Simcha Eichenstein
Member of the New York State Assembly
from the 48th district
Assumed office
January 2, 2019
Preceded byDov Hikind
Personal details
Born (1983-08-06) August 6, 1983 (age 40)
Brooklyn, New York
Political partyDemocratic
Children4
Residence(s)Brooklyn, New York City
OccupationAssemblyman
WebsiteAssembly website

Simcha Eichenstein (born August 6, 1983) is an American politician from New York. He is a member of the New York State Assembly.

Early life

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]

Political career

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]

Committees

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]

Personal life

Eichenstein is married, and the father of four children. He is a life-long resident of Borough Park, Brooklyn.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c Donn, Yochonon (April 26, 2018) "Simcha Eichenstein Declares Candidacy for Brooklyn Assembly Seat", Hamodia
  2. ^ (May 2, 2018) "Eichenstein Announces Candidacy In Expected Cakewalk", Kings County Politics
  3. ^ a b c d Witt, Stephen (August 20, 2018) "Simcha Eichenstein: Boro Park’s Changing Of The Political Guard", Kings County Politics
  4. ^ Shaer, Matthew (December 4, 2011) "A Monster Among the 'Frum'", New York Magazine. "[Simcha] Eichenstein's wife, Herbst knew, worked for Sorscher as a receptionist. Elbowing Bernstein out of the way, Herbst uploaded a clip of the bearded man, and sent it to Eichenstein. Eichenstein sent it to his wife, at home with her small children. "Of course", she told her husband. She couldn't remember the man's name, but she was sure she had seen him. "He came in to pay a bill. He was the last one in the office."
  5. ^ "Political Activists Meet with Democratic VP Candidate Joesph Biden To Drum Up Orthodox Support For Obama". vosizneias.com. September 25, 2008. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  6. ^ Joseph Berger (September 13, 2014). "Are Liberal Jewish Voters a Thing of the Past?". The New York Times. Simcha Eichenstein, a Hasid regarded as a political wunderkind, is the senior adviser to State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli
  7. ^ "De Blasio Campaigns with Eichenstein in Boro Park". www.kingscountypolitics.com. 2 November 2018. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  8. ^ Eliza Shapiro; Jeffery C. Mays (December 18, 2019). "Why New York's Inquiry Into Yeshivas Mysteriously Stalled". The New York Times. Retrieved April 23, 2020. formerly worked for Mr. de Blasio's legislative affairs team
  9. ^ Reuven Blau (April 25, 2018). "Brooklyn State Assemblyman Dov Hikind Won't Seek Re-Election After 36 Years in Office". New York Daily News. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  10. ^ "Six of Boro Park's Largest Kehillos Endorse Simcha Eichenstein | Jewish News | Israel News | Israel Politics". Hamodia. 2018-05-15. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  11. ^ "Senator Schumer Endorses Simcha Eichenstein For NYS Assembly". The Yeshiva World. 2018-10-25. Retrieved 2020-04-02.
  12. ^ Politics, Kings County (2018-10-10). "Video: Lieberman Supports Eichenstein Run For Assembly". Kings County Politics. Retrieved 2020-04-02.
  13. ^ "NYC Mayor De Blasio Campaigns With Assembly Candidate Simcha Eichenstein In Boro Park". The Yeshiva World. 2018-11-03. Retrieved 2020-04-02.
  14. ^ "Interview with Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein". Yeshiva World News. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
  15. ^ "Assemblyman Eichenstein: Eliminate Driver's License Suspension Due to Unpaid Fines" (March 8, 2020); Hamodia. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  16. ^ "Florida will be 'like a house on fire' in weeks with loose coronavirus restrictions, infectious disease expert says". CNN. 9 October 2020.
  17. ^ @SEichenstein (October 8, 2020). "My Statement Regarding Recent Events in Boro Park" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  18. ^ "Assembly Member Simcha Eichenstein Appointed to Prominent Committee Assignments". BoroPark24. 7 January 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  19. ^ "New York State Assembly | Outreach and Oversight of Senior Citizen Programs". nyassembly.gov. Retrieved 2019-11-14.
New York State Assembly Preceded byDov Hikind New York State Assembly48th District 2019–present Incumbent
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