Simcha Eichenstein

Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein was elected on November 6, 2018, to represent New York’s 48th Assembly District, which includes the neighborhoods of Borough Park, Kensington, and Midwood in Brooklyn. With his election, Simcha became the first Chassidic Jewish individual elected to the state legislature. On the first day of the 2023 legislative session, Simcha was appointed to serve as the Assistant Majority Whip of the New York State Assembly. Simcha played a pivotal role in advancing legislation that has improved the lives of countless New Yorkers. In his first year in office, Simcha passed legislation ensuring that Summer Youth Employment Program earnings are exempt when calculating household income for public assistance eligibility. Simcha has since sponsored and passed over a dozen legislative proposals, including requiring state correctional facilities to offer kosher and halal options in their commissaries and vending machines, fee waivers associated with holocaust reparations payments, amending insurance law for victims of hate crimes, requiring New York to issue multiple electronic benefit transfer cards to certain qualified recipients, and exempting first responders from monetary penalties for violations committed while responding to medical emergencies. Before his election, Simcha served on New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s legislative affairs team in Albany and as part of the mayor’s senior intergovernmental staff at City Hall. During this time, Simcha played a crucial role in advocating for budgetary and legislative priorities vital to the City of New York and was instrumental in helping craft and pass many pieces of legislation in the state legislature. Simcha’s impressive City Hall portfolio included the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), Department for the Aging (DFTA), Department of Homeless Services (DHS), Human Resources Administration (HRA), NYC Health + Hospitals, Administration for Children’s Services (ACS), Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD), Department of Transportation (DOT), Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC), and ThriveNYC, the nation’s most comprehensive approach to mental health. Before joining the mayor’s team, Simcha served for four years as a senior aide to New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, where his responsibilities included working on intergovernmental affairs and nurturing a deep partnership with diverse communities and non-profit organizations throughout the State of New York. He previously served as the political affairs director at a public relations firm, a special assistant in the New York State legislature, and a member of Brooklyn’s Community Board 12. Simcha is a graduate of New York’s yeshiva system and a lifelong resident of Borough Park. He and his wife Pearl are the proud parents of four children.