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Showing posts with label David Niederman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label David Niederman. Show all posts

Monday, April 20, 2020

UJO Commends Mayor de Blasio and the New York City DOE for Expanding the Free Meals Program to Include a Glatt Kosher Option


Williamsburg Adults and Children will have Available Three Glatt Kosher Meals Starting Tomorrow

UJO Thanks all Elected Officials who Advocated for the Kosher Grab N Go Option

New York – In satiating news for Orthodox Jews, the NYC Department of Education announced today that they will expand the Free Meals Program to provide Glatt Kosher meals meeting the food needs of Orthodox Jews observing kosher diets. The kosher meals will be available at specific sites in areas with larger Orthodox populations. It will be made available first at Williamsburg, and later in the week at other locations. The expansions of the program come after weeks of advocacy by the UJO and other organizations representing Orthodox Jewish communities in NYC.

Yeshivas who run Free Lunch Programs are already doing a great service to the community by offering breakfasts and lunch to children in the community during this crisis, despite being closed. They are feeding tens of thousands of children in Williamsburg and an estimated 100,000 citywide. However, as per the program’s guidelines, their meals can only be offered for minors, and they can only provide two meals a day. Many adults are literally going hungry during this health and economic crisis, while people of all ages didn’t have where to get a kosher dinner, which is the most nutritious and important meal for most.

To ensure that no one – no matter the age or the time of the day – goes hungry, the UJO worked with partner-Jewish organizations on the committee for non-public schools to advocate that the city’s Free Meals Program, that provides three daily meals for all ages, should also provide a Glatt Kosher option.

”Food insecurity is impacting many of our fellow New Yorkers and the DOE is proud to be part of the City’s efforts to give everyone has access to nutritious meals completely free of charge. To date, we’ve served 4.5 million meals and are now proud to offer kosher, halal, and vegetarian meals to meet the needs of our diverse City for the duration of this crisis,” said Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza.

"As a city, we are doing whatever we can to ensure no New Yorker goes hungry during this crisis - and that includes our neighbors with religious dietary needs. We are proud to be able to offer these kosher-certified meals in addition to the halal and vegetarian options already available," said Kathryn Garcia, NYC COVID-19 Food Czar and Department of Sanitation Commissioner.

“Come tomorrow, NYC Department of Education will finally fulfill its stated mission ‘to making three free meals available daily for any New Yorker.’ Literally everyone – from young to old – will be able to pick up three nutritious meals daily We are grateful to Mayor de Blasio, Commissioner and food-czar Kathryn Garcia, and the DOE for understanding the need and for including a Glatt Kosher option, and that the program will start first in Williamsburg tomorrow,” said Rabbi David Niederman, President of the UJO of Williamsburg and North Brooklyn.

“We are also grateful to all elected officials who worked with us to advocate for this vital program, including our dear Assemblyman Joseph Lentol, our Councilman Stephen Levin, and his colleagues Jewish Caucus Chair Chaim Deutsch, Education Chair Mark Treyger, Councilman Kalman Yeger, Councilman Justin Brennan, Borough Park’s Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein, and a dear advocate for North Williamsburg and beyond Lincoln Restler. This list just includes those representatives with whom we worked directly on this issue, but many more elected officials advocated for the program and we are grateful for them,” Rabbi Niederman concluded.

Williamsburg residents can pick up the free kosher meals starting:
Tomorrow, Tuesday, April 21st
At PS 257 John F Hylan  
60 Cook Street,
Between Manhattan and Graham Avenues
Brooklyn 11206

Starting Wednesday. April 29, 2020, 
there  will be another Kosher Free Meals site, 
at I.S. 113, 300 Willoughby Avenue, 
between Franklin and Kent Avenues

Pickup times for children and families from 7:30 am to 11:30 am, and for adults from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm – but no one will be turned away at any of those times
·        All adults and children can pick up three meals at one time
·        Parents and guardians may pick up meals for their children
·        No registration or ID required
·        Meals will be Under the Volovo Kosher Certication

