PAAIA’s New York Chapter Hosts Reception in Support of Judge Sabrina Setareh Kraus
By Sarah Bahmani
June 29, 2011, New York, NY – “Every vote counts,” was the hit-home message of Judge Sabrina Setareh Kraus last Wednesday evening, where PAAIA members gathered friends, colleagues and supporters to raise funds for the Iranian American Judge’s election campaign for New York City Civil Court. Judge Kraus is running in the 3rd Judicial District of Manhattan, which encompasses 14th Street to 65th Street and 7th Avenue to the Hudson River.
Stressing the significance of the upcoming Democratic primary on September 13, 2011, Judge Kraus urged New York City registered Democrats to come out and vote. The critical importance of this primary is that as a Democratic stronghold, New York City Democratic primary elections tend to project the winner of the election at large. 
Judge Kraus is running for judicial office having twenty years of experience in both private practice and as a public servant.As a private practitioner Judge Kraus was a frequent litigator in not only the Civil Court, where she hopes to continue on the bench, but also in the New York State Supreme Court and Housing Court. As a judicial appointee, Judge Kraus currently serves as a Housing Court Judge deciding a variety of cases, such as those commonly known as landlord-tenant, but further, her decisions also enforce state and local laws maintaining housing standards affecting thousands of New Yorkers. By making the administration of justice her life work, Judge Kraus has exemplified one of the core missions of PAAIA, “Giving back to America as it has given to us.”
The successful event was hosted at the home of Dr. Newsha Ghodsi in New York City. Supporters came from New York City, Long Island, New Jersey and Albany, contributing to the Kraus Campaign. Among the nearly fifty guests, were Iranian notables, Anna Kaplan, who is running for North Hempstead Town Council in Long Island and Darius Shahinfar, the 2008 congressional candidate for the 21st Congressional District of New York. Shahinfar, emphasized the valuable role of PAAIA in uniting the Iranian American community, commenting that “We as the Iranian American community need to unite. Iranian American financial support is crucial for Iranian American candidates nationwide.” Additionally, Shahinfar stated, “It is what the Irish, the Greeks, the Armenians have done, past immigrant communities have been able to gain their voice by uniting behind candidates who represent themselves.”
Judge Kraus’s candidacy facilitates in changing the perception of Iranian Americans and further unites our community by bringing the understanding that our success as an immigrant community rests on collaborating together to ensure the success of each individual. We look forward to seeing Judge Kraus as the first Iranian American elected to public office in New York City.
Click here to learn more about Judge Sabrina Kraus’ campaign.
For more information on Judge Kraus’ campaign please contact electskraus@aol.com.
