8 The Courier sun • february 26, 2015 for breaking news visit www.couriersun.com RIDGEWOOD PROPRIETOR HELPS GREET FRANCE’S CHIEF RABBI Photo by Victoria Schneps From left to right: Herman Hochberg, Ridgewood business owner and Park East Synagogue board of directors president; Chief Rabbi Haim Corsia of France; Rabbi Arthur Schneier of Park East Synagogue; and Mayor Bill de Blasio. By Robert Pozarycki [email protected] @robbpoz Ridgewood businessman Herman Hochberg joined the mayor and others in welcoming France’s chief rabbi to Manhattan’s Park East Synagogue last week. Chief Rabbi Haim Corsia spoke about the safety of French Jews following the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attacks in January and other recent anti-Semitic events across Europe. The event was reserved “for leaders and representatives of the Jewish community,” as noted on the official invitation. Hochberg — owner of Queens Wines and Liquors, a staple in Ridgewood for more than 60 years — has served as president of the Park East Synagogue board of directors for the past seven years and previously greeted Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI during his 2008 visit to New York. Along with Mayor Bill de Blasio and Park East’s Rabbi Arthur Schneier, Hochberg presented Corsia with a crystal apple as a token of the congregation’s appreciation and support. In a phone interview, Hochberg remarked that Corsia held a very positive and hopeful outlook for the Jewish people of France, noting that the rabbi is working closely with the government to ensure that people, synagogues and schools are properly protected from evildoers. Hochberg noted that Corsica — who also serves as chaplain of the French army — worked closely with the government of French President François Hollande to assign 10,500 soldiers and law enforcement agents to protect Jewish sites across the nation. “The rabbi is a very energetic young man and his objective of course is not to have people leave but have them stay and make sure there’s the proper protection,” Hochberg said. “They consider themselves Frenchmen. For many generations, they’ve been there.” As quoted in the Jerusalem Post, Corsia told those gathered at Park East on Feb. 19 he witnessed in France “a sense of indifference” toward anti-Semitism and bias crimes prior to last month’s attacks in France at a satirical news magazine’s office and a Kosher supermarket. But in the aftermath, Corsia declared, French people from all walks of life rose to denounce the attacks and other acts of violence. “The entire society finally rose to say ‘no’ to the terrorist, ‘no’ to muzzling freedom of speech and freedom of the press,” according to Corsia’s remarks published in the Jerusalem Post. “I am of the view that if Charlie Hebdo as such had not happened, I’m not sure that so many people would march in the street.” Hochberg echoed those sentiments, noting that the rally in Paris following the attacks — which included 4 million people and heads of state from across the globe — showed solidarity for the victims and sent a message that hatred will not be tolerated. Even so, anti-Semitic incidents occurred in France weeks after the attacks, including the desecration of about 250 tombs at a Jewish cemetery in the eastern part of the country. Citing French authorities, the Jerusalem Post reported that anti-Semitic threats and incidents doubled in France over the last year. De Blasio, who visited Paris soon after January’s terrorist attacks, reiterated that the city stands with France in opposition to terrorism and anti-Semitism. “It’s our moment to say we don’t like this trend we see. We don’t find it acceptable,” the mayor said, as quoted in published reports. “As Rabbi Corsia said powerfully, there are no small crimes. No small affront to the Jewish community is acceptable because it will only lead to larger affronts and more dangerous ones.” Police Commissioner Bill Bratton talks community relations in southeast Queens BY SALVATORE LICATA [email protected]/@Sal_Licata1 Police Commissioner Bill Bratton called for stronger ties between police and the community during a speech in Jamaica on Feb. 24, when he outlined plans for greater collaboration and alternatives to making arrests for firsttime minor crimes while also recognizing law enforcement’s role in “many of the worst parts of black history.” At a Black History Month event at the Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral in Jamaica, he said that the NYPD has made tremendous strides with regards to crime prevention but that there is always room for improvement. He said that new programs started by himself and Mayor de Blasio will help to do so and will have a “dynamic effect on the level and quality of policing.” “Despite our accomplishments we’ve made in the past years, police actions can still be a flashpoint,” said Bratton. “The NYPD needs to face the hard truth that in our most vulnerable neighborhoods we have a problem with citizen satisfaction.” Bratton mentioned some of these “hard truths” that the police have to realize and deal with. He said that “many of the worst parts of black history would not have been possible without police,” citing law enforcement’s role dating back to the days of slavery. Bratton said that not recognizing this as an issue would not only be naive but reckless and irresponsible. But he also mentioned that “far more often than not, many of the best parts of America’s history wouldn’t have been possible without police,” saying they are the protectors of such freedoms like those of speech and religion. When asked about going back to community policing, a method that was scrutinized in the early ’90s for not being effective against historically high crime rates, Bratton simply replied that he doesn’t think the NYPD has ever gotten away from the strategy. He described the policing method using three “P’s” that he said the NYPD still practice today: partnership, problem solving and prevention. The commissioner finished by saying that ultimately, policing is a shared responsibility: having the police and community work together will ultimately lead to a better and safer New York City. “We cannot change the past but working together we can change our future,” Bratton said. “We all need to THE COURIER/Photo by Salvatore Licata work together. All of us.”
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