Kosher meal hubs in other neighborhoods will open on Thursday, April 23rd. For information on other sites, please visit schools.nyc.gov/koshermeals

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

UJO of Williamsburg Thanks Mayor de Blasio for New Child Care Assistance for Working Families and Parking Relief for Area’s Sabbath Observers



Major announcements made at Townhall tonight with Councilman Steve Levin, following long-time interventions by the UJO
Williamsburg – Tonight, Mayor de Blasio came to speak to residents of the area, and many long-standing issues – from parking restrictions hurting Sabbath observers, to working-families waiting for Child Care and After School services, and many other issues throughout the council-manic district - were resolved.
Among the announcements that the Mayor made at the district’s Town Hall, hosted by Councilman Stephen Levin, were that the city will send out letters this week to working parents who are on the Child Care and After School Vouchers wait list for years offering them a voucher. The city will fund 1,700 new vouchers, thanks to over 15 million dollars in additional funding provided by the Mayor and the City Council in the current budget years. The issuance of those vouchers was delayed, but in more good news, the mayor assured that the funding will be fully utilized, as intended by the council and the administration, unlike in the past, when delays in issuance of the vouchers resulted in a reduction in assistance for working families.
Mayor de Blasio also announced that the parking meters on Division Avenue and Roebling Street will be reprogrammed to for Fridays, to enable Sabbath observers to park there on Fridays. Currently, those meters regulations are in effect on Fridays till 7. During winter Fridays, when Sabbath starts as early as 4:13pm, Orthodox Jews were unable to park their cars at these streets.
Responding to the request by Rabbi David Niederman, president of the UJO of Williamsburg and North Brooklyn, to lift the No Parking 4-7 PM on Lee Avenue for Fridays - which prevents Orthodox Jews from parking on that major Avenue before most Saturdays – the Mayor and DOT Commissioner Trottenberg responded that the agency is currently studying such a change.
The Mayor also announced that parts of Myrtle Avenue – which currently has daily street cleaning om each side, including Sabbath – the cleaning on Sabbath will cease, so that Sabbath observer can park there before Sabbath without being penalized. Councilman Stephen Levin drew attention to this matter and proposed legislation, after Orthodox Jews were ticketed on that Avenue on the Saturday immediately after Rosh Hashanah.
In major news for the entire Community District 1, the mayor  confirmed that come fall the entire Community Board 1, which encompasses Williamsburg, will see its Street Cleaning halved, from twice on each side of the street to once on each side. Assemblyman Joe Lentol, Community Board 1 and the UJO, have requested that change for years. The Mayor also announced new funding for parks in the area – including major investments in the Bushwick Inlet Park - and a range of other major accomplishments for the district.
The UJO intervened for years on most of those issues. It was an exciting night to hear that so many of those issues were resolved, thanks the Mayor and the agencies dedicated efforts.
“We are beyond grateful for the mayor for announcing and implementing the major assistance for working families as well as parking relief for Sabbath observers and the entire area. We advocated for years on these issues, and when the mayor came to town it was finally resolved,” said Rabbi David Niederman.
“This is a hands-on Mayor who understands so well all the issues. It’s amazing how he responded to each and every question with such clarity, and just called on his staff to fill in on specific details. This is a mayor who cares for all communities and all city residents,” added Rabbi Niederman. “Tonight’s Town Hall was an embodiment of how the mayor listen’s to everyone and understand and is addressing the unique challenges and needs of all communities, assuring real equality. We thank the mayor and his dedicated Commissioners and staff for these major accomplishments.”

Thursday, September 7, 2017

Assemblyman Lentol and Rabbi Niederman Announce the Hit-and-Run Prevention Act--a Series of Initiatives to Save Lives


Assemblyman Joseph R. Lentol (D-North Brooklyn) was joined today by Rabbi David Niederman, President of the UJO of Williamsburg and North Brooklyn, to announce the Hit-and-Run Prevention Act, a series of initiatives that will reduce the number of hit-and-run incidents. The bill will be introduced in the upcoming legislative session that begins in January.



