Want a seat at this synagogue for the High Holidays? You have to register to vote first

by The editor•23 September 2025•NPR

Shaare Zion (pictured in 1995) started as a small congregation in the 1940s. It is the largest Syrian synagogue in New York, and sits on a busy street in the neighborhood of Gravesend in Brooklyn.

A Brooklyn synagogue has taken an unusual step by requiring congregants to show proof of voter registration in order to secure seats for High Holidays. Their biggest concern? The city’s mayoral seat.

(Image credit: Bebeto Matthews)