New York Times selects Orthodox Jews as growing NY power group

The power of Orthodox Jews is on the rise, and not just in Israel -- the Orthodox Jews of Brooklyn have been recognized as a power bloc to watch by The New York Times.

“The Orthodox community has emerged as a stand-alone force that needs to be reckoned with,” Ezra Friedlander, who runs a public affairs consultant company, is quoted as saying in a special issue due out this week.

The newspaper’s special "power" issue, due on newstands this week and already available to online readers at nytimes.com, highlights "who is on the top and who is on the way, as identified by the reporters of The New York Times." Orthodox Jews are joined by the Catholic Church under the heading "Religious Blocs," and in the realm of individual recognition, New York's Jewish mayor, Michael R. Bloomberg, tops the list. Bloomberg is joined by New Jersey Governor (and potential Republican vice presidential nominee) Chris Christie, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly.

Orthodox Jews in New York, the report states, are grabbing power thanks to their growing numbers and a sharp rise in Internet usage.

"The Orthodox community, led by younger social media-aware voters, tends to focus on social services like tuition assistance for yeshivas, busing and housing, but votes socially conservative on issues like same-sex marriage. Their numbers are growing. According to the census, since the previous count, Borough Park was the one neighborhood in the city with more than 100,000 people that grew, by 5.2 percent," the report states.

The influence of this community -- and its high birth rate -- should not be lost on politicians, Friedlander tells The New York Times. “No candidate should take the Orthodox community for granted,” he says.

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