In a possible blow to Republican Menachem (Mendy) Raitport, Borough Park Assemblyman Dov Hikind is expected to officially endorse Geoffrey Davis on Sunday for the vacant 43rd Assembly District seat, according to sources close to Hikind.
A major reason for the support is Davis’ commitment to fight for the Education Investment Tax Credit (EITC) if elected to the assembly. Hikind has been the outspoken political champion of the EITC, which he argues would be a huge benefit to private and parochial schools including yeshivas.
The endorsement will come with Hikind’s active participation in the Jewish community on Davis’ behalf in the final days before the May 5 special election, sources say.
Neither Hikind nor Davis was available for comment, but a Davis campaign source did say a press conference is scheduled for 10:30 a.m., Sunday, at the Brooklyn Jewish Childrens Museum, 792 Eastern Parkway.
Although a Christian, Davis was born and raised in the heart of the Crown Heights Chabad community, and considers the late Rebbe Menachem Schneerson a major influence in his life.
Davis also maintains that he and his brother, the late City Councilman James E. Davis, got to know the Rebbe when they were kids and he used to pass their house on his semi-daily walk home on President Street from the Chabad headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway.
A good many ‘Chabadnic’ Jews consider Schneerson the Messiah. Many other Jews acknowledge, at the very least, Schneerson as being one of the most influential Rabbis in the past few hundred years for his outreach efforts to all Jews – religious and non-religious alike – and for the establishment of Chabad Houses all over the world.
