Tracey Wells didn\u2019t necessarily want to see Andrew Cuomo resign in disgrace as New York\u2019s governor in 2021.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I firmly believe that you believe women,\u201d Wells, the owner of a recruitment firm, said, noting at the time, New York\u2019s attorney general had substantiated sexual harassment claims from 11 women. That number that would later rise to 13<\/a> following a federal Department of Justice investigation.<\/p>\n Nonetheless, Wells, who is Jewish, surprised herself by deciding to vote for Cuomo to become mayor of New York City. She made the decision in part because she sharply disagrees with Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani\u2019s critical views on Israel.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s not my favorite, but he\u2019s better than the alternative options,\u201d Wells said about Cuomo, rationalizing that the allegations against him could have been more egregious. \u201cHe\u2019s obviously been in trouble before. I\u2019m a woman, a feminist, and I do think that the things that he got in trouble for, 10 or 15 years ago, would have never been an issue.\u201d<\/p>\n Wells\u2019 thinking reflects the complicated calculus facing many Jewish women in New York City this week. Mamdani, the frontrunner, has divided Jewish voters with his vociferous criticism of Israel, and many of those who are spurning him over that see Cuomo, who is polling a distant second, as the best chance to keep him out of Gracie Mansion. But Cuomo has his own baggage: a track record of sexual harassment allegations \u2014 which he denies \u2014 that derailed his last stint in public office, and remains a turnoff for many voters.<\/p>\n \u201cAs somebody who identifies as a feminist, I really wish there was a better option,\u201d said a Lower Manhattan 28-year-old woman who works in influencer marketing. She declined to share her name, citing concerns about publicizing her voting record.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery other election that I voted in, I\u2019ve been very sure in my decision, and I\u2019ve been excited to cast my vote and use my voice,\u201d the woman said. \u201cIn this election, it feels like I\u2019m voting more against something than for something that I\u2019m excited about.\u201d<\/p>\n Usually, she casts a ballot on the first day of early voting. But this year, she waffled until Wednesday, when she voted for Cuomo \u2014\u00a0not to support him, but to count against Mamdani.<\/p>\n \u201cAs the candidate who won the Democratic primary, I normally would just go for it,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I think just because so much of his platform has been around that [anti-Zionism], I struggle, I fear, that that would energize that super anti-Israel base more. And anti-Zionism often bleeds into antisemitism.\u201d<\/p>\n A fevered push among many Jewish leaders to get out the vote against Mamdani has largely sidestepped Cuomo\u2019s history with women. Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, in a Shabbat sermon urging New Yorkers to back Cuomo<\/a>, said only that Cuomo, \u201clike any politician, comes with both personal and professional baggage.\u201d<\/p>\n A letter quoting Cosgrove\u2019s sermon has now been signed by more than 1,150 rabbis<\/a> across the country, including hundreds of women.<\/p>\n Tracy Kaplowitz, a rabbi at the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue on the Upper West Side, was among them. Asked about how Jewish women should weigh the allegations against Cuomo as they vote, Kaplan said, \u201cJudaism believes in the dignity of every human being. People need to make their decisions honoring the dignity of every human being. We are not endorsing any candidate. We\u2019re not encouraging people to vote in a particular way that\u2019s not our role or our place, and we recognize people will come to different conclusions.\u201d<\/p>\n The writer Emily Tamkin lives in Washington, D.C., and cannot vote in the election. Still, as she wrote in The Forward, the pro-Cuomo push among prominent Jews feels unnerving.<\/p>\n \u201cThe failure of so many Jewish leaders to meaningfully engage with what Cuomo\u2019s election might mean for women has deeply alarmed me,\u201d Tamkin wrote<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe idea that I, or any woman, has to pretend that the normalization of sexual harassment in politics is somehow irrelevant to our day-to-day safety \u2014 because our commitment to Jewish peoplehood comes first \u2014 seems to me to be an extremely limited understanding of Jewish safety,\u201d she continued.<\/p>\n Some rabbis have in fact called attention to Cuomo\u2019s history as a reason to find the election challenging for Jewish voters. \u201cWhen we are considering whom to elect as leaders, a candidate who has been morally compromised should not easily collect our votes,\u201d Rabbi Rick Jacobs, head of the Reform movement, wrote in an essay<\/a>. \u201cAs I have questioned what Mamdani might do based on his statements, so too I question what Andrew Cuomo might do in light of past findings of his pattern of harassment.\u201d<\/p>\n Rachel Gildiner, executive director of SRE Network, a group that helps Jewish organizations achieve gender equity and create inclusive workplaces, said the election is doubly challenging for many Jewish women.<\/p>\n \u201cToday, many Jewish women are feeling pressure from all sides and wondering if their own safety and belonging are being fully seen and understood,\u201d Gildiner said in a statement. \u201cAt SRE, we are focused on helping the organizations we work with support women who are experiencing the double threat of antisemitism and misogyny in this moment. To all the women struggling: we see you and you are not alone.\u201d<\/p>\n Some Jewish women say they feel no need to reconcile themselves to supporting a candidate with a record of allegations against him \u2014\u00a0because they prefer Mamdani anyway.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m really happy with Zohran,\u201d said Jaime Berman, a 33-year-old attorney and one of two Democratic state committee members for the 76th Assembly district, representing the Upper East Side. \u201cAnd also Cuomo is literally the most evil person in New York, and is a sexual harasser.\u201d<\/p>\n But for many Jewish women, the decision is proving to be fraught to the election\u2019s very last days. Alisha Outridge, a tech entrepreneur in her late 30s living in Manhattan, said she sees advantages and disadvantages to both leading candidates. For her, the allegations against Cuomo aren\u2019t weighing heavily.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s bad, but I wouldn\u2019t make decisions based on who our mayor is on that,\u201d she said, noting that she is leaning toward Mamdani. \u201cLocal policy is really what I think is most impactful.\u201d<\/p>\n