Simcha Eichenstein
D · New York State Assembly, District 48 · Tier 1/2
Tier 1/2, between “Firmly pro-Israel” and “Mainstream pro-Israel”
Orthodox (Bobover rabbinical family) Assemblymember for Borough Park, active with Agudath Israel; frequently carries the Conservative line. He is one of six legislators credited with the 50-foot buffer zone around houses of worship, Jewish community centers, yeshivas and schools included in the May 2026 state budget (“I am proud to have been involved in drafting and securing the passage of this legislation”). He co-sponsors A2139-A, the HOPE Act, which would require state agencies to “take into consideration” the IHRA definition of antisemitism in discrimination reviews, signed the Oct 2023 ‘Stand With Israel’ legislators’ letter, and in July 2026 wrote to Attorney General Letitia James urging her to review Mayor Mamdani’s exploration of arresting Netanyahu: “I urge the Attorney General’s office to review the circumstances and the actions made by the Mayor to determine whether there has been any violation of New York laws.” He has no stated position on arms, aid or BDS, and on Gaza only his signature on a December 2023 statement that mourned “Palestinian and Israeli civilians” killed in the war.
A 1/2, not a clean 1. He is one of six legislators credited with the 50-foot buffer zone around houses of worship, Jewish community centers, yeshivas and schools in the May 2026 state budget; his release says it was drafted “in response to a wave of protests outside Jewish institutions,” and he said “I am proud to have been involved in drafting and securing the passage of this legislation.” It protects every house of worship and is not Israel legislation. He is one of 26 co-sponsors of A2139-A, the HOPE Act, which would require state agencies to “take into consideration” the IHRA definition of antisemitism; signed the October 2023 “Stand With Israel” legislators’ letter; and in July 2026 urged Attorney General Letitia James to review Mayor Mamdani’s exploration of arresting Netanyahu. He has no stated position of his own on arms, aid, BDS or Gaza. In December 2023 he signed the “Women’s Rights Leaders Condemn the Atrocities of October 7th” statement, which condemned the sexual violence of the October 7 attack and added, “We mourn the deaths of so many Palestinian and Israeli civilians who have been killed in this war,” saying it did not “signal support for the bombings in Gaza”; Gov. Kathy Hochul, the leaders of both chambers and dozens of legislators from across the spectrum on Israel signed it, so it does little to set any one signer apart. Counter-case: a 1, if helping draft a buffer zone aimed at protests outside Jewish institutions is read as leading a crackdown on protest.
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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).