The bill was formed in response to the recent hit-and-run incidents that have taken many lives, including the Glauber family. In the last two years, over 100 hit-and-runs in NYC have resulted in serious physical injury or death. Serious physical injury can include lost limbs or severe organ damage.

Hit-and-run incidents can be reduced by educating the public on the severity of the penalties for hit-and-runs, while also stressing the importance that minutes can have in saving someone’s limbs or life. The minutes after an incident are crucial to ensure that an individual can receive necessary medical treatment.



“Unfortunately, my district has seen too many hit-and-runs, including the Glauber family, which was a tragedy. We also have countless cyclists and they are more susceptible to being seriously injured or killed when involved in a collision,” said Assemblyman Joseph R. Lentol. “I am hopeful that these initiatives will bring clarity to the importance of staying on the scene of an accident, provide a mechanism to increase the chances of finding a hit-and-run suspect, and also de-incentivize people that are intoxicated from leaving. I know my colleagues on both sides of the aisle know the importance of saving people’s lives.” 

“I am fully committed to holding drivers who kill or injure others fully accountable, which can be a challenge at times because of certain deficiencies in our current laws,” said Acting Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. “This is why I support the legislation announced today by Assemblyman Lentol, which would close the loophole that incentivizes drunk drivers to flee the scene of a crash, fund an educational campaign and establish an alert system for hit and runs. These tools will help us keep pedestrians, cyclists and drivers in Brooklyn safe so I strongly urge the Legislature to enact these common sense measures into law.”


 
“Four and a half years ago, an entire, expanding young family, the Glaubers, was killed by a driver who later admitted to investigators that he drove after having beers. Williamsburg is till pained by that,” said Rabbi David Niederman, President of the UJO of Williamsburg and North Brooklyn. “The appropriate level of justice was not executed, due to the driver’s running away from the scene. Incentivizing hit and runs, is foolish. We commend Assemblyman Lentol for offering legislation to correct that, which will hopefully deter and prevent such tragedies in the future."

The bill will include three initiatives:

  1. Public Education Campaign
    1. DCJS would be appropriated $1,000,000 to establish a public information campaign. The campaign will inform the public about the law surrounding hit-and-runs, including potential jail time. The campaign will also stress the importance of staying on the scene and contacting authorities, as a person’s limbs or life can be saved. Additionally, the campaign will inform the public that, regardless of whether they are intoxicated or sober, the crime for leaving the scene will be the same. Therefore, stopping and helping the victim is the best choice.

  1. Hit-and-Run Alert System
    1. The bill would authorize the New York State Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) to establish and administer a statewide alert system for hit and run vehicles. The alert would be requested by law enforcement agencies when the hit-and-run incident results in serious physical injury or death. DCJS will determine the criteria for issuing an alert. 

  1. Close Hit-and-Run Intoxication Loophole
    1. The bill would increase the penalty for leaving the scene of a crime resulting in serious physical injury from a Class E Felony to a Class D Felony. Similarly, the penalty for leaving the scene of a crime resulting in death would be increased from a Class D Felony to a Class C Felony. 
    2. Previously, if an individual was severely intoxicated and involved in a collision that resulted in serious physical injury or death and the individual stayed at the scene they would be charged with a more serious offense than if they were not intoxicated and fled the scene, such as Vehicular Assault 1st Degree, Vehicular Manslaughter 1st Degree, Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) or Driving While Ability Impaired (DWAI). This creates a loophole in the law, whereby people that are severely intoxicated are incentivized to leave the scene because they can receive a lesser charge.
    3. The goal of the law is to punish an individual who leaves the scene of an accident instead of staying to help the victim, regardless of whether they are sober or intoxicated. The penalties if you stay at the scene or leave the scene will be the same.

For the entire press release click here


Thursday, November 17, 2016

Thanks Waste Management for Wasting No Effort in Tefilin Search

Amid disappointment, we are tremendously thankful to all participants in the intensive effort to recover the Tefilin.
 

