Mayor Mamdani Appoints Ali Najmi as Chair of Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary

 

Mayor also signs executive order for Committee to engage wider legal community in judicial selection process & create database to increase transparency 

 

Najmi is a renowned civil rights and election attorney  

TODAY, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the appointment of renowned civil rights and election attorney Ali Najmi as the Chair of the newly revitalized Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary. The Mayor also signed an executive order to ensure that the Committee makes the judicial selection process more transparent and accessible to New Yorkers. 

 

“While the judicial branch plays a crucial role in our democracy, it is often inaccessible and shrouded in secrecy. My Administration will promote transparency in how we select New York City’s judges and ensure our city’s judicial system reflects the city it serves, applies the rule of law universally, and does so without favor,” said Mayor Zohran Mamdani. “There is no one better to lead this effort than Ali Najmi, who will bring the same determination and commitment he’s brought to the courtroom for decades to his new role chairing the Advisory Committee on the Judiciary.”

 

“It is an honor to lead the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary. A fair and equitable legal system is determined by our judges. I am committed to making our judicial selection process more transparent and inclusive to ensure that all 8.5 million New Yorkers see themselves reflected on the bench,” said Chair of the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary Ali Najmi. 

 

Under the Mamdani Administration, the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary will be charged with increasing transparency around the judicial selection process and promoting engagement. The new executive order requires the Committee to engage the wider legal community in the judicial selection process, including public defenders, attorneys who represent parents and children in family court, and those working in indigent legal services. The executive order instructs the Committee to regularly publish demographic data on the judicial applicant pool, as well as create a searchable database for New Yorkers to monitor upcoming appointments. The executive order also extends the term of members of the Committee from two years to four years.  

 

The judicial committee appoints judges for family and criminal and interim appointees for civil courts.

 

“We applaud the Mamdani administration for recognizing that public defenders bring an essential, frontline perspective to issues affecting the legal system, and that this perspective must inform who sits on the bench," said Juval O. Scott, Executive Director of The Bronx Defenders. “In the Bronx, we see every day how a single arrest or court appearance can upend a person’s life, their family, and their future, which is why judicial appointments must be grounded in a clear understanding of the real human stakes of every decision. A judiciary shaped with this knowledge is critical to ensuring fairness, dignity, and justice for the thousands of people entangled in our courts each year who are the least prepared or resourced to defend their freedom.” 

 

“I congratulate Ali Najmi on his appointment as Chair of the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary. As a seasoned defense and civil rights attorney, Ali brings a critical perspective to the judicial selection process — one grounded in due process, fairness, and access to justice,” said Twyla Carter, Attorney-in-Charge and Chief Executive Officer of The Legal Aid Society. “His experience as a member of the defense bar representing justice-involved New Yorkers will help ensure that the bench reflects a deep understanding of the rights of all New Yorkers, particularly those who rely on robust criminal defense. His leadership will serve the committee, our court system, and New York City writ large.” 

Ali Najmi is a civil rights and election attorney in private practice. He is the founder and former President of the South Asian and Indo-Carribean Bar Association of Queens (SAICBAQ), and presently serves on their advisory board. As a leader of SAICBAQ, Najmi has helped diversify the judiciary in his home borough of Queens by helping elect diverse and qualified candidates to the bench.  

 

Najmi is a member of the New York City Bar Association, the Queens County Bar Association, the Muslim Bar Association of New York,  and the South Asian and Indo-Caribbean Bar Association of Queens. Najmi is a graduate of Oberlin College and the City University of New York School of Law. 

Developers Secure Financing for Renova West At 860 Concourse Village East In Morrisania, The Bronx

 

Financing was recently secured for Renova West, a 19-story affordable and supportive housing development at 860 Concourse Village East in Morrisania, The Bronx. Designed by Aufgang Architects and Developed in partnership between Gilbane Development, the Institute for Community Living (ICL), Tredway, the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), and the Housing Development Corporation (HDC), $193 million project will deliver 266 affordable apartments. The structure will also include a 7,000-square-foot ICL Bronx Health Hub designed to expand access to integrated physical and behavioral healthcare, and will be engineered to Passive House standards and target LEED Platinum certification.

Apartments at Renova West will be offered in configurations ranging from studios to three-bedrooms. One-hundred sixty of the units will be supportive housing reserved for formerly homeless individuals and those with behavioral health needs. Additionally, the project will feature on-site social services from ICL, community rooms, indoor and outdoor amenity spaces, and a landscaped courtyard. Property management will be on-site to ensure operations and tenant support.

