When the bar mitzvah boy’s dad is running for mayor
Scott Stringer and his wife say their son’s Torah portion, about sibling rivalry and reconciliation, is an apt metaphor for a political comeback
Scott Stringer and his son Max at the annual Celebrate Israel parade. Courtesy of Scott Stringer
By Jacob Kornbluh November 27, 2024
Like any Jewish parents, Scott Stringer and Elyse Buxbaum have been preparing for the bar mitzvah of their elder son, Maxwell Elliot, with a mix of pride and anxiety.
In a recent joint interview, Buxbaum described the boy as a “natural leader” among his social set, but said “he’s nervous” about the Dec. 14 milestone. The couple, who do not belong to a synagogue, taught him some Hebrew and have rented a hall in their downtown Manhattan neighborhood for what they described as a “private, intimate” affair.
Stringer, 64, was Manhattan borough president when Max was born, then New York City’s comptroller. So he and his 11-year-old brother, Miles, have been in the public eye their entire lives, and appeared in advertisements for their father’s failed mayoral bid in 2021.
“When I close the door and hear the young man practicing his bar mitzvah lessons, I can’t help but think: When did this happen?” Stringer said. “I had my bar mitzvah in the Stone Age, so this is all coming back to me.”
Max’s coming-of-age ceremony coincides with Stringer’s reentry into politics after that 2021 campaign was derailed by allegations of sexual misconduct. Dad is now one of seven Democratic candidates who have declared plans to challenge the indicted Mayor Eric Adams in a June primary.
Stringer and Buxbaum said Max’s Torah portion, Vayishlach — which centers on the rivalry and reconciliation between the biblical brothers Jacob and Esau — resonates with them as they approach this new campaign trying to move beyond past setbacks and arguments.
“I feel like it’s very representative of where we are at this moment,” Buxbaum said in the interview. “Forgiving people for what they might have said or done is essential to make everything better and move ahead.”
A second chance?
Stringer began the 2021 race as the progressive frontrunner among eight major contenders to succeed Mayor Bill de Blasio, who was term-limited. But Stringer lost the endorsements of the Working Families Party and many progressive politicians after allegations surfaced that he had made repeated unwanted sexual advances toward a former volunteer, Jean Kim.
Stringer refused to step down, strongly denying the allegations, and is now suing Kim for defamation. He said he is not bitter about the outcome: “You win some, you lose some.”
Four years later, Stringer faces a very different field — and said he is a different candidate, which he attributed in part to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
His successor as comptroller, Brad Lander, is also Jewish and a rival for the support of progressives, including the left-leaning Jews of Manhattan and Brooklyn. The other announced candidates are State Sen. Zellnor Myrie, who represents the heavily Jewish Brooklyn neighborhoods of Crown Heights, East Flatbush and Park Slope; State Sen. Jessica Ramos, a progressive from Queens; Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, who is also from Queens, and the author of a bill to penalize charities backing Israeli settlements; Michael Blake, a former state legislator and Obama administration official who once described himself as a strong supporter of Israel but is now facing scrutiny for calling Israel’s action in Gaza “genocide“; and Jim Walden, a former federal prosecutor.
Lander leads the field in fundraising, with $1 million raised since January, and Stringer is second at $600,000, according to campaign finance reports. That means both will qualify for up to $2.5 million in public matching funds.
Adams’ upcoming corruption trial in April could upend the race. If he resigns, Jumaane Williams, the city’s public advocate who criticized Adams for his crackdown on pro-Palestinian protests, would replace him as acting mayor and could run for a full term.
And several high-profile politicians are rumored to be considering a run, including Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who stepped down in 2021 following multiple sexual harassment allegations; Attorney General Letitia James, who gained national fame for prosecuting former President Donald Trump; and Rep. Ritchie Torres, a pro-Israel Democrat from the Bronx. Cuomo and James both touted their pro-Israel bonafides at a Jewish event earlier this week.
Jewish voter outreach
Jews make up about 20% of the Democratic primary electorate in New York City, with the Orthodox in Brooklyn often voting in blocs based on rabbinic endorsements.
In 2021, Adams and Andrew Yang both campaigned fiercely in Haredi neighborhoods, and the mayor attributed his narrow primary victory to their support. Stringer has never resonated strongly with these more conservative Haredi voters, but he would likely rely on support from Jewish voters in the Upper West Side and Brownstone Brooklyn.
The question for Stringer, who spent nearly three decades as an elected official starting as an assembly member in 1993, is what kind of candidate he will be, given his fallout with the left last time. He previously had support from some elected officials affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America, but was infuriated by the group’s celebration of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, calling them “antisemitic idiots.”
“I need to build my new coalition,” Stringer said.
Stringer’s views on Israel and the campus protests
Stringer has always maintained that he was opposed to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel, but said he would not seek to limit any individual’s right to peaceful expression. He said he views his campaign through a different lens because of Oct. 7 and its aftermath.
“For the first time as a Jew, I realized that things would never be the same,” he said of watching the news of the assault.
He would not go into detail about his views on the war in Gaza or calls for a ceasefire, saying only, “Obviously, I want peace in the Middle East, and the best way to start is by bringing the hostages home.”
Some of his opponents, especially Lander and Mamdani, have taken more critical stances on Israel’s prosecution of the war in Gaza, aligned with pro-Palestinian forces in some of New York’s progressive precincts. On the other side, Adams, Myrie, James and Cuomo have spoken out strongly in defense of Israel.
In the interview, Stringer was critical of pro-Palestinian protesters on college campuses and throughout the city, “They don’t know what ‘river’ or what ‘sea,’” he said, referencing the common chant, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
“I understand that some people just want to be part of a mob, but to the agitators who think they can bully or attack other people — that’s just not going to happen when I’m in charge,” he said. Stringer promised a “zero-tolerance approach” to all forms of hate. “When that protest turns into a riot targeting individuals, that’s when you have to say, enough is enough.”
Stringer said he would focus on preventative protocols to ensure that campuses remain safe spaces for students. “After Oct. 7, it’s not just something I’d like to do,” he said. “It’s something that must be done.”
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