Hakeem Jeffries, Who Represents Hasidic Williamsburg and Bedford-Stuyvesant in Congress, Set to Make History as Speaker of the House

Hakeem Jeffries, who grew up in Crown Heights, home to Chabad’s world headquarters, is set to become Speaker of the House after Democrats won control of the House on Tuesday. When the new Congress meets in January, he will become the first Black Speaker in American history and the first Speaker from New York City. Only two New Yorkers have held the job before: John W. Taylor in the 1820s and Theodore Pomeroy for one day in 1869. Both came from upstate.

Jeffries represents large parts of the Hasidic communities in Williamsburg and Bedford-Stuyvesant. Flushing Avenue, Park Avenue, Myrtle Avenue, Bedford Avenue, Nostrand Avenue, Marcy Avenue and Tompkins Avenue are all home to large numbers of Jewish families

Over the years, Jeffries has worked closely with Williamsburg community leaders, including Rabbi David Niederman of the United Jewish Organizations, Rabbi Moshe Indig and Leon Goldenberg of Flatbush. He also has close working relationships with Agudath Israel of America, the Orthodox Union and other major Jewish organizations.

In 2013, his first year in Congress, Jeffries sat in the sukkah of Rabbi Abe Friedman in Williamsburg on the last night of Chol Hamoed, alongside Yvette Clarke, Eric Adams and other elected officials. He thanked Rabbi Friedman for “building bridges between various faith-based communities for years.”

That November, when so-called knockout attacks spread fear in Jewish neighborhoods across Brooklyn, Jeffries organized a press conference with Brooklyn’s Black leaders to condemn the attacks, Hamodia reported. Rabbi Chanina Sperlin of the Crown Heights Jewish Community Council stood with them.

“Random acts of violence, particularly when targeted at people on the basis of race or religion, will not be tolerated,” Jeffries said.

When a man was stabbed at Chabad’s synagogue in Crown Heights in 2014, Jeffries said the Jewish community “is an important part of the fabric of Crown Heights, where I grew up.”

His district also stretches down to the shore, taking in Jewish neighborhoods such as Manhattan Beach, Sea Gate and Brighton Beach. In 2024, he visited Mermaid Avenue to announce $1 million in federal funding for the Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island.

He has spoken up repeatedly when Brooklyn Jews were targeted. In February 2025, he called the protests aimed at Jews in Borough Park “vile” and “unconscionable.” In January 2026, after Nazi symbols were found in Gravesend Park, he said families should be able to go to “parks, schools and synagogues in their communities without fear.”

Jeffries has also been close to the Satmar community. He has met with the Satmar Rebbes multiple times since his first summer in Congress in 2013. He has attended the Satmar Kuf Alef dinners almost every year for the last 20 years. In November 2023, he spoke at a march in Washington, calling for the release of the hostages held by Hamas. This year, when the Democratic Socialists targeted him, Jewish leaders rushed to his defense.

“We are thrilled that our own Congressman Hakeem Jeffries is on the verge of becoming Speaker of the House. Our relationship spans more than two decades, and throughout his rise to national leadership, he has remained firmly connected to his roots, his district, and the communities he serves,” said Rabbi David Niederman. “Whenever we have reached out—whether on broader communal concerns or to help an individual constituent in need—he and his staff have responded with dedication, energy, and a determination to help. We are proud that the nation will have the opportunity to get to know the outstanding Congressman we have worked with for so many years, and we look forward to continuing our close partnership on behalf of the community.”

Jeffries, 56, attended Midwood High School, followed by Binghamton University, Georgetown University and NYU School of Law. He worked as a lawyer before winning a seat in the New York State Assembly in 2006. He was elected to Congress in 2012, and in 2022, House Democrats chose him to succeed Nancy Pelosi as their leader. On Tuesday, he won another term with 78.9 percent of the vote.

In January, a kid from Crown Heights is expected to take the gavel.