A central component of the project is the ICL Health Hub, which will provide trauma-informed, integrated care for residents and the broader community. Services will include behavioral health counseling, housing support, care coordination, and access to social and medical resources.

The closest subways from Renova West are the 2, 4, and 5 trains at the 149 St–Grand Concourse and 3rd Avenue–149th Street stations.

VCJC News & Notes 1/2/2026

Van Cortlandt Jewish Center

News and Notes

Here's this week's edition of the VCJC News and Notes email. We hope you enjoy it and find it useful!

Reminders

2. Shabbos schedule
   
   
   Shabbos information is, as always, available on our website, both in the information sidebar and the events calendar.
   Here are the times you need:  
   Shabbos Candles Friday 1/2/26 @ 4:22 pm
   
   
   Shabbos Ends Saturday 1/3/26 @ 5:26 pm

   If you require an aliyah or would like to lead services, read from the torah or haftorah please speak to one of the gabbaim.

   
   

   
   

   
   

3. Shabbos parsha

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   Parashat Vayechi 5786 / פָּרָשַׁת וַיְחִי

   3 January 2026 / 14 Tevet 5786

   Parashat Vayechi is the 12th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading.

   Torah Portion: Genesis 47:28-50:26

   Vayechi (“He Lived”) is the final Torah portion in the Book of Genesis. It opens as Jacob prepares for his death, making his son Joseph swear to bury him in the Cave of Machpelah. Jacob blesses Joseph’s two sons and his own 12 sons and then dies. Jacob’s sons bury him. The portion ends with Joseph’s death. [1]

   
   

   
   

4. Please help with information about buildings

   As part of rebuilding the membership and congregation, the Board of Trustees would like your help. There are a lot of either new or renovated buildings being put up in our catchment area. We would like to seek the cooperation of the owners / developers of those properties in publicizing these opportunities to live near an orthodox synagogue.  If you are aware of any of these buildings, please provide what information you can about them.  This could include the address, any contact information that might be posted, and any information about the building itself (size, type, etc.). Additionally, if you are aware of vacancies in existing buildings or of houses for sale, please let us know about that as well.

   
   

   
   

5. 3rd annual Community Cleanup Day for MLK Day
   We received the following in an email and are passing it on for your information.

   “My name is Spence Weitzen, and I work for GrowTorah, where we do experiential & environmental Torah education. I hope you're doing well!

   
   

   I'm reaching out as we're hosting our 3rd annual Community Cleanup Day for MLK Day with the UJA Federation of NY & Westchester Parks Foundation on Monday, January 19th, which also happens to be Rosh Chodesh Shevat! Here's a link to the event page.

   
   

   The event will take place at the Bronx River Pathway. We've had hundreds of participants collect hundreds of pounds of trash in the past while honoring the legacy of Dr. MLK Jr. and preparing for Tu B'Shvat.”
   
   
   Their flyer is below.  The snow date is March 29, 2026. Note that the Van Cortlandt Jewish Center is a collaborator!

   
   

6. An Appeal from the Met Council for SNAP help

   
   

   See the VCJC blog post from the Met Council’s announcement.

Our mailing address is:
Van Cortlandt Jewish Center
3880 Sedgwick Ave

Bronx, NY 10463 

Permits Filed for 666 East 170th Street in Morrisania, The Bronx

Permits have been filed for a five-story residential building at 666 East 170th Street in Morrisania, The Bronx. Located at the intersection of Crotona Avenue and East 170th Street, the corner lot is closest to the Freeman Street subway station, served by the 2 and 5 trains. Chaim Eisdorfer is listed as the owner behind the applications.

The proposed 50-foot-tall development will yield 21,733 square feet designated for residential space. The building will have 37 residences, most likely rentals based on the average unit scope of 587 square feet. The concrete-based structure will not have any accessory parking.

Ariel Golshan of AG Engineering is listed as the architect of record.

Demolition permits will likely not be needed as the lot is vacant. An estimated completion date has not been announced. 

