The 17th State Senatorial District in Brooklyn, ranges from Sunset Park, Borough Park to Sheepshead Bay. It is a beautiful, diverse place where people of countless ethnic heritages live, work, and play.

Following a campaign in which the President-elect encouraged white supremacy and anti-Semitism, while also vilifying immigrants, Muslims, and communities of color, it is more critical than ever that we stand together against intolerance. And, at this political moment, when New York Republicans have embraced Donald Trump’s platform, the only hope to make that stand in New York is for you to re-join the Democratic Caucus and ensure that our state embodies the values of welcoming, tolerance, and equal rights for all.

Like you, we are Jewish. Many of our relatives faced violence and persecution during the Holocaust or were expelled from their ancestral homelands in the Middle East and North Africa. All of our ancestors chose to immigrate to the U.S. in pursuit of safety and belonging. We know first-hand what happens when leaders come into power by fomenting a wave of xenophobia and anti-semitism: they proclaim in-groups and out-groups and, next thing you know, people end up in detention camps. It’s happened in the US before. It can happen here again.

That’s why we are calling on you, as our State Senator, to stop caucusing with the Republican Party. New York’s GOP has entirely embraced the Trump ideology — with party leaders endorsing Mr. Trump and State Senate candidates mirroring his anti-immigrant and anti-semitic messages in their campaign materials. This ideology is an immediate existential danger to your own constituents. Even to yourself.

The balance of power in Albany lies with you right now. You can decide if the GOP’s vision of hatred rules New York, or if the Democrats’ view of a pluralistic society that protects Jewish people and other religious minorities runs the state government. Now is not the time for power plays. Now is the time to stand with us.

The survival of our people, and the diverse communities of your district, has not been this precarious since the end of the Holocaust. There are Holocaust deniers and white supremacists taking the White House. A Democratic State Senate majority will make New York a beacon of tolerance when it is most needed.