Long Island health care exec motivated to run for state Senate over antisemitism in NY: ‘Need more moderate voices’

Lisa “Malkie” Vider did not set out to become a politician.

The Orthodox Jewish mother of three has spent about 30 years working in health care, including running an assisted-living facility and advocating for health care providers in Albany.

But after years of traveling to the state capital, she became increasingly frustrated by what she saw as a disconnect between lawmakers, the health care industry and the communities they represent.

“When I go up to Albany, I realize that our elected officials really have no understanding of the health care system, of what I do, of what other people do in health care and the decisions that they make,” Vider told JNS.

That experience pushed Vider, a Democrat, to seek the state Senate seat representing the 9th District, which includes parts of Nassau County and the Five Towns. She is challenging Republican incumbent Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick in the general election on Nov. 3.

Long Island mother and health care executive Lisa “Malkie” Vider is running for New York state Senate. Lisa Vider for NY State Senate

The Brooklyn native, who later moved to Long Island with her husband, Avner Vider, told JNS that her three children — 10, 12 and 13 — have shaped the way she views the campaign and the issues she wants to address.

“I fight for my children. I fight for my family,” she said. “I am a person that if I say that I’m gonna do something, I’m going to do everything in my power to try to get it done.”

Among her main concerns are antisemitism and what she describes as a broader problem of hate and intolerance.

As an Orthodox woman, she wants Jewish New Yorkers to be able to visibly practice their faith without fear.

Anti-Israel protesters demonstrate against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s appearance at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. Christopher Sadowski for NY Post

“We just want to be able to send our kids to school or go to the park without having to worry about somebody attacking them,” she told JNS.

Vider told JNS that state nonprofit security funding is important and noted the additional $70 million in security funding that Gov. Kathy Hochul announced exclusively to JNS. New York’s fiscal 2027 executive budget also includes $35 million for the next round of the Securing Communities Against Hate Crimes program, she said.

But more needs to be done to ensure that Jewish institutions and other houses of worship can protect their communities, according to Vider.

“People should be able to live their lives without fear of going and practicing whatever their religion and going to school,” she told JNS.

Vider said that her Jewish identity is intertwined with her family. Her husband is Israeli, and two of her nephews served in the Israeli military. Another nephew recently completed his service.

Israel is primarily a federal rather than a state issue, but Vider told JNS that state lawmakers can still weigh in.

“We need to show whatever support we can,” she said.

At the same time, Vider thinks New York needs “more moderate voices” in Albany.

Health care is another central component of Vider’s campaign, and her years of working in the industry have shown her how state regulations and funding decisions affect providers, employees, seniors and families.

“Health care is very important. That’s my expertise,” she told JNS. “We need to bring it down. We need to make sure that our senior population is being taken care of.”

Vider wants to make it easier for patients and providers to navigate the health care system while reducing what she said is unnecessary pressure on health care facilities.

Her health care advocacy also exposed her to the political process. She recalled meeting with an elected official during an advocacy trip to Albany and being told the lawmaker understood the concerns she raised but lacked the authority to act.

That experience made her think that the district needs a senator who can work with the majority party in Albany.

Antisemitism is a major concern for Vider, but the issue she hears about most on the campaign trail is cost of living. “Everybody’s just worried about affordability,” she told JNS.

Property taxes, utilities and gas prices have repeatedly come up as she knocks on doors, she said.

Vider said many residents have lived in the district for decades and want their children to be able to return and own homes in the communities where they grew up.

“Right now, it’s just not affordable,” she said.

Her campaign priorities include property-tax relief, reducing household costs and public safety.

Beyond long hours and fundraising, the most difficult part of the campaign trail has been attacks portraying her as more progressive than she considers herself to be.

Vider said attack ads have tried to tie her to the Democratic Socialists of America and depict her as a progressive candidate.

“I expected better of people,” she told JNS. “To make things up and to try to diminish my reputation and have people make me out to be something that I’m completely not, just because you’re afraid of losing a seat,” she said.

She described herself as a “moderate, fiscally conservative Democrat.”

Calls from voters about the campaign mailers impressed on her how easily political messaging can shape perceptions of candidates.

“It’s made me realize I can’t just listen to what somebody else says,” she said. “I have to investigate and look at the individual who’s running.”

She encouraged voters to examine each candidate’s record and determine which would represent them the best.

“I’ve always been a fighter,” she told JNS. “I am a person who will make sure that I do what I can to benefit my district and my community.”

“We’re in a very different world right now, and it’s scary,” she added. “As a mother, I’m scared every day for my children when they go somewhere, and my son’s wearing his Magen David.”