Mayor Mamdani Signs EO to Revitalize Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants and Appoints Cea Weaver as Director

 

With rent due on Jan 1, Mayor Mamdani rolls out major housing initiatives to protect tenants, crack down on negligent landlords, and build more homes

Mayor Mamdani also signed executive orders creating SPEED & LIFT Task Forces to encourage housing construction on city-owned land & cut red tape to help New Yorkers find homes faster

Nationally recognized tenant organizer, Weaver has won major victories for tenants & helped close landlord loopholes used to jack up rents

TODAY, on his very first day as Mayor of New York City, Mayor of New York City, Mayor Zohran Mamdani signed three executive orders to confront the city’s housing crisis: revitalizing the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants and establishing two new task forces to accelerate housing construction, get New Yorkers into homes faster, and increase supply by identifying suitable city-owned properties. The Mayor also announced the appointment of nationally recognized tenant organizer and housing advocate Cea Weaver as Director of the newly revitalized Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants. 

The revitalized Office to Protect Tenants will serve as a central coordinating body to defend tenants’ rights, stand up to landlords, and ensure city agencies act swiftly on behalf of renters facing unsafe or illegal conditions.

Weaver currently serves as Executive Director of Housing Justice for All and the New York State Tenant Bloc. She played a pivotal role in securing passage of the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019, landmark legislation that closed loopholes allowing landlords to dramatically raise rents and deregulate rent-stabilized apartments. 

On her very first day in office, Weaver joined Mayor Mamdani to announce the Mayor’s first major action of his administration; intervening in the bankruptcy proceedings of Pinnacle Realty, a landlord responsible for more than 5,000 housing violations, 14,000 complaints across 83 buildings, and money owed to the City of New York. New York City will take action to seek immediate relief and improve living conditions for Pinnacle tenants, an unprecedented step on behalf of renters living in some of the city’s most neglected buildings. 

Mayor Mamdani has directed his Corporation Counsel nominee, Steve Banks, to take precedent-setting action in the Bankruptcy Court to protect the renters of this building and the thousands of other renters across New York Cityscape in similar state. The Mayor is a creditor and interested party: the City is owed money that Pinnacle never paid, and will fight for New Yorkers interests to safe and habitable homes. In doing so, the Mayor will protect tenants already long-neglected from further neglect, as well as mitigate significant risk of displacement they currently face

Mayor Mamdani announced the appointment and signed the executive orders at the very Pinnacle-owned building where he is intervening. While there, he toured an apartment that revealed the consequences of Pinnacle’s negligence — broken walls, torn flooring, and a failure to provide heat. Too many New Yorkers are forced to live in conditions like these, while landlords escape accountability. On his first day in office, Mayor Mamdani made clear that protecting tenants will be a priority of his administration.

In addition to revitalizing the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants, Mayor Mamdani signed two executive orders establishing new housing task forces:

• LIFT Task Force (Land Inventory Fast Track) will leverage city-owned land to accelerate housing development, increase supply, and drive down costs. The task force will review city-owned properties and identify sites suitable for housing development no later than July 1, 2026. LIFT will be overseen by Deputy Mayor Leila Bozorg.

• The SPEED Task Force (Streamlining Procedures to Expedite Equitable Development) will identify and remove bureaucratic and permitting barriers that drive up costs and slow housing construction and lease-up, making it more affordable to build and easier to access housing across New York City. The task force will be overseen by Leila Bozorg, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Planning, and Julia Kerson, Deputy Mayor of Operations.

“Today, on the first day of this new administration, on the day where so many rent payments are due, we will not wait to deliver action. We will stand up on behalf of the tenants of this city,” said Mayor Zohran Mamdani. “You cannot hold landlords who violate the law to account unless you have a proven principled and tireless fighter at the helm. That is why I am proud today to announce my friend Cea Weaver as the Director of the newly reinvigorated Mayor's office to protect tenants.” 

“I am humbled and honored to join Mayor Mamdani’s administration — and to stand with him on his very first day in office as he makes clear where his priorities lie: with the millions of tenants in New York City who have been mistreated for too long by negligent landlords,” said Director of the Mayor’s Office of to Protect Tenants Cea Weaver. “Our work will only grow and this newly revitalized office marks a new era of standing up for tenants and fighting for safe, stable, and affordable homes.” 

“Today’s executive orders signal this administration’s clear-eyed focus on standing up for and addressing housing quality for tenants, aggressively taking on the bureaucracy that hampers housing access, and leveraging city-owned properties to increase our supply of affordable housing,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing and Planning Leila Bozorg. “Cea Weaver is a powerhouse for tenants rights — winning major victories for tenants across the city and state — I’m excited to see the innovation she brings to this new role.”

