Public Advocate Jumaane Williams revealed new report, showing that the city’s worst landlord owns 13 buildings in Brooklyn Photo by Todd Maisel
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Founders of the fest: Ilana Rubin and
Lana Schwartz will host a night of
Hanukkah-themed comedy on Dec 21.
Photo by Mindy Tucker
Light entertainment
Hanukkah comedy show returns to Union Hall
By Kevin Duggan This show is a gelt-y pleasure!
An annual comedy show
featuring all Jewish performers will
return this weekend to put Hanukkah
in the spotlight. The fourth annual
“Chanukahstravaganza,” at Park Slope’s
Union Hall on Dec. 21, celebrates the
festival of lights during a time of year
when Santa Claus and a baby in a manger
tend to hog all the attention, according to
one of the show’s founders.
“People mostly think of Christmas,
and other holidays like Hanukkah and
Kwanzaa become kind of sidebars. With
this, Hanukkah becomes the main event
for one night,” said Lana Schwartz.
During the show, subtitled “Brighter
than Ever,” a half-dozen comedians will
perform standup focused on the eight-day
holiday, which lends itself to laughs more
than other, more somber events in the
Jewish calendar, according to Schwartz.
“This is one of the more uplifting
holidays — you don’t have to fast,” she
said. “A lot of Jewish holidays are kind of
downers.”
Schwartz and the event’s co-founder,
fellow comedian Ilana Michelle Rubin,
will emcee the show and perform short
sketches between the acts, including a
recurring segment about “Forgotten
Heroes of Hanukkah” — lesser-known
characters involved in the miraculous eight
nights of oil .
The founders will also act out a few
Hanukkah rom-coms — a Jewish spin
on the many romantic Christmas specials
that air at this time of year. Previous years
have also featured “Hanukkah Carols,”
according to Schwartz.
For the audience, there will be plenty
of chocolate gelt to snack on, along with a
dreidel-spinning competition and a raffle,
with prizes that include two VIP tickets to
a taping of “The Daily Show,” and a signed
copy of performer Josh Gondelman’s book
“Nice Try.”
All proceeds from the raffle and ticket
sales will go to the Center for Advancing
Holocaust Survivor Care, said Schwartz.
The annual event has become a great
place for participants to share their
different experiences of Hanukkah, said
Rubin, who added that people of all faiths
are welcome at the show.
“What’s most important to us is making
people laugh and share this holiday with
people who are or aren’t Jewish,” she said.
“Chanukahstravaganza: Brighter Than
Ever” at Union Hall 702 Union St. between
Fifth and Sixth avenues in Park Slope, (718)
638–4400, www.unionhallny.com. Dec 21
at 7:30 pm. $12 ($10 in advance).
Your entertainment
guide Page 35
Police Blotter ..........................8
Opinion ...................................28
Letters ....................................29
Standing O ............................ 24
Wellness .................................. 31
HOW TO REACH US
COURIER LIFE, D 2 ECEMBER 20-26, 2019
BY TODD MAISEL
Brooklyn is home to the
worst landlord in New York
City, according to a new report
from Public Advocate Jumaane
Williams.
Property owner Jason
Korn manages 13 properties
in Brooklyn, and two in Manhattan,
that made the Public
Advocate’s 2019 New York
City Landlord Watchlist —
featuring a combined 2,877
open violations with the city’s
Department of Housing Preservation.
Korn’ properties — which
are located in Midwood and
Prospect-Lefferts Gardens,
among other neighborhoods
— house a combined 703 units,
where tenants routinely fi les
complaints about peeling
lead paint, rats, roaches and
other vermin, dangerous
black mold and water leaking
into apartments, according to
Williams’ report.
The Public Advocate
blasted Korn as the “worst
landlord” — and pointed out
that he’s risen on the annual
dishonor list.
“He was number nine last
year,” said Williams. “Now he
is number one.”
Williams presented his
fi ndings at a press conference
on Monday morning alongside
various politicos, including
New York State Attorney General
Letitia James — the former
Public Advocate — who
threatened to take legal action
against landlords who violate
their basic responsibilities.
“They need to know, there
is a new sheriff in town,”
James said. “We will not go silently
into the night, we know
the power of this list and the
shame they will face.”
And Brooklyn is no
stranger to other bad actors,
according to Williams’ report,
which shows that 44 of
the 85 properties owned by
the 10 worst private landlords
are in Kings County.
But, according to Williams,
the private landlords’
misdeeds pale in comparison
to the porous conditions featured
in the city’s public housing
stockpile — which feature
a whopping 290,857 outstanding
work orders across it’s
172,469 units.
“There is one landlord that
gets special ringing at the top,
and that is The New York City
Housing Authority,” he said.
“The city shouldn’t get away
with having 290,000 work orders,
over 100,000 from last
year.”
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KING THE OF SLUMS
Brooklyn is home to the city’s worst landlord: Report
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