The Community First Republican Club held its monthly meeting on Feb. 19, where it welcomed candidates and made its first political endorsements for the election season.
The meeting, held at 2101 East 16th St., included presentations by David Ben Hooren, publisher and founder of The Jewish Voice, speeches by Republican elected officials and a discussion about upcoming elections to the New York State Assembly and Senate.
The club, which formed in December 2025, advocates for Southern Brooklyn communities, supports Republican candidates, registers new voters and encourages civic participation.
“We had a wonderful and energetic February meeting at the Community First Republican Club, where qualified members voted on our first endorsements of the 2026 season,” wrote board member Anna Shpilkovskaya. “We proudly endorsed Bruce Blakeman for governor, Joseph Hernandez for state comptroller, and Saritha Komatireddy for state attorney general. We also enthusiastically supported the re-election of Nicole Malliotakis, Steve Chan and Assemblymembers Misha Novakhov, [Alec] Brook-Krasny and Lester Chang, along with our own board member Karina Bertaeva for Assembly District 47.”
“We were honored to hear from guest speaker David Ben-Hooren of The Jewish Voice and to welcome several Republican candidates who shared their vision for our communities,” she added.
Club President Ari Kagan thanked everyone for coming together in strong support of Southern Brooklyn and Republican leadership.
Assemblymember Michael Novakhov was in attendance and talked about the Republican opposition to Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
“Club President Ari Kagan thanked all guests and board members for working together to advocate for our Southern Brooklyn communities and for supporting Republican candidates. Club members constantly volunteer their time and efforts to help their neighbors, support police precincts, and fight hate and anti-Semitism,” said the group in a statement.
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