Newly published photographs from the JEM archives, shot by Rabbi Chaim Boruch Halberstam on a tiny Minox “spy camera,” capture the unique moments during the tense and tightly contested 1969 New York City mayoral race, when all three candidates visited the Rebbe in Crown Heights to seek his brachos and guidance.

The 1969 New York City mayoral race was one of the most heated and contentious elections in the city’s history. With three major candidates — incumbent Mayor John V. Lindsay, Democrat Mario Procaccino, and Republican John J. Marchi — the race was marked by sharp attacks, intense community campaigning, and deep political divisions across the five boroughs. Each candidate fought hard to win over the city’s many ethnic and religious communities, with the Jewish vote in particular seen as crucial.

In the midst of the campaign, in Cheshvan of 5730, all three candidates – Lindsay, Procaccino, and Marchi – headed to Crown Heights, where they visited the Rebbe, seeking his brachos and guidance as they vied for the leadership of America’s largest city. They also met with members of the Rebbe’s Mazkirus, led by Rabbi Chaim Mordechai Aizik Hodakov, in the secretariat office near the Rebbe’s room.

The race remained tight and unpredictable until the very end, drawing record attention and turnout. Lindsay ultimately retained his seat. Earlier in the campaign, he had made several gestures to strengthen his ties with Jewish New Yorkers — most notably hosting Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir in a sukkah and publicly emphasizing his support for Israel.

The three candidates’ visits were captured by Rabbi Chaim Boruch Halberstam on a tiny Minox “spy camera.” Newly discovered photographs from those visits have now been restored from the JEM archives and released to the public.

In 1966, Rabbi Halberstam arrived in New York and quietly began photographing scenes of Crown Heights and 770 using the small Minox camera, which fit inconspicuously in the palm of his hand. For decades, these rolls of film remained largely unseen. Recently, dozens of these miniature negatives were rediscovered — some measuring just eight millimeters wide, smaller than a fingernail. Many were scratched, faded, or warped by time.

Over the past months, the JEM team undertook a meticulous process to bring these photographs back to life. Each negative was stabilized, scanned at ultra-high resolution, and carefully restored to preserve the authenticity of every image. Each photograph was then researched to identify precise dates, locations, and faces.

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