“Cea Weaver led the New York tenant movement through a historic surge in power, winning some of the strongest tenant protections in the country in under a decade.From organizing tenant unions to going toe to toe with the real estate lobby in Albany, she knows how to fight the exploitation of tenants — and win,” said Sumathy Kumar, Managing Director of Housing Justice for All. “Tenants are the majority in New York, and we couldn’t have a stronger partner in the administration to deliver the rent freeze New Yorkers voted for, hold landlords accountable, and win safe, stable homes for all.”

“Cea Weaver is an extraordinary leader who is incredibly thoughtful, strategic, and deeply grounded in the lived realities of tenants across New York City. Her integrity and commitment have shaped the tenant movement in powerful ways, including her vision and leadership of the Tenant Bloc this past year,” said Joanne Grell, Rent Freeze Campaign Chair of NYS Tenant Bloc. “I am confident that under her leadership, the Office of Tenant Protections will grow into its fullest potential and become an even stronger force for tenants. Cea’s appointment makes clear that Mayor Mamdani is serious about following through on his commitment to protect tenants and keep New York City affordable!”

Mayor Mamdani Signs First Two Executive Orders Of His Administration

 

TODAY, Mayor Zohran Mamdani signed the first two executive orders of his administration, setting the foundation for how his team will govern and operate. 

“Today marks the first step in building an administration that works for all New Yorkers,” said Mayor Zohran Mamdani. “We’ve established the foundations of it, and now it’s time to deliver on our affordability agenda, tackle the challenges facing New Yorkers, and usher in a new era for New York City — one that proves that government can deliver for working people.”

The first executive order revokes all executive orders issued on or after September 26, 2024, ensuring a fresh start for the incoming administration and reissues executive orders that the administration feels are central to delivering continued service, excellence, and value-driven leadership. 

The second executive order establishes the structure and operations of the new administration, including five Deputy Mayors:

• First Deputy Mayor  
• Deputy Mayor of Housing and Planning 
• Deputy Mayor of Economic Justice
• Deputy Mayor of Operations
• Deputy Mayor of Health and Human Services

To these positions, Mayor Mamdani has appointed Dean Fuleihan, Leila Bozorg, Julia Su, Julia Kerson, and Helen Arteaga respectively. 

The order also formalizes key leadership positions including Chief of Staff and Chief Counsel to the Mayor and City Hall and outlines the continued operation of several Offices under the Mayor’s Office.

Read Executive Order No. 1 in Full HERE.  

Read Executive Order No. 2 in Full HERE.  

Letter to New Yorkers from New York City Comptroller Mark D. Levine

 

Dear New Yorkers,

Today is the beginning of a new era in New York City — one with enormous opportunities ahead. Five years since the worst of COVID, our city has come roaring back in countless ways, reasserting ourselves as a global cultural and economic powerhouse. We have defied the skeptics yet again.

But amidst the prosperity of this city — with a soaring stock market and gleaming new office towers — far too many New Yorkers are struggling. The cost of housing is now increasingly beyond the reach of even middle class families. Young people are finding it more and more difficult to break into the job market. Our homelessness crisis has reached painful, unprecedented heights, fueled in part by a broken mental health system.

Our city’s budget, now at over $116 billion, is projected to face multi-billion dollar deficits in the years ahead, even before factoring in the significant economic uncertainty we are facing.  Meanwhile, amidst all these challenges, many New Yorkers have lost faith in local government, and are facing a federal government which is more likely to be hostile than helpful. The pressures we face are real and growing.

The Office of the New York City Comptroller will have a pivotal role to play in meeting the challenges of this moment.

The Comptroller is our city’s chief financial officer, our pension fiduciary, and responsible for providing accountability to every agency of City government. The office is critical to the fiscal and economic health of the city at any time. And at moments of great challenges such as this it plays a truly outsized role.

I will make tackling our housing affordability crisis my top priority, in part by investing some of our pension funds — in a prudent way that gets strong returns for retirees — to finance the creation of affordable housing throughout the five boroughs.

I will work to create innovative financing mechanisms to dramatically expand our city’s green infrastructure, so that we win the race to carbon neutrality.

I will fight for a budget which invests in tenant legal services, so that our city at last lives up to the commitments in our first-in-the-nation right to counsel law for those facing eviction. I will push for more funding for in-patient psychiatric services, to help get New Yorkers who are suffering off the street into the care they need and deserve.

