An ordained Orthodox rabbi is running as a Republican for an open New York State Assembly seat in a Queens district where Democrats often run unopposed in a special election next month, The New York Post reports.

David Hirsch, 34, is a Hillcrest native, a member of Assembly District 27's Queens County Republican Committee, and an independent education policy consultant who said he decided to run after he was "looking around for potential candidates to run when we heard that Assemblyman [Daniel] Rosenthal was stepping down, and a whole bunch of people — both some Republican people, but also just some people in the community who I know — told me, 'Why don't you run yourself?'"

The Post notes that Hirsch is not a practicing rabbi but was ordained in 2019 following the completion of his studies at Yeshivas Ohr HaChaim in Kew Garden Hills, in Queens. Should he win next month, Hirsch would become the first rabbi ever to be elected to the New York Assembly, although New York state Sen. Simcha Felder of Brooklyn is a rabbi as well.

Hirsch told the newspaper that his background sets him apart and "gives me certain insights on a variety of issues, particularly those regarding religious freedoms and sensitivity for all faiths."

He said that a rabbinical education "gives you a new way of looking at things and how to break it down and find a solution."

Hirsch noted that he drew inspiration from Moses, saying, "Moses takes the advice to take 70 people to help him judge the people. You cannot concentrate too much power. That is kind of a good way to manage a government to make sure there is proper representation and feedback."

He added that his main priorities are crime, immigration, and education.

• Judge Declines to Toss New York Assembly Redistricting Maps
• 'Life Threatening' Flooding Overwhelms N.Y. Roadways, Killing 1