Sam Berger
D · New York State Assembly, District 27 · Tier 1
Tier 1, “Firmly pro-Israel”
Author and lead sponsor of A2139-A, the HOPE Act, which would require New York State agencies to “take into consideration” the IHRA working definition of antisemitism — and its contemporary examples — when deciding whether a discriminatory act occurred (the amended bill dropped the original’s references to courts). In his own voice: “The IHRA definition is an essential tool to identify, navigate and combat antisemitic behavior.” He has run a sustained public campaign against Mamdani on Israel and antisemitism, continuing after Mamdani revoked New York City’s IHRA adoption on Jan 1, 2026.
A champion Tier 1 on authorship, not just a signature. He is the author and lead sponsor of A2139-A, which would write the IHRA definition and its contemporary examples — the examples are the contested part, since they treat certain criticism of Israel as antisemitic — into the discrimination reviews of every New York State agency. Writing the bill, rather than signing it, is what places him at 1: twelve of the bill’s 26 cosponsors are on the roster, and the three at a clean 1 (Rozic, Novakhov and Slater) each carry legislation of their own, while the other nine sit at 1/2. He pairs the bill with sustained public conduct: a continuing campaign against Mamdani on Israel and antisemitism that did not stop when the mayoralty was decided. The bill sits in the Codes Committee and has not been enacted, which limits its effect but not the placement.
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elect26 places 2026 midterm candidates on a six-tier spectrum, from 1 (most pro-Israel) to 6 (most critical of Israel).