And I will use the tools of audit and oversight to ensure that our City government works better — for regular New Yorkers, for small business owners, and for tax-payers. This will in part require pushing City agencies to embrace the technology of the modern era, so that we have a government freed of the worst limitations of bureaucracy. It will require a City government which is nimble enough to move fast during a period of accelerating change, and to capitalize on the promises of new technology while protecting against its perils.

This is not a short to-do list. But I firmly believe we can achieve these things together, and that New York City can be a more affordable, fairer, safer and prosperous city for all. I look forward to working every day, as your new comptroller, to make that a reality.

Money in Your Pockets: Governor Hochul Kicks Off 2026 With Affordability Agenda, New Tax Relief Efforts and Increased Wages

With the New Tax Year, Governor Hochul Will Propose No Tax on Tips Legislation in the FY2027 Executive Budget

Middle Class Tax Cut Beginning on January 1 for More Than 8.3 Million New Yorkers

Minimum Wage Increasing Statewide on January 1

Largest Child Tax Credit Expansion in New York State History Beginning in 2026

With the new tax year beginning January 1, 2026, Governor Kathy Hochul is informing New Yorkers about a number of tax relief and affordability measures that will begin in the New Year. The Governor is also announcing that in her upcoming FY2027 Executive Budget proposal, she will put forth legislation that eliminates state income taxes on up to $25,000 of tipped income in tax year 2026, which follows federal guidance. This effort is a continuation of the Governor’s Affordability Agenda. Since taking office, the Governor has advanced policies that have put over $9 billion back in the pockets of New York households through tax relief efforts.

“As we welcome in the New Year, affordability remains my top priority and I am doubling down on my commitment to put money back in New Yorkers’ pockets,” Governor Hochul said. “Starting today, tax rates for the vast majority of lower and middle-class New Yorkers will be cut, families with children will see a sweeping increase in the child tax credit, and minimum wage workers across the state will see their wages go up. I’m kicking the new year off with a proposal of no state income tax on tips, continuing my efforts to make New York more affordable for hard working New Yorkers.”

Over the last 5 years, the costs on everyday essentials like groceries, insurance, utility bills, and goods and services has increased significantly, and Governor Hochul has heard directly from New Yorkers how difficult it can be to make ends meet. As a result, the Governor created her Affordability Agenda, which has delivered over $9 billion in tax relief to New York’s individuals and families since taking office. This most recent proposal of No Tax on Tips, is the latest in a series of efforts to put money back in New Yorkers pockets.

Middle Class Tax Cuts

In the FY 2026 Enacted Budget, Governor Hochul secured a middle class tax cut, which, beginning January 1, 2026, will deliver nearly $1 billion in tax relief to more than 8.3 million New Yorkers. This will provide savings to taxpayers earning up to $323,000 for joint filers. When fully phased in, the middle class tax cut will deliver hundreds of dollars in average savings to nearly 77 percent of filers — representing three out of every four taxpayers.

Sweeping Increase in Child Tax Credit

In the FY2026 Enacted Budget, Governor Hochul continued her efforts to expand New York’s child tax credit, providing critical financial support for more than 2.75 million children statewide. This latest expansion doubled or in many cases, tripled the current credit, offering up to $1,000 annually per child under four and up to $500 per child aged four to 16. This latest expansion marked the largest increase in the credit’s history, significantly surpassing the previous maximum of $330 per child. The expansion will be phased in over two years, with New Yorkers receiving expanded benefits starting in 2026 for children under four and extending to older children in 2027.

Increasing the Minimum Wage

Included in the FY2024 Enacted Budget, Governor Hochul created a transformative plan to help low-wage New Yorkers keep up with the rising costs of living by increasing New York’s minimum wage for three years and tying future increases to inflation. Beginning January 1, 2026, New York State’s minimum wage increased to $17.00 per hour in New York City, Westchester, and Long Island, and $16.00 per hour in the rest of the state. Starting in 2027, the minimum wage will increase annually at a rate determined by the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earned and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for the Northeast Region — the most accurate regional measure of inflation.

Governor Hochul’s Affordability Agenda

This announcement builds on Governor Hochul’s Affordability Agenda which delivered a $2B Inflation Refund program, delivering up to $400 to over 8.2 billion New Yorkers, and universal free school meals, saving parents and families up to $1,600 a year.