City Council Speaker Cory Johnson Condemns Anti-Semitic Attacks in Williamsburg at Press Conference With UJO

 Excerpt from Yiddish article in Der Yid’s May 24, 2019 edition

A request for further hate crime prevention. The issue was introduced by Councilman Chaim Deutsch. The topic was also addressed by Mark Levine, Brad Lander,   Councilman Dr. Mathieu Eugene, Robert Cornegy, Leaders of APO and JCRC and the Jewish Council. Councilman Rafael Espinal also participated along with Councilman Alan Maisel, the head  of Crime Task Force, representative of Attorney General Letitia James, Brooklyn Borough President, Eric Adams, Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke, Councilman Steve Levin,  and representatives of the Jewish Community Coalition and a large number of Jewish community activists and community leaders.

Brooklyn, NY – Corey Johnson condemned those who have been using the measles outbreak for the basis of anti-Semitic attacks. These attacks have stemmed from the misinformation that has been spreading among many communities in an effort to smear the Chassidic public.

Rabbi David Niederman, UJO Executive Director and President, says, “Ninety-six percent of the community is vaccinated. The newspapers are responsible as well for defaming the image of the Hareidi community.”

Speaker Corey Johnson held the press conference on Monday morning, May 20. The press conference was arranged by UJO and held at its office to condemn the anti-Semitic attacks in the neighborhood. At the press conference, a significant number of city council members participated, and all declared that they stand with the Chassidic community against hate crimes.

The press conference had strong coverage throughout many stations in New York which it is hoped will help assure that these attacks on the Chassidic community come to an end as the safety of the neighborhood needs to be taken very seriously. At the same time, the clear message and strong support of all of those in attendance delivered a resounding message against the unfounded attacks on the community and undermined the false claims that Chassidim do not vaccinate. The message brought out was clearly to the contrary as it highlighted the fact that the vast majority of the Chassidic community does vaccinate.

More than 100 Holocaust Survivors at the UJO Outing Last Week

Excerpt from Yiddish article in Der Yid’s May 24, 2019 edition

Brooklyn, NY – It was a beautiful scene as more than 100 women, all  Holocaust survivors, participated in an inspiring outing last Wednesday, May 22 to Gulliver's Gate in NYC. Attendees enjoyed the visit, which included the technologically advanced, interactive, and immersive world of miniatures, the enriching program, and the nutritious lunch. The women also participated in singing Yiddish melodies, which provided the attendees with further inspiration.

“It’s a great honor for us to bring together this wonderful generation,” says Rabbi David Niederman, UJO Executive Director and President,  “who managed to rebuild a beautiful Jewish life in America and Williamsburg.  I want to thank our devoted staff for the investment of the countless long hours they put into coming up with this program, which proved to be meaningful to all of the attendees and offered encouragement and inspiration as well.” 

Williamsburg Families Receive Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors Provided and Installed by the American Red Cross in Coordination with UJO

Excerpt from Yiddish article in Der Yid’s May 24, 2019 edition

Brooklyn, NY – Close to 50 families received smoke and carbon monoxide detectors on Sunday, May 19. Working together with the UJO, the American Red Cross volunteers installed the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

After several tragic fires a number of years ago, the UJO started this initiative, to install smoke detectors together with Hatzolah and Shomrim. Since then, hundreds of families have received the devices, and the program has spread throughout the neighborhood.

This Sunday, the UJO installed the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to the nearly fifty families who were on the waiting list. The UJO thanks the Red Cross and its volunteers for another successful smoke and carbon monoxide detector installation drive. 

Large Crowd Packs the Public School 16 Auditorium to Listen to Drastic Improvements That Are Slated for Williams Plaza and Independence Towers

Excerpt from Yiddish article in Der Yid’s May 17, 2019 edition

The meeting was arranged by the dynamic leaders Rabbi Joel Gross, Williams Plaza Resident Association President, and Rabbi Samuel Guttman, Independence Towers Tenants Association.

Brooklyn, NY- Residents were very satisfied and impressed with the upcoming  renovations slated for their buildings which will include a number of  upgrades and improved security.  

Last Tuesday, May 14, Rabbi Niederman, UJO Executive Director and President, addressed the crowd of over 500  project residents who packed the Public School 16 auditorium. Residents came to hear about the upcoming changes in management for the projects and the many investments the new management intends to make in the buildings. At the same, management guarantees that all residents will be able to remain in their apartments during the renovations and that rents will not increase. The meeting was called by the dynamic leaders, Rabbi Joel Gross, and Rabbi Samuel Guttman who also informed attendees of how the buildings will look after the renovations. Rabbi  Gross guaranteed that the rights of the residents will be protected and also listed a number of benefits to the residents.

The City took bids for private management of the two developments. The new management had to guarantee substantial renovations and improvements for the residents. UJO assisted in arranging a meeting for the privatization plan to assure that all was done according to the best interests of the residents and the neighborhood.  

After a lengthy bidding process, the management was selected based on a well presented and thorough plan of investments and improvements. Improvement will include, new kitchens, new radiators, new windows, repainting of apartments, upgrades to the elevators, and completely redesigned  hallways and stairways. Change to the  aesthetics of the building will totally change the atmosphere of the developments and will improve the quality of life. There will also be special security which will include 24-hour guards monitoring a network of hundreds of cameras throughout the buildings among other improvements that will cost $136,000.00 per unit. The new management is known for their outstanding reputation in caring for their tenants.

