In a first, NYC mayor appoints a Persian Jewish deputy mayor
Fabien Levy said the concept of tikkun olam inspired his public service
Fabien Levy,far left, with New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Jan. 12, 2023. Photo by Benny polatseck/Mayoral Photography Office
By Jacob Kornbluh August 14, 2023
New York Mayor Eric Adams appointed a Jewish son of immigrants on Monday as the first-ever deputy mayor of Persian or Iraqi descent. Fabien Levy, currently the mayor’s press secretary, will be deputy mayor for communications, a new role that will focus on coordinating messaging with city agencies.
“A Jewish kid with Middle Eastern roots from a migrant family who struggled to get by is now deputy mayor in the greatest city in the world,” Levy said with pride at a press conference in City Hall.
Levy, 39, is one of several American Jews serving in senior positions in City Hall. He previously worked for Gov. Kathy Hochul, Attorney General Letitia James, and a number of California politicians, including Sen. Dianne Feinstein. He served as her deputy campaign manager in 2006. Levy also worked in the Obama administration as press secretary at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where he was part of the rapid response team during the Affordable Care Act’s first open enrollment period.
The elevation comes as Adams is intensifying his communication about the migrant crisis.
“For too long, Persian Americans have had far too little representation in our city’s government,” said Alireza Hedayati, president of the Iranian American Society of New York. In New York City, he added, “the doors of government are open to every person and where the son of Iranian and Iraqi immigrants can become a deputy mayor.”
Jewish at Syracuse
The Daily Orange, a newspaper run by Syracuse University students, quotes Levy in a 2004 article saying that he liked majoring in political science and broadcast journalism at a campus with a vibrant Jewish life. “I’m not the most religious person, but I definitely do practice,” Levy told the publication at the time. “Knowing there are people around who share the same beliefs is comforting.”
Levy, a Long Island native, said the Jewish concept of tikkun olam (repairing the world in Hebrew) inspired his public service.
“It is that sense of responsibility, that sense of community to leave the world in a better place than when we got here that drives me every day,” he said.
Benny Polatseck, a content producer at the mayor’s office who is Orthodox, said Levy “embodies the essence of a true mensch.” Though tasked with one of the toughest jobs at City Hall, Polatseck said, Levy’s “accessibility and willingness to offer assistance in any way possible truly set him apart.”
This post has been updated.
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