October 25, 2025
The Honorable Hakeem Jeffries
2267 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Democrat Leader Jeffries:
Do you hear that rattling sound? That is the sound of former mayor Ed Koch turning uncontrollably in his grave.
Thirteen years ago, Ed Koch not only endorsed you when you ran for Congress, but he enthusiastically threw his support behind you. His enthusiasm enabled New Yorkers to place their trust in you both as a representative and as a person. A trust that would otherwise have taken years to develop.
Since then, you have not disappointed. Until 2016, being an independent voter, I have always voted for the best candidate: Democrat or Republican. I supported a Javits and a Rockefeller, as much as a Koch or a Moynihan. I voted for McCain in 2008 and President Obama in 2012.
Much has changed since 2016. There were many unsavory characters in the MAGA movement during the Trump I period. It raised concerns. In response I was voting Democrat, or not voting for any candidate on the ballot if I felt the Democratic runner was highly unqualified.
Mainly starting with the Biden administration, elements of the Democratic Party were changing. It was becoming increasingly anti-Zionist, which is a thin disguise for antisemitism. Increasingly, Democratic senators and congresspeople were voting against Israel while their MAGA counterparts, regardless of their intentions, were throwing their full support behind Israel.
These changes were alarming, but you held firm. That is the sign of leadership. You held the Squad at bay and continued to show support for Israel. You were steadfast.
Until Friday, that is.
Not only did you capitulate, but you betrayed an entire community by throwing your support behind Zohran Mamdani. This was much more than a political calculation. It was also a very cynical maneuver.
There is an expression which you are familiar with, “It takes years to build a reputation and 30 seconds to ruin it.” Your support of Mamdani achieved just that.
But this is more than destroying your good name. In a time when antisemitic hate crimes are rising sharply in New York City, your support for a man who has made his hostility toward Israel well known only adds fuel to that fire. Mamdani may be eloquent, but his record and rhetoric speak volumes.
This cannot stand in the city with the largest Jewish population in the world. As Jews, we have seen leaders, who like Pharoah in the Bible, turn their back on those who were an integral part of their people. We have witnessed friendly neighbors suddenly hate us.
I implore you to do the right thing. Rescind your endorsement. It may draw criticism as well as demonstrations outside of your offices. Heck, it may also mean that you will lose the next election. What is most important is that you will preserve your dignity and be a true “Profile in Courage.” It will provide those disillusioned with politics and government to have hope.
Don’t disappoint Ed Koch, myself, and an entire community who placed their trust in you. Don’t join the mob and succumb to mob mentality.
You are better than that.
Sincerely,
Saul Chapnick
Saul Chapnick was raised in an Orthodox home with deep familial Hasidic roots. Educated in yeshiva and later earning a Master of Social Work degree from Yeshiva University's Wurzweiler School of Social Work, Saul has continued throughout his life to embrace Jewish learning in many settings—from studying at Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion to maintaining a weekly chavruta for ongoing Torah study. His lifelong journey has given him a deep appreciation for richness of Jewish tradition across the spectrum of Jewish life.
For more than thirty-five years, Saul has devoted himself to the study of Jewish history, with a particular focus on Jewish life in interwar Eastern Europe. Inspired by the mitzvah of Zachor (to remember), he has explored both the extraordinary vibrancy of the Jewish world that was destroyed in the Shoah and the enduring questions of Jewish memory, continuity, and identity. Through extensive travel, archival research, and conversations with survivors, scholars, communal leaders, and public figures, he has sought to understand not only what was lost, but also what those vanished communities continue to teach us today.
His writing explores the intersection of Jewish history, personal memory, Israel, and contemporary Jewish life, seeking to connect the voices of the past with the challenges of the present.
A gifted storyteller and engaging speaker, Saul has lectured throughout the United States and abroad on Jewish history, Yiddish language and culture, modern Poland, Israel, and post-Holocaust Jewish identity. His presentations blend scholarship with personal experience, inviting audiences to explore the enduring relevance of Jewish history to contemporary Jewish life. He has also prepared adult participants of the March of the Living by providing historical and cultural context that deepens their understanding of both Poland's Jewish past and its emerging Jewish present.
Saul is the author of a widely read weekly Substack newsletter and a contributor to The Times of Israel, where he reflects on Jewish life, history, Israel, memory, and current events. His essays weave together personal experience, historical research, and contemporary issues, encouraging readers to reflect on the challenges and opportunities facing the Jewish people today.
For the past thirteen years, Saul has served as the Substitute Chaplain through the Greater Miami Jewish Federation Chaplaincy Program at Miami Jewish Health. During rabbinic transitions, he has served as the community's interim spiritual leader, leading Shabbat and holiday services, reading Torah, delivering Divrei Torah, teaching adult education classes and study groups, and providing pastoral care to residents and their families.
Professionally, Saul brings more than two decades of executive leadership in healthcare and human services. He specialized in turning around distressed assisted living and memory care communities by rebuilding staff morale, restoring occupancy, improving quality of care, ensuring regulatory compliance, and returning organizations to financial stability. Today, he draws upon that experience as an expert witness in legal matters involving senior care, assisted living, and long-term care communities.
Whether teaching Torah, leading prayer, writing, or speaking, Saul believes that Judaism is best experienced through learning, storytelling, meaningful relationships, and a deep respect for every individual's Jewish journey.
At the same time, Chapnick has witnessed a limited reawakening of Jewish life in his family’s ancestral homeland of Poland. He has spoken at numerous venues on the contemporary relevance of Yiddish and Yiddish culture, the significance of the 19th- and 20th-century Jewish world to modern life, and the shaping of post-Holocaust Jewish identity. He also prepares adult participants of the March of the Living to engage meaningfully with modern-day Jewish Poland.
Chapnick shares his insights and reflections in weekly blogs on https://saulchapnick.substack.com, where readers are welcome to subscribe.
