Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz campaigned in Brooklyn Thursday, part of a string of stops in the city and state ahead of New York's April 19 primary.

He visited a Jewish community center in Brighton Beach Thursday afternoon.

In a recent Monmouth poll of potential New York voters, Cruz finished behind rivals Donald Trump, a native New Yorker, and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, but he says he will be competitive in the primary.

Cruz, who also visited a matzo bakery, told supporters that he's the strongest supporter of Israel and bashed Trump's stance on staying neutral in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Many Jews, especially in New York, lean Democratic, but the Orthodox Jewish community has supported Republicans with pro-Israeli policies.