Brooklyn, NY – After a two-week quest to recover a set of tefilins that were lost in Williamsburg – which led tens of volunteers to a landfill in Rochester – it’s disappointing that the tefilin were not found and we couldn’t give it the due respect. But, it’s not for the lack of trying.

Two weeks ago, a worshipper at a Williamsburg synagogue lost his tefilin. After several days searching for it, figuring that it was misplaced etc., the security cameras were reviewed. It turned out that the tefilin slipped out into a garbage bin without being notice.

The person contacted the UJO late Saturday night, and the UJO in turn contacted the North Brooklyn Sanitation Chief, Mr. Jerrit Scotti, who was very responsive as always. It turned out that refuse bags collected from the synagogue were already hauled away by Waste Management, and mixed up with a huge amount of garbage from around North Brooklyn, making its way to a Rochester-area landfill.

With assistance from elected officials and City Hall, Waste Management was contacted. WM quickly identified 32 train cars where the garbage of the area was transferred in. A request was made that when the train arrives at the landfill these cars should be kept isolated to allow a search through its content. During this week, on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, a group of about 25 volunteers from Brooklyn and another 50 locals hired to assist sifted through the garbage, opening up the bags to look for the tefilin.
The group during the search at their landfill


Rochester Police with a K9 dog at the landfill


Today, they finished the search, but unfortunately the tefilin wasn't located. It's heartbreaking to see them return home empty handed. While it’s very disappointing, we know that they and all involved tried the utmost to save this tefilin, and we are tremendously thankful to all who assisted.

“I must express the community's appreciation to Waste Management and its top leadership for their assistance. During the last 12 days, they spent countless hours to plan this operation. They went out of the way to accommodate us, and even donated $1,000 to offer a reward to the worker who will find the tefilin. It's heartwarming to have experienced what a social-responsible company they are. They really went above and beyond to help in this mission, recognizing how important and valuable the tefilin is to the community,” said Rabbi David Niederman.

“I'm thankful to all who assisted us since we started looking for the Tefilin: Chiefly Chief Scotti, who is always available and responsive; Councilman Steve Levin who got on it during the Sunday wee hours; Senator Squadron's assistant Robbie Young, CAU members Pinny Ringel and Daniel Abramson who responded on a Sunday morning and worked to establish the connection with WM; Rachel Amar from OATH who finally established the contact with WM; John Sullivan of WM who started the ball rolling on Sunday, together with Jay Kaplan, and Jefferey Richardson who prepared and oversaw the search at the landfill.”

“Special thanks go to the tens of community members who left their families, busy schedules and jobs, spending days far away on this unpleasant – but important – task, and to their families who allowed and encouraged them to take on this holy mission. We also thank all the contributors of the tens of thousands of dollars to cover this mission. You all tried, and what counts to Hashem is the efforts you made.”

Below is local coverage of the story:



Thanks Waste Management for Wasting No Effort in Tefilin Search

Amid disappointment, we are tremendously thankful to all participants in the intensive effort to recover the Tefilin.
 

Brooklyn, NY – After a two-week quest to recover a set of tefilins that were lost in Williamsburg – which led tens of volunteers to a landfill in Rochester – it’s disappointing that the tefilin were not found and we couldn’t give it the due respect. But, it’s not for the lack of trying.

Two weeks ago, a worshipper at a Williamsburg synagogue lost his tefilin. After several days searching for it, figuring that it was misplaced etc., the security cameras were reviewed. It turned out that the tefilin slipped out into a garbage bin without being notice.

The person contacted the UJO late Saturday night, and the UJO in turn contacted the North Brooklyn Sanitation Chief, Mr. Jerrit Scotti, who was very responsive as always. It turned out that refuse bags collected from the synagogue were already hauled away by Waste Management, and mixed up with a huge amount of garbage from around North Brooklyn, making its way to a Rochester-area landfill.

