Eddie Esses
For years, many believed our community simply didn’t have a meaningful voice in government, that we had no sway over the decisions made on our behalf by those in Albany and City Hall. Those days are over. Over the last several years, our community has undergone a political awakening. Through record voter registration and unprecedented civic engagement, we have become a force that politicians can no longer ignore.
At a moment when New York is being pulled more and more toward the extreme by radical socialists who attack our values, our schools, our neighborhoods, and our support for Israel, there has never been more at stake. This November is not just another election. It is a referendum on the future of our community.
State Senator Sam Sutton is seeking reelection in the 22nd Senate District, while his chief of staff, Joey Saban, is running for the State Assembly in the 45th District. Their victories would give our community something it has never truly had before, strong, unapologetic representation in both chambers of the New York State Legislature. And make no mistake. Who represents us in Albany matters.
Every day, radical voices are gaining influence in New York politics. Politicians who want to weaken law enforcement, slash support for Israel, impose policies that threaten religious institutions, and prioritize ideological agendas over public safety are becoming louder and more powerful. While ordinary families worry about antisemitism, rising crime, and the future of their children’s education, too many elected officials are focused on appeasing activists and political extremists.
The question facing voters this November is simple, Who will stand up and fight back? Sam Sutton already has. At a time when antisemitic incidents have exploded across New York, Senator Sutton led the fight to establish protective buffer zones around houses of worship, ensuring that families can attend synagogue without fear of intimidation.
He helped secure $20 million in security funding for yeshivas and Jewish schools from Governor Hochul and delivered millions of dollars more for our community institutions. These are not empty promises or campaign slogans. They are real victories that have made our community safer and stronger.
And behind many of those victories has been Joey Saban. Joey has worked alongside Senator Sutton every step of the way, helping write legislation, secure funding, and advocate for our community. Unlike politicians who suddenly appear every election season asking for votes, Joey has already spent his time fighting for our community in the halls of government. Now he is ready to take that fight to the State Assembly.
Joey’s campaign is built around the issues that matter most: combating antisemitism, strengthening public safety, supporting the NYPD, protecting yeshivas and private education, increasing security funding for schools and synagogues, and standing firmly against extremist and socialist policies that threaten our community.
But perhaps the most important reason this election is so important is that we need our voice represented in the majority conference in Albany. Simply put, New York is overwhelmingly controlled by Democrats. Unfortunately, members of the minority party are not able to accomplish anything in Albany, and their voices are considered meaningless.
Real change will not come from politicians shouting from the sidelines. It will come from strong voices inside the majority who are willing to challenge their own party when it embraces dangerous ideas. Joey Saban would immediately become one of the strongest moderate voices in Albany, standing up loudly and strongly every day to the growing influence of the Democratic Socialists and politicians like Zohran Mamdani, who seek to push New York in a radically different direction.
He would be a voice for common sense, public safety, religious freedom, and unwavering support for Israel. Together, Sam Sutton and Joey Saban would create a powerful partnership capable of fighting for our community’s priorities in both houses of the Legislature.
But this election is about more than two candidates. It is about whether our community will continue the political revolution that began years ago or retreat into complacency while others shape the future of New York without us. The truth is uncomfortable: If we do not organize, others will organize against us. If we do not vote, others will decide our future. If we do not fight for our values, we cannot expect anyone else to do it for us.
The last few years have proven that civic engagement works. When our community registered to vote in record numbers, Albany paid attention. When we became politically active, politicians started listening. When we showed up at the ballot box, we gained influence that previous generations could only dream of.
Now, the stakes are even higher. The forces reshaping New York are organized, motivated, and determined. The only question is whether we will match their energy and determination. This November, every vote is a statement. Every volunteer matters. Every conversation counts.
The future of our schools, our synagogues, our neighborhoods, and our community’s place in New York politics will not be decided by pundits or activists. It will be decided by the people who show up on Election Day.
For the first time in a generation, we have an opportunity not simply to participate in government, but to help shape it. The question is whether we are willing to seize it. q
Eddie Esses has been civically engaged in the community for many years, alongside Joey Saban. He is an active board member of the SCF, senior advisor to Senator Sutton, and owns multiple retail franchise stores.
