The strictly Orthodox community in Stamford Hill has seen a “dramatic increase” in political engagement during the run-up to the general election, with 3,000 people believed to have registered to vote for the first time.
The increase, described as a “massive breakthrough”, came after the Jewish Community Council ran a campaign to raise political awareness, targeting yeshivas, schools and synagogues.
Levi Shapiro, a JCC founder, said the organisation had “worked to encourage eligible voters, and for children to go home and talk to their parents and say ‘are you going out to vote on June 8?’
“I can tell you that during previous elections, in the strictly Orthodox community there have been plenty of people who didn’t even know that there was an election happening. It wasn’t relevant to them.”
More than 5,000 schoolchildren were sent home with a letter, Mr Shapiro said, providing details about the election and information on how to register to vote.
“The way we are brought up tells us we should sit quiet, not get involved. We are saying we have to get involved.”
