Brooklyn synagogue requires voter registration for High Holidays
Congregation Shaare Zion in Gravesend, Brooklyn, told congregants in a Sept. 2025 letter that proof of voter registration is required to secure seats for High Holidays services, citing concerns about the upcoming New York City mayoral election. The policy does not name candidates or instruct how to vote but warns the election outcome could pose 'very serious problems' for the Jewish community; scholars and rabbinic authorities questioned its permissibility and flagged church–state and election-law implications.
Politics
Religion
Elections
📰 Sources (1)
Want a seat at this synagogue for the High Holidays? You have to register to vote first
New information:
- Congregation Shaare Zion (largest Syrian synagogue in NYC) sent a letter requiring proof of voter registration to reserve High Holidays seats; reported Sept. 23, 2025.
- Timing: the letter arrived roughly two-and-a-half weeks before Rosh Hashanah and about six weeks before the Nov. 4, 2025 NYC mayoral election.
- Voices: Scholars and community leaders quoted include Mark Valeri, Mark Treyger, and Rabbi David Bleich, who raised legal and religious permissibility concerns.