Wow! It’s not enough to get good grades. Not enough to pay full tuition. Not enough to volunteer. Now, you need something more for admittance to a Jewish day school: proof of registration to vote!
Ahead of the upcoming New York mayoral election, one Jewish day school in Brooklyn now requires parents to prove they are registered to vote before the new school year begins — an unprecedented policy that comes as a democratic socialist opponent of Israel, who says “globalize the intifada” reflects his thinking, is leading the race.
Magen David Yeshivah, a flagship institution of the city’s Syrian Jewish community, wrote its parent body: “We trust that our parent body understands that this policy stems from and reflects our school’s commitment to ensuring that our community plays an active role in shaping the policies that affect us all every day. Registering to vote is a small but critical step toward protecting the future of our yeshivot and our broader community.”
Federal and state laws bar anyone from coercing others to vote, and public schools likely cannot condition enrollment on voter registration, but private schools have the freedom to set such a requirement, say legal experts.
New York City Hall affects security for Jewish institutions, regulations for Jewish schools, the prosecution of hate crimes and so much more of critical import to the nation’s largest Jewish community.
Maybe the vote registration requirement is a good idea, maybe it’s a bad idea, but either way it highlights the level of profound concern among at least some Jewish circles in New York City today.
© IJN 2025
