Dov Bernard Hikind, born June 30, 1950, in Brooklyn, New York, to Holocaust survivor parents—his mother liberated from Auschwitz and his father a devout follower of the Vizhnitz Hasidic dynasty—grew up in a Haredi Jewish family in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. He earned a BA from Queens College and an MA in Urban Studies from Brooklyn College. A former New York State Assemblyman representing District 48 (Democrat) from 1983 to 2018, where he served as Assistant Majority Leader (2013–2019) and former Majority Whip, he switched to the Republican Party in July 2023. He is a prominent figure in Orthodox Jewish politics and a right-wing advocate for Israel, including support for settlements and criticism of the UN as anti-Israel. Hikind was a leader in 1970s movements to free Soviet and Syrian Jewry, a former member of the Jewish Defense League (JDL) and follower of Meir Kahane (with whom he later broke ties), and protested Ronald Reagan's 1985 Bitburg visit. He opposed same-sex marriage as 'wrong in the eyes of God' and was instrumental in funding security cameras in Jewish Brooklyn neighborhoods. Married to Shoshana (Shani; some sources mention Susan) Hikind, he has three children: Deena, Yoni (Yonatan), and Shmuel (Samuel), the latter two working as social workers in Brooklyn's Jewish community; he resides in Woodmere, New York. Hikind hosts a weekly radio talk show in New York City and founded Americans Against Antisemitism (@AmericansAA). His social media includes Twitter/X @HikindDov, Instagram @dov_hikind, Facebook at facebook.com/assemblymandovhikind, and website dovhikind.com. He has faced controversies, including early JDL ties with support for assassinating Nazis and PLO supporters; a 1997 indictment for receiving $40,000 in state grants (acquitted); advocacy for profiling Muslims after terror attacks; a 2013 blackface incident at a Purim party (initially defended, then apologized); allegations of undisclosed payments, nepotism, and a 2019 Twitter lawsuit against Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (settled with apology); and a 2024 arrest protesting Amnesty International's stance on Hamas sexual violence. He has been criticized as a 'right-wing extremist' by groups like IMEU for his JDL associations, settlement support, and views.