(Jewish Group) In a first, NYC mayor appoints a Persian Jewish deputy mayor

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.

“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.”

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 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.”

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