Interview: Cuomo Says He Should Have ‘Communicated Better’ With Jews During Covid | Dems Waging ‘Civil War’

Former Governor and Independent mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo has been stepping up his outreach to members of the Jewish community in recent weeks. He received the endorsement of the Queens Jewish Alliance last month, was backed by influential Flatbush askanim last week, and picked up the endorsement of the Bobover kehilah on Sunday.

On the heels of a debate performance celebrated by a diverse array of commentators, Cuomo spoke with Belaaz on Friday about the race and his recent apology for his administration’s actions taken during the Pandemic.

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Hi, Governor, thank you so much for taking the time to speak to us.

Why do you think Mamdani, who to his name, has what critics say, only a lackluster tenure in Assembly and not much else. How has he pulled ahead so far in the race?

I think he’s very effective on social media. I think he used the anti-Israel policies, which were effective for him politically.

And I think people didn’t really know who he was in the primary, and now they’re just really starting to learn. That debate was the first time there was a real, honest exchange, and the more they learn about him, the more troubled they are.

Polls are showing that Mamdani has about 40% support. But also, aside from him, there are other socialist candidates who are making a lot of waves. You have AOC who’s touted as a very popular choice for presidential candidate next election. Do you think that the Democratic Party has veered to the far left?


There’s no doubt that there’s a quiet civil war in the Democratic Party, where the far, the radical left is trying to take over the Democratic Party. It has been building for years. But yes, the socialists are trying to take over the Democratic Party.

Do you think that pro-Israel advocacy, which historically has been a bipartisan issue, and of course, you yourself have been staunchly pro Israel. Do you think it’s no longer a bipartisan issue?

I think the Democrats are much more mixed on Israel than at any time before. The socialist position is basically anti Israel, and my Democratic Party, my father’s Democratic Party, was 100% supporters of Israel. So, yeah, it’s one of the key differences between this socialist agenda and the traditional Democratic agenda.

So I want to speak a little bit about the apology you offered to Jewish community a few weeks ago. Agudath Israel sued the state against the regulations and won, but since then the governor has not issued an apology. What can you tell our our readers to assuage their concern that it’s not merely a politically expedient move.

Remember the facts here. It wasn’t just Agudah. We got sued by every religious group. We got sued by the Catholic Church, and I’m Catholic, because they maintained the size restriction was limiting attendance in churches, as well as synagogues, as well as black churches, by the way.

So it was not just the Jewish community. Every religion had the same problem, because we were limiting their attendance, which, by the way, we were limiting their attendance, there’s no doubt about that, for health reasons. The Hasidic community had a different point, which wasn’t fully articulated until this election, which is the zone restrictions, the red zones, remember the zone restrictions?

Yes, of course.

The zone restrictions included some Hasidic communities, not all, by the way, some… red zones were also in upstate New York. There are also black communities in red zones, but the Hasidic community just knew that they were a red zone. And their point, to me was the fact that they were a red zone furthered, or could further a stigma or stereotype of the Hasidic community among the general public, and that was obviously never the intent. 

The zones were not chosen…they were just done off the infection rate data from the local health department. It had nothing to do with race, religion or creed. That would have been illegal anyway, but their point was, yes, but when a Hasidic community is a red zone that might further the stigma of against the Hasidic community. And I said I never, obviously intended that, and to the extent that was their feeling or that was the occurrence, I apologized. And I should have communicated better at the time, this has nothing to do with religion. Hasidic communities are red zones. Black communities are red zones. Catholic communities are red zones. It had nothing to do with the fact that they were Hasidic community.

One more question. Jewish community figure Sol Werdiger of Agudath Israel reports that the governor had called him angrily after he and the Catholic Diocese appealed the court ruling denying the temporary injunction on the restrictions. What do you say to people who say that there’s a right to appeal state laws using the legal system?

It wasn’t angry, but there were two sides to the issue. We want to have 300 people in church. I understand that Bishop, but you put 300 people in church, the infection rates may very well go up.

I’m talking specifically about the the appeal that was made; Sol Werdiger says that the governor called him irate. What does the governor have to say to that?

I was saying, I understand your legal argument, that you have the right freedom of religion. I understand the legal argument, but what about the health concern?

Thank you very much.