Dozens of rabbonim from across New York City are urging Orthodox Jews to turn out in large numbers for the upcoming New York City mayoral election, calling voting “a fundamental responsibility to guard the freedoms we enjoy.”

In a public letter released Tuesday by Agudah, the rabbonim describe the upcoming race as critical for the Jewish community’s future and safety, warning that “attacks on Jews have surged both locally and across the world” and that “dangerous rhetoric, at all levels, has become commonplace.”

“The support for the security of Jews in Eretz Yisroel being debated in mainstream political circles is deeply concerning,” the statement reads. “That this debate is occurring at the center of the largest concentration of Jews outside of Eretz Yisroel is frightening. We have already seen its pernicious impact on our own safety.”

The rabbonim stress that every member of the community has an obligation to engage in this hishtadlus, regardless of the election’s outcome. “The only hedge spurring a candidate with future political aspirations to moderate his stance,” they write, “is for him to know that he has a large, motivated voting constituency to contend with.”

The letter emphasizes that a strong Orthodox turnout will send a message of political strength and civic engagement. “Such a turnout would be a powerful demonstration of the koach hatzibbur at this critical time,” the signatories wrote.

Local, regional, and national Orthodox organizations, the letter notes, are coordinating to mobilize voters and ensure “unprecedented voting participation in our communities.”