Long Island health care exec motivated to run for state Senate over antisemitism in NY: Need more moderate voices
Lisa “Malkie” Vider did not set out to become a politician.The Orthodox Jewish mother of three has spent about 30 years working in health care, including running an assisted-living facility and advocating for health care providers in Albany.But after years of traveling to the state capital, she became increasingly frustrated by what she saw as a disconnect between lawmakers, the health care industry and the communities they represent.“When I go up to Albany, I realize that our elected officials really have no understanding of the health care system, of what I do, of what other people do in health care and the decisions that they make,” Vider told JNS.That experience pushed Vider, a Democrat, to seek the state Senate seat representing the 9th District, which includes parts of Nassau County and the Five Towns.She is challenging Republican incumbent Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick in the general election on Nov.
3.The Brooklyn native, who later moved to Long Island with her husband, Avner Vider, told JNS that her three children — 10, 12 and 13 — have shaped the way she views the campaign and the issues she wants to address.“I fight for my children.I fight for my family,” she said.
“I am a person that if I say that I’m gonna do something, I’m going to do everything in my power to try to get it done.”Among her main concerns are antisemitism and what she describes as a broader problem of hate and intolerance.As an Orthodox woman, she wants Jewish New Yorkers to be able to visibly practice their faith without fear.“We just want to be able to send our kids to school or go to the park without having to worry about somebody attacking them,” she told JNS.Vider told JNS that state nonprofit security funding is important and noted the additional $70 million in security funding that Gov.Kathy Hochul announced exclusively to JNS.
New York’s fiscal 2027 executive budget also includes $35 million for the next round of the Securing Communities Against ...