fight for meaningful change.
The collaboration between UJA and Senator Sutton illustrates the power of being at the table and working together toward shared goals. When communities organize, build relationships, and engage in the political process, they can fight for, and achieve, big things for the Jewish community and for all New Yorkers who simply want the freedom to pray in peace.
