High Holiday Services at Bronx Jewish Center
Candlelight vigil
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, S 42 EPTEMBER 13-19, 2019 BTR
49TH PCT. POLICE SPEAK AT VNNA
On Friday, September
20, the Throggs Neck Memorial
Post 1456 – American
Legion Family, will host a
candlelight vigil to recognize
New York State POW/
MIAs.
Help them raise community
awareness and remembrance
of these brave
soldiers. Vigil will begin
promptly at 7 p.m..
The 49th Precinct’s Community Affairs police offi cer Mederos
(back , l) and detective Sturdivant (back, r) were the guest speakers
for the Van Nest Neighborhood Alliance’s monthly meeting on
THursday, September 5 at St. Dominic Church. They are pictured
with with VNNA’s (front, l-r) treasurer John Messenger, vice president
Sharlene Jackson-Mendez, president Bernadette Ferrara, secretary
Marion Manfredi and senior advisor Bob Nolan.
Photo by Silvio Pacifi co
In anticipation of the upcoming
Jewish New Year (September
30 and October 1), the
Bronx Jewish Center has announced
that its High Holiday
Services will take place at the
beautiful Bronx Jewish Center.
“The brightly lit and spacious
environment at the Jewish
Center is a perfect setting for
an introspective and uplifting
service. Our formal New Year’s
Dinner will kick off the year,
and our signature Kiddush luncheons
will follow both days of
services”, said the Bronx Jewish
Center’s co-director, Nechama
Pewzner.
The services will be warm,
welcoming and easy to follow,
whether ones’ background in
Jewish prayer and practice
is at a beginners or advanced
level. The Jewish Center’s
Rabbi, Rabbi Saadia Pewzner
shares that the services will
be “friendly, inviting and open
to all”. The English-Hebrew
prayer book, helpful insights
and commentary, will make
everyone an active participant.
The kids will enjoy an interactive
children’s program.
Tickets and membership
are not needed to join. All are
welcome, free of charge, regardless
of background or affi
liation. Seat reservations can
be made by emailing offi ce@
BronxJewishCenter.org or at
(718) 812-1701.
“According to tradition,
at the New Year, the doors of
Heaven are open; G-d accepts
all prayers, from anyone,” explains
the Rabbi. “We are
pleased to announce that our
doors are open as well to the entire
community. All are invited
to feel connected, enriched and
inspired.”
Services will be held on
Rosh Hashanah – the Jewish
New Year on Monday, September
30 and Tuesday, October 1
starting at 10 a.m. as well as
Yom Kippur – the Day of Atonement
on Tuesday, October 8 at
6 p.m. and Wednesday October
9 at 10 a.m. The services will be
held at the Bronx Jewish Center,
1969 Haight Avenue.
To welcome the Jewish New
Year, the Bronx Jewish Center
will be hosting a Rosh Hashanah
New Year’s Eve Dinner
on September 29, 7 p.m. Guests
will enjoy a four course Holiday
dinner complete with the
traditional holiday dishes and
tantalizing wines to pair with
each course. RSVP required.
For reservations and information
for High Holiday Services,
or the center, call: (718)
812-1701 or visit BronxJewish-
Center.org or email offi ce@
BronxJewishCenter.org
BY GEORGE HAVRANEK
Throughout recent months
we have seen incidences that
indicate NYC law enforcement
is severely handcuffed by the
permissive policies of City Hall
and Albany. It is evident that
the rank and fi le in our law
enforcement has a duty bound
silence that prevents their articulation
of wanted legislative
modifi cations and policy
changes. A community is obligated
to help their law enforcement
allies unlock these
restrictive handcuffs. Clearly,
legislative changes are warranted.
The extremisms of
the archaic ‘Broken Windows’
mandate has fostered an overt
antonymic change that threatens
the quality of life of the respectable
law-abiding citizen.
Broken Windows has morphed
into Open Doors. Neither
policy is good for our community.
This extreme swing
cannot repair past damages
or right past injustices. It is
time for legislators to institute
commonsense middle ground
reforms that promote a higher
standard to our quality of life
and an environment of fairness
and faith in our criminal
justice system. Our legislators
need to be accountable for the
undue stress and strain that
is a consequence of neighborhood
degradations. Their emotion
laden dubious decisions
have made our communities
playgrounds for the criminal
element. It is time to turn
these playgrounds of criminality
into amusement parks
for the honorable, respectable,
law-abiding citizens in our
community.