With assistance from elected officials and City Hall, Waste Management was contacted. WM quickly identified 32 train cars where the garbage of the area was transferred in. A request was made that when the train arrives at the landfill these cars should be kept isolated to allow a search through its content. During this week, on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, a group of about 25 volunteers from Brooklyn and another 50 locals hired to assist sifted through the garbage, opening up the bags to look for the tefilin.
The group during the search at their landfill


Rochester Police with a K9 dog at the landfill


Today, they finished the search, but unfortunately the tefilin wasn't located. It's heartbreaking to see them return home empty handed. While it’s very disappointing, we know that they and all involved tried the utmost to save this tefilin, and we are tremendously thankful to all who assisted.

“I must express the community's appreciation to Waste Management and its top leadership for their assistance. During the last 12 days, they spent countless hours to plan this operation. They went out of the way to accommodate us, and even donated $1,000 to offer a reward to the worker who will find the tefilin. It's heartwarming to have experienced what a social-responsible company they are. They really went above and beyond to help in this mission, recognizing how important and valuable the tefilin is to the community,” said Rabbi David Niederman.

“I'm thankful to all who assisted us since we started looking for the Tefilin: Chiefly Chief Scotti, who is always available and responsive; Councilman Steve Levin who got on it during the Sunday wee hours; Senator Squadron's assistant Robbie Young, CAU members Pinny Ringel and Daniel Abramson who responded on a Sunday morning and worked to establish the connection with WM; Rachel Amar from OATH who finally established the contact with WM; John Sullivan of WM who started the ball rolling on Sunday, together with Jay Kaplan, and Jefferey Richardson who prepared and oversaw the search at the landfill.”

“Special thanks go to the tens of community members who left their families, busy schedules and jobs, spending days far away on this unpleasant – but important – task, and to their families who allowed and encouraged them to take on this holy mission. We also thank all the contributors of the tens of thousands of dollars to cover this mission. You all tried, and what counts to Hashem is the efforts you made.”

Below is local coverage of the story:



Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Assemblyman Lentol Applauds The United Jewish Organizations Of Williamsburg, American Red Cross, Williamsburg Shomrim & Hatzolah of Williamsburg for Fire Prevention Work

Assemblyman Joseph R. Lentol (D-North Brooklyn) applauded the exemplary community work of  The United Jewish Organizations Of Williamsburg (UJO), American Red Cross, Williamsburg Shomrim, and Hatzolah of Williamsburg in working to prevent fires. On Sunday, February 28th, these three organizations held a smoke detector drive, where they installed 250 smoke detectors in homes throughout Williamsburg. The UJO was instrumental in establishing the partnership between the various organizations.

Fire prevention is one of the most important safety concerns in New York City. Not only did the groups install smoke detectors but they also educated residents on how to prevent fires, and reduce fire deaths and injuries.
“With over eight million people in such a small place, fires are bound to happen. Fortunately, there are many things we can do to prevent fires. The smoke detectors that the UJO, American Red Cross, Williamsburg Shomrim, and Hatzolah of Williamsburg provided these families are essential to reducing fire related deaths and injuries. We also can’t forget about the devastating effect fire has on families even when people are not injured. Losing one’s belongings can be overwhelming,” Lentol said.

Over the past few months a number of fires in North Brooklyn have displaced families and caused deaths and injuries. To address the problem, Assemblyman Lentol will co-host a fire safety presentation on Thursday, March 10th at 6:30pm at St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Academy at 12 Newell Street, Brooklyn, along with the FDNY, the Mayor’s Office and local elected officials. 

“With the rash of fires in the neighborhood, I thought it would be appropriate to educate my constituents on the importance of fire prevention measures. I am hopeful that this fire safety presentation will save lives. Luckily, we have the best first-responders in the nation. When one of the most recent fires occurred, Hatzolah of Williamsburg came all the way to Greenpoint to help. This speaks to the unwavering support that our first-responders provide to those in need,” Lentol concluded.

Assemblyman Lentol joining Rabbi David Niederman, and leaders and members of Red Cross, Hatzolah and Shomrim during the Fire Alarm Installation Drive 

Source: Press Release by office of Assemblyman Joe Lentol.

