Saturday, May 04, 2019
Rabbi takes stand against Westerleigh ‘not selling’ sign controversy
The Rabbi of a Meiers Corners synagogue took a strong stand against the controversy sparked in Westerleigh in recent weeks that included residents putting up signs in front of their homes that read “Not Selling, Westerleigh Strong."
Rabbi Moshe Katzman of Chabad of Staten Island focused his Shabbat prayer on Saturday on the concept of good against evil and how it is necessary to “stand up and fight” when it is necessary.
“I grew up in Brooklyn in the late 1960s. I was hit in my head more than once,” said Katzman during his remarks at the end of the Shabbat prayer. "We stayed there and we fought back, but we never hung up a sign in front of the property of our houses [saying] “Stand strong, don’t sell.”
The Rabbi said that even though these words don’t necessarily carry a hateful language, it can become more serious.
“That’s the way things begin," he said.
Several Island-based Realtors told the Advance earlier this week that a large number of prospective homebuyers in the Westerleigh area have been from the Boro Park section of Brooklyn, a largely Orthodox Jewish community.
In fact, the Jewish Press reported that more than 300 Jewish families in Brooklyn -- many of them from Boro Park -- have relocated to Staten Island over the last four-and-a-half years.
That apparently has prompted a backlash among some homeowners. Signs that read “Not Selling, Westerleigh Strong, WesterleighStrong@outlook.com” have popped up on several lawns in the community.
When asked if the signs were targeted toward the Hasidic Jewish population, Mark Anderson of the Westerleigh Improvement Society said: "The Westerleigh Improvement Society has been committed to serving the community since 1893. The neighborhood of Westerleigh is comprised of a rich mosaic of residents, and the society is committed to embracing all members of our community. Together we maintain the safe and enjoyable community we share and love. "
CONGRESSMAN ROSE WEIGHS IN
Rep. Max Rose (D-Staten Island- Brooklyn), the first Jewish elected congressman on Staten Island, joined Katzman at a service on Saturday as he also showed solidarity for the recent shooting at a Southern California synagogue that killed a woman and left an 8-year-old girl and two men wounded.
“This is keen opportunity for stakeholders to come together and I intend to be part of that process to figure out how we can arrive at some very sensible resolution,” said Rose, in reference to the Westerleigh sign controversy.
“I have every reason to believe -- and sooner rather than later --- that stakeholders are going to sincerely figure this out and are going to continue to be proud New Yorkers and proud Staten Islanders,” he added.
Rose’s visit to Chabad of Staten Island on Saturday was also spurred by a Westerleigh Improvement Society campaign against an Eruv, a religious fence, erected in Westerleigh. An Eruv’s purpose “is to make each individual who dwells within its boundaries a part owner of the enclosed area for certain Halachic purposes,” according to Young Israel of Staten Island’s website. One has long existed in Willowboork.
The fence is essentially a wire placed on utility poles that carries a symbol of unity and community, said Chani Katzman, the Rabbi’s wife, who believes people got particularly upset about it simply because they are worried “people from a different demographic” are coming into their communities.
In a pamphlet handed out throughout Westerleigh and in a Facebook Post the Westerleigh Improvement Society called the Eruv “unsafe.”
“The Westerleigh Improvement Society is concerned about the lack of approvals, review and safety aspects of the installed Eruv,” said Anderson of the Westerleigh Improvement Society.
“…Many of the screws that were used do not appear to be appropriate for the application. …Though the utilities have stated that their visual observations conclude that that there is no visible conditions of immediate concern, the attachment detail and design has not been submitted or reviewed by responsible technical parties as of yet.”
Anderson continued: “We have a long history of brotherhood in our community between neighbors of all religious affiliations. Our focus is related to ensuring the installation is safe, which the lack of transparency has made quite difficult. The conclusion by some that this is based on antisemitism is simply not true and hurtful.”
When alerted about the Eruv, Councilman Steven Matteo (R- Mid-Island) contacted Con Edison and Verizon and “worked to eliminate the safety concerns and address the illegality of the attachments as they were installed without the proper attachment application,” said Peter Spencer, Matteo’s chief of operations.
Con Edison and Verizon both sent crews to inspect the poles, he said. Con Edison made a list of attachments that weren’t secured properly and sent it to Young Israel, which has taken responsibility for the Eruv, Spencer said. Young Israel filed the application with Con Ed on April 9, 2019, but it has not yet been approved. The process typically takes a few weeks, he said.
“It’s still in the process of being approved, but we did go out there an inspect it for safety and it’s safe,” said Bob McGee a, ConEd spokesperson. “There’s some additional documentation that is being reviewed.”