MTA Redesign Update
On Thursday, September
5 our association received a
most welcome correspondence
from John Collazzi, Chief of
Staff for Assemblyman Mike
Benedett, stating that the Bx
24 and Bx 8 bus routes would
remain unchanged.
Thanks to the diligent efforts
of Assemblyman Mike
Benedetto, Councilman Mark
Gjonaj and their top-notch
staffs the proposed redesigns
of the Bx 24 and Bx 8 bus
routes are scuttled. The willingness
of these elected offi -
cials to listen and comply with
the wishes of our community
is duly recognized. Gratitude
must be shown to our elected
offi cials that heard the voices
emanating from the low density
communities. Please call
and thank Assemblyman
Benedetto and Councilman
Gjonaj for jobs well done.
The attrition-based loss of
nine police offi cers in our 45th
Precinct is a wide spread community
concern. This loss of
police personnel through attrition
signifi es the New York
City political hierarchy believes
our community has an
over abundance of police presence.
Their dubious crime stat
model shows incidences of
crime have declined; however,
many area residents believe
their quality of life is plummeting
at a very rapid rate.
A multiple community effort
is necessary to highlight and
counter this egregious situation.
The suggestion more 911
and 311 calls directly equate
to more police presence must
cease. These calls are an important
part of the overall dynamic;
however, many variables
are factored into the
formula that determines the
need for police in a given region.
Omission of this fact is
tantamount to dishonesty.
This rhetoric is a blatant attempt
by City Hall to shift the
onus of quality of life issues
onto the community. The political
hierarchy of NYC fi rmly
believes that our community
will buy this rhetoric if sold
with voluminous frequency.
Call, write, e-mail or visit all
elected offi cials to express displeasure
with this ongoing dynamic
of deceit. We must demand
more police presence,
textbook enforcements of current
law and future legislative
changes.
Multiple communities are
affected by similar problems.
In the past, there have been
talks about multiple community
unifi cations in low-density
areas being necessary to
stave off the unwanted and
procure the needed. In the
current political climate multiple
community unifi cation
is integral to the restoration
and maintenance of our quality
of life.
There is strength in unifi
ed numbers; however, there
is a distinct corollary between
structure and function. These
two components are crucial to
effi cacy of any inter-community
fusion. Therefore it is essential
to reiterate that quality
of life within our communities
is the principle reason for unifi
cation. Topics of the utmost
importance include:
• Long-term nuisance issues
affecting multiple communities
• Protection of our low-density
zoning regulations
• Unwanted changes to area
bus routes
• Reforms to legislative
hamstrings on law enforcement
• Budget cuts to essential
services, most notably NYPD,
in low -density communities
No individual is going to
wave a magic wand of salvation
that promptly resolves
our issues; however, there is
handwriting on the wall. It
is time to cast aside petty differences
whether they are political,
social or otherwise for
the good of our communities.
Leadership is about selfl essness
before selfi shness. All of
us must band together to show
the politicians, policy makers,
and advisory powers that we
are capable of the cohesiveness
needed to stand in unison and
effectively fi ght for our right
to a fi ne quality of life. There
are many people dependent
on our ability to forge the relationships
required to make
those that preceded us proud,
and those that will succeed us
appreciative.
Political leaders to gauge
a community’s strength use
the attendances at local civic
association meetings. Large
turnouts by our community
showed our elected offi cials
that we have the fortitude and
resolve needed to confront adversity.
The next meeting of
the Spencer Estate Civic Association
is Wednesday, September
18, 7:30 p.m., at Knights of
Columbus (corner of Ampere
and Research avenues)
Our valued friend, Councilman
Mark Gjonaj is the scheduled
keynote speaker for our
second half kick-off.
Any area homeowner or
renter interested in membership
to the all inclusive Spencer
Estate Civic Association
in box George Havranek on
Facebook or send-email with
subject matter Spencer Estate
to gghh55@aol.com.
/BronxJewishCenter.org
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