Monday, March 7, 2016

March 4, 2016 Column: Hundreds of Fire Alarms Installed in Williamsburg Drive by the Red Cross, UJO, Hatzolah and Shomrim

The March 4th column, also reported on the very-successful Smoke Alarm Drive, last Sunday, conducted by the Red Cross, the UJO, Williamsburg Hatzolah and Shomrim. Hundreds of smoke and carbon monoxide alarms were installed in Williamburg.

The free smoke alarms were enabled thanks to the #GetAlarmedNYC initiative by the NYC Council announced by Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and Councilman Chaim Deutsch, after the terrible tragedy that took lives of the Sasoon family almost a year ago in Flatbush, jointly with Mayor de Blasio, the FDNY Foundation and the Red Cross of NY. Assemblyman Lentol was present at the kickoff of the drive, Sunday morning, expressing his strong support for the life-saving effort.

At a meeting arranged by Senator Daniel Squadron about two years ago, the UJO of Williamsbnurg formed a strong partnership with the Red Cross of NY, together with the Williamsburg Hatzolah and Shomrim, under which the volunteers are training with the Red Cross and are joining the Red Cross Volunteer network to respond to disasters. This partnership let to this very successful fire alarm drive, to make Williamsburg homes safer.

"I'm thankful to the Red Cross for undertaking this drive, working closely with us to protect hundreds of families. A special thanks for the devoted volunteers, and the volunteers of Shomrim headed by Coordinator Yanki Itzkowitz, for devoting so much time and efforts for this drive; and for the Hatzolah headed by Coordinator Yom Tov Malik, for opening their garage for the drive," said Rabbi Niederman, UJO President.

"A special thanks to Captain Garfield Richards of the Red Cross and Kelly McKinney, Red Cross Emergency Manager, for leading the drive, and all their co-volunteers," Rabbi Niederman added.

"I also want to thank Senator Squadron for forming the close collaboration of the UJO with the Red Cross, together with Hatzolah and Shomrim. It was very helpful during fires and it led to this successful drive. I also want to thank Assembklyman Lentol for participating at the event to give his support for it."

"I thank Speaker Viverito, Councilman Chaim Deutsch and the entire City Council for passing the initiative to provide free fire alarms to save lives, and Mayor de Balsio and the Fire Department for joining this initiative," Rabbi Niederman concluded.
Due to the demand of hundreds of families who pre-registered, a number of additional drives are planned to install alarms in those apartments who pre-registered but the teams didn't get to them yet.
 

Sunday, March 6, 2016

March 4, 2016 Column: Meeting with HRA Commissioner and Councilman Levin to Discuss Career Training for the Community

UJO's column in Der Yid's March 4th, 2016 issue (p. 28), reported on a meeting arranged by Councilman Stephen Levin, with HRA Commissioner Steve Banks, to discuss better workforce opportunities for the Haredi Community in the city.

The effort to bring better training programs is led by Rabbi Moshe Wiener of JCC of Greater Coney Island, together with the UJO, Borough Park JCC led by Rabbi Yeruchem Silber, and Council of Jewish Organizations of Flatbush, which was represented by Rabbi Leon Weltz and Rabbi Leon Goldenberg. In addition to the above, the meeting was attended by Rabbi Dovid Yoseph Tahler of Agudas Israel Community Services, and Ms. Roth-Kohn of the UJA. Mr. Avi Fink, Director of Intergovernmental Affairs for Mayor de Blasio, and Mr. Simcha Eichenstein.

"I'm utmost thankful to Councilman Levin for arranging the meeting, and for Commissioner Bank's understanding of the importance of these classes, and for committing to continue this discussion how to bring better training programs to the community. I also express my appreciation to Avi Fink of the Mayor's office and Simcha Eichenstein - who is working with devotion for the community - for making the meeting a success, and for Rabbi Wiener and all JCCs and organizations who worked with us to study and present the issue and need for additional training classes," Said Rabbi David Niederman, UJO President.

"I feel that this is an important step to be able to bring additional training for decent jobs for the community, Go-d willing."