A representative of Young Israel wasn’t immediately available for comment on Saturday, which is the Sabbath, a day of rest in Judaism.
https://www.silive.com/news/2019/05/rabbi-takes-stand-against-westerleigh-not-selling-sign-controversy.html
Rabbi Moshe Katzman of Chabad of Staten Island focused his Shabbat prayer on Saturday on the concept of good against evil and how it is necessary to “stand up and fight” when it is necessary.
“I grew up in Brooklyn in the late 1960s. I was hit in my head more than once,” said Katzman during his remarks at the end of the Shabbat prayer. "We stayed there and we fought back, but we never hung up a sign in front of the property of our houses [saying] “Stand strong, don’t sell.”
The Rabbi said that even though these words don’t necessarily carry a hateful language, it can become more serious.
“That’s the way things begin," he said.
Several Island-based Realtors told the Advance earlier this week that a large number of prospective homebuyers in the Westerleigh area have been from the Boro Park section of Brooklyn, a largely Orthodox Jewish community.
In fact, the Jewish Press reported that more than 300 Jewish families in Brooklyn -- many of them from Boro Park -- have relocated to Staten Island over the last four-and-a-half years.
That apparently has prompted a backlash among some homeowners. Signs that read “Not Selling, Westerleigh Strong, WesterleighStrong@outlook.com” have popped up on several lawns in the community.
When asked if the signs were targeted toward the Hasidic Jewish population, Mark Anderson of the Westerleigh Improvement Society said: "The Westerleigh Improvement Society has been committed to serving the community since 1893. The neighborhood of Westerleigh is comprised of a rich mosaic of residents, and the society is committed to embracing all members of our community. Together we maintain the safe and enjoyable community we share and love. "
CONGRESSMAN ROSE WEIGHS IN
Rep. Max Rose (D-Staten Island- Brooklyn), the first Jewish elected congressman on Staten Island, joined Katzman at a service on Saturday as he also showed solidarity for the recent shooting at a Southern California synagogue that killed a woman and left an 8-year-old girl and two men wounded.
“This is keen opportunity for stakeholders to come together and I intend to be part of that process to figure out how we can arrive at some very sensible resolution,” said Rose, in reference to the Westerleigh sign controversy.
“I have every reason to believe -- and sooner rather than later --- that stakeholders are going to sincerely figure this out and are going to continue to be proud New Yorkers and proud Staten Islanders,” he added.
Rose’s visit to Chabad of Staten Island on Saturday was also spurred by a Westerleigh Improvement Society campaign against an Eruv, a religious fence, erected in Westerleigh. An Eruv’s purpose “is to make each individual who dwells within its boundaries a part owner of the enclosed area for certain Halachic purposes,” according to Young Israel of Staten Island’s website. One has long existed in Willowboork.
The fence is essentially a wire placed on utility poles that carries a symbol of unity and community, said Chani Katzman, the Rabbi’s wife, who believes people got particularly upset about it simply because they are worried “people from a different demographic” are coming into their communities.
In a pamphlet handed out throughout Westerleigh and in a Facebook Post the Westerleigh Improvement Society called the Eruv “unsafe.”
“The Westerleigh Improvement Society is concerned about the lack of approvals, review and safety aspects of the installed Eruv,” said Anderson of the Westerleigh Improvement Society.
“…Many of the screws that were used do not appear to be appropriate for the application. …Though the utilities have stated that their visual observations conclude that that there is no visible conditions of immediate concern, the attachment detail and design has not been submitted or reviewed by responsible technical parties as of yet.”
Anderson continued: “We have a long history of brotherhood in our community between neighbors of all religious affiliations. Our focus is related to ensuring the installation is safe, which the lack of transparency has made quite difficult. The conclusion by some that this is based on antisemitism is simply not true and hurtful.”
When alerted about the Eruv, Councilman Steven Matteo (R- Mid-Island) contacted Con Edison and Verizon and “worked to eliminate the safety concerns and address the illegality of the attachments as they were installed without the proper attachment application,” said Peter Spencer, Matteo’s chief of operations.
Con Edison and Verizon both sent crews to inspect the poles, he said. Con Edison made a list of attachments that weren’t secured properly and sent it to Young Israel, which has taken responsibility for the Eruv, Spencer said. Young Israel filed the application with Con Ed on April 9, 2019, but it has not yet been approved. The process typically takes a few weeks, he said.
“It’s still in the process of being approved, but we did go out there an inspect it for safety and it’s safe,” said Bob McGee a, ConEd spokesperson. “There’s some additional documentation that is being reviewed.”
A representative of Young Israel wasn’t immediately available for comment on Saturday, which is the Sabbath, a day of rest in Judaism.
https://www.silive.com/news/2019/05/rabbi-takes-stand-against-westerleigh-not-selling-sign-controversy.html
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