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<\/a><\/p>\nCouncil member Julie Menin speaks at the Museum of Jewish Heritage on Nov. 1, 2023. (Lev Radin\/Pacific Press\/LightRocket via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The election does not officially happen until January, but Menin, a moderate Democrat who represents neighborhoods including the Upper East Side, announced that she had gained the support of a \u201csuper majority\u201d of 36 votes out of the council\u2019s 51 members.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am honored and humbled by the trust and faith that my colleagues have put in me to lead the City Council as a force of action for New York families,\u201d Menin said in a statement on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
If elected, Menin would be the first Jewish speaker in the City Council\u2019s history.<\/p>\n
The council serves as a separate branch from the mayoral office and is responsible for passing laws and controlling key aspects of the city\u2019s budget, this year set at $116 billion. A supportive speaker is seen as essential to carrying out a mayor\u2019s agenda.<\/p>\n
Menin secured support from many moderate Democrats and Republicans. Her opponent, Brooklyn\u2019s Crystal Hudson, has been backed by the council\u2019s progressive bloc and is widely seen as more aligned with Mamdani, who takes office Jan. 1.<\/p>\n
Menin, whose grandmother and mother survived the Holocaust before immigrating to New York City, has frequently advocated for Holocaust education and efforts to combat antisemitism as a councilwoman.<\/p>\n
She has also made pro-Israel advocacy a part of her public image, marching in the Israel Day Parade in May to advocate for the release of the hostages and going on a solidarity trip to Israel to visit Kibbutz Kfar Aza in February 2024. (Mamdani has said he would not visit Israel or attend the Israel Day Parade as mayor.)<\/p>\n
While Mamdani has frequently reiterated his commitments to protecting Jewish New Yorkers, his record of support for the boycott Israel movement and past anti-Israel rhetoric stoked fears in some Jewish New Yorkers during his campaign, including in Menin\u2019s district, which supported his opponent.<\/p>\n
Last week, after pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrated against an Israeli immigration event at the Park East Synagogue, which is located in Menin\u2019s district, Mamdani said that he believed \u201csacred spaces should not be used to promote activities in violation of international law.\u201d In contrast, Menin said that the protest was \u201cnot acceptable\u201d in a post on X.<\/p>\n
\u201cCongregants must have the right to worship freely and to enter and exit their house of worship without impediment,\u201d Menin wrote. \u201cProtests must have reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions.\u201d<\/p>\n
But while Menin has been seen as a potential moderating force on Mamdani, she has also cast herself as willing to collaborate with the incoming mayor.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith this broad five-borough coalition, we stand ready to partner with mayor-elect Mamdani\u2019s administration and deliver on a shared agenda that makes New York more affordable through universal childcare, lowers rent and healthcare costs, and ensures that families across the city can do more than just get by,\u201d Menin said in a statement.<\/p>\n