Wave of Anti-Semitic Incidents and Assaults Continue Throughout New York City

 Excerpt from Yiddish article in Der Yid’s May 17, 2019 edition

Special meeting arranged by UJO which the highest police leaders including the chief of police and other city police attended  together with a large number of elected officials and community leaders to address the concerns. Police promised a strong presence in the neighborhood. They will man police booths during Saturday night. NYC Council Jewish Caucus Chair, Chaim Deutsch, and Councilman Kalman Yeger, spoke about legislation to provide permanent security at all houses of worship. Councilman Levin promised more money for security cameras. Rabbi Niederman thanked Borough President Eric Adams and all officials who already provided funding for security cameras in the neighborhood. 

An arrest took place this Wednesday, perpetrator charged in hate crime and two additional crimes.                                                                                                                         

Brooklyn, NY –In a span of three days, two Jewish residents of Williamsburg were physically assaulted in unprovoked incidents because of their appearance as Chasidic Jews. Anti-Semitic attacks in the Williamsburg Jewish community are growing in frequency and boldness. 

In response, the United Jewish Organizations of Williamsburg and North Brooklyn held an emergency meeting today with NYPD Chief of Department Terence Mohanan and Chief of Patrol Rodney Harrison.

The meeting was attended by Williamsburg’s elected officials: Assemblyman Joseph Lentol, State Senator Brian Kavanagh and Councilmember Antonio Reynoso. They were joined by Chaim Deutsch, Chair of NYC Council Jewish Caucus, Councilman Kalman Yeger, Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein, Evelyn Cruz – representing Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, Jonathan Boucher – Chief of Staff to Councilman Stephen Levin, Boris Santos – Chief of Staff to State Senator Julia Salazar, and many others. 

NYPD Chief of Department Terence Mohanan addresses the meeting

Rabbi David Niederman, President of the UJO of Williamsburg says: "While the scourge of anti-Semitism is growing at an alarming rate across the country and around the world, we must face the reality that here at home in New York City, we have a serious problem of anti-Semitic attacks on identifiably Jewish members of our community. People merely walking on the streets here feel like sitting ducks, worrying that they must look over their shoulder for fear of being hurt because of their faith. 

“We call on the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force to thoroughly investigate these two incidents. Should the evidence show that the only reason these victims were attacked was that they were obviously Jewish, the Brooklyn DA should charge and prosecute the perpetrators to the full extent of the law, including hate crime enhancements.

“We further call on the New York State Legislature to clarify the definitions within the Hate Crime statutes. When investigators determine that an assault occurred without an obvious motive – for example robbery, gang violence, etc. – and the only possible motive was hate, prosecutors should be able to readily charge perpetrators with hate crimes.

“I thank Chief of Department Monahan and his top chiefs and commanders for coming to Williamsburg to speak with us and appreciate that he was receptive to our request to increase NYPD resources in Williamsburg. We can only put an end to these attacks in partnership with the NYPD, and I am confident that Williamsburg will be receiving the attention it deserves. We made several other suggestions to better address the safety and security needs of the community that should be implemented on an ongoing basis.

“I am also grateful to our elected officials for coming and standing up to hate and for the vital role they play in securing additional funding for security cameras, which is one of the most crucial tools to catching those responsible for sowing fear and hate against Jewish residents. "

Among the attendees from the Police Department were: Chief Jeffrey Maddrey Commanding Officer, Patrol Borough Brooklyn North, Deputy Inspector, Mark Molinari - Commanding Officer, Hate Crime Task Force, Captain Timothy Skretch – Commanding Officer 90^thPrecinct, Deputy Inspector Charles A. Minch, Commanding Officer 79^th Precinct.

The police commanders thanked the Williamsburg Shomrim for their hard work in recovering footage and helping find witnesses after incidents in the community, which is critical in solving these crimes and bringing the perpetrators to justice. 

UJO thanks Borough President Eric Adams for providing $100,000 in additional funding for security cameras for Williamsburg on top of the quarter of a million dollars provided previously. In addition, other elected officials such as Senator Lentol, State Senator Squadron,    Councilman Levin and others who also provided tens of thousands of dollars for security cameras.  

The following state and city representatives also attended: Michael Snow represented Governor Andrew Cuomo’s office, Jonathan Shabshaikhes represented the office of Attorney General Letita James, Mr. Lincoln Restler, Deputy Chief of Staff to Mayor Bill de Blasio, Howard Pollack, Liaison to NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson, Pinchas Ringel, Mayor's Community Affairs Unit, Pinchas Hikind Office of NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer, David Klestzick - Deputy Chief of the Trial Division for Brooklyn DA Gonzalez, and ADA Kelli Muse, Chief of Hate Crime Bureau, and Rabbi Abe Friedman, representing Borough President Eric Adams. The meeting was also attended by, Mr. David Pollock – Associate Executive Director of the JCRC NY, Michael Cohen – Director, Simon Wiesenthal Center - Eastern Region, and Avi Greenstein, CEO of the Borough Park JCC.

The NYPD committed additional resources to houses of worship and the neighborhood, and to manning the security booth in the neighborhood, flooding the zone in order to deter others from contemplating additional attacks. Councilman Stephen Levin also committed additional funding for security cameras in the area.

“To all evil-doers, know well: when you are committing a crime in Williamsburg, you will very likely be in camera, the footage will be reviewed and publicized, and you will definitely be caught,” said Rabbi David Niederman. “Several people have been sitting in jail already for months for hate attacks they committed in November. Before you decide to express your hate, keep in mind that there are severe consequences, and you will regret your impulsive actions. Hate is not tolerated here.”