New York, NY – Outrage Erupts As Sharpton is Included in Panel to Commemorate Anniversary of Crown Heights Riots

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    New York, NY – Twenty years after racially motivated rioting in Crown Heights took the life of Australian scholar Yankel Rosenbaum, a Westhampton Beach synagogue is holding a panel discussion on the current state of relations between blacks and Jews in Crown Heights.

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    The riots, which began in August 1991 and lasted for three days, began after seven year old Gavin Cato, the son of Guyanese immigrants, was accidentally struck and killed by a car in a motorcade of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. An angry mob who felt that responding officers gave preferential treatment to the Jewish driver of the car decided to avenge Cato’s death by taking a Jewish life. A group of approximately twenty young men surrounded the twenty nine year old Rosenbaum, stabbing him several times and beating him to death.

    The event, which is scheduled to take place at 7:30 PM on Sunday at the Hampton Synagogue located at 154 Sunset Avenue in Westhampton Beach, will feature a group of panelists from both the black and Jewish communities. The panelists will include Rabbi Marc Schneier, founding rabbi of the Synagogue and founder and president of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, Rabbi Robert Kaplan, Director of InterGroup/CAUSE-NY of the Jewish Community Relations Council, the Honorable Letitia James, City Council member for Brooklyn’s 35th district, which includes Crown Heights and Reverend Al Sharpton, of the National Action Network.

    While the Rosenbaum family has come out strongly in favor of any efforts that will unite the population of Crown Heights, they are outraged at the inclusion of Reverend Sharpton in this event.

    “This is an absolute disgrace,” said Norman Rosenbaum, brother of the slain scholar and spokesperson for the family in an exclusive interview this afternoon with VIN News. “It completely disregards the pivotal role that Al Sharpton played in inciting the riots which took my brother’s life.”

    Sharpton was said to be an integral part of the Crown Heights riots, leading a rally in front of Lubavitch World Headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway, chanting inflammatory slogans and making anti Semitic comments in his eulogy for Gavin Cato. In addition to Rosenbaum’s death, one million dollars of property damage was incurred during the riots and 190 people, including 152 police officers, were injured.

    “My criticism isn’t of the forum itself,” said Rosenbaum, “but of the inclusion of Al Sharpton. It ignores the crucial role that Sharpton played during the riots.”

    NY Assemblyman Dov Hikind who was extremely involved during the Crown Heights riots expressed his outrage as well and questioned the wisdom of having Al Sharpton included on this panel of speakers.

    “It is just a disgrace that Rabbi Schneier would invite this rabble rouser to participate in this event. People may close their eyes and pretend that because Al Sharpton is wearing expensive suits he is a different person but this a guy who poured fuel into the fire and has never been brought to task for his racist behavior and his contributions to this pogrom. He has never apologized, never said a word about the role he played in the Crown Heights riots. Was there no one else for Rabbi Schneier to invite to this panel?”

    Inviting Sharpton to take part in the forum appears to be a calculated move on part of Rabbi Schneier but one that is likely to backfire, according to Williamsburg activist Isaac Abraham who has worked tirelessly to obtain justice for Yankel Rosenbaum.

    “Rabbi Schneier is playing this forum with Al Sharpton on the panel for the cameras. There can be no resolutions or results with him on the panel.

    Rabbi Schneier should reconsider and cancel Sharpton as there are many in the African American community and in its leadership who are fit take part in the panel .” “Al Sharpton is now trying to change and claim that some of his statements were taken out of context,” said Abraham. “Sharpton can change his suit and he can change his tie but a zebra never changes its stripes. A racist remains a racist.”

    Norman Rosenbaum is calling on Rabbi Schneier to not only rescind his invitation to Sharpton, but also to apologize to all victims of the riots for having extended the offer at all.

    Sharpton has insisted that many of the comments he has made over the years were misinterpreted, but Abraham finds his efforts to be half hearted at best.


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    40 Comments
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    eighthcomment
    eighthcomment
    12 years ago

    Let him get his reward on this world…

    charliehall
    charliehall
    12 years ago

    Having Sharpton to an event like this would be like having had Hirohito to a commemoration of Pearl Harbor.

    DRE53
    DRE53
    12 years ago

    This whole fiasco is being orchestred by afew attention seeking individuals. Just like sharpton, those so-called rabbis (lehavdil) love to make headlines. And just like sharpton who doesn’t represent the average working class black communities, so don’t these “rabbis” represent anyone but themselves.

    shredready
    shredready
    12 years ago

    Sharpton has insisted that many of the comments he has made over the years were misinterpreted,

    bull lets not forget many other incidents that he was involved in that also costed some lives Tawny Brawley and the FREDDY’S IN HARLEM.

    he has not repented not for any of these incidents.

    12 years ago

    these “rabbis” don’t represent Crown Heights, Lubavitch, Chabad or any other Orthodox Jewish community

    Paulie123
    Paulie123
    12 years ago

    Why cant we give Sharpton the benifit of the doubt that he seriously regrets his past? We have all sinned in our lives and most of us regret it. So if we want to Hashem to forgive our sins, why cant we forgive someone elses?

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    12 years ago

    The Rosenbaum family and Hikind are only giving Sharpton more attention and credibility within the black community by screaming about his inclusion in this event. None of us have much respect for Sharpton but he has reinvented himself in a way that most Americans do not consider him the radical we knew him to be. Its time to move on and not try to make him a martyr but excluding him from these events.

    Track5
    Track5
    12 years ago

    By the way just for the record this year Japan made a ceremony in Hiroshima there were U.S diplomats attending, of course I don’t want to take away from Mr Sharpton he’s a big time anti Semite, but there is a political way to approach things, knowing that he has a tremendous affect on the black community that is neighboring the jewish community,it’s important to cross the bridge, and by inviting Sharpton even though he’s an anti-Semite they cross the bridge and the relationship get closer ,it’ll help in the long run, there’s a old saying you’ve to loose money to make money, the same thing here,you’ve to look away to a powerful anti-Semite,thats how you prevent hundreds of anti-Semites, and by this we might have a good relationship with the black community g-d bless al of you & peace & love gnite

    Babishka
    Member
    Babishka
    12 years ago

    Why were no Chabad rabbis invited to participate on this panel? They invite Sharpton but they can’t invite a Chabadnik?

    cynic
    cynic
    12 years ago

    Let’s also not forget there was another fatality back then. On September 5th, Anthony Graziosi, an Italian salesman dressed in a dark suit, was driving a few blocks away from the original riot scene. A group surrounded his car, and someone shot and killed him.
    The “official” story and determination was that this was _not_ a “bias crime”. But he was still dead.

    Reb Yid
    Reb Yid
    12 years ago

    What’s pshat with the synagogue’s motto, “making the ordinary extraordinary?” Does that mean regular davening is only ordinary, requiring the Hampton Synagogue to make it extraordinary?

    genmill
    genmill
    12 years ago

    Excuse my ignorance folks, but I have always heard how sharpton was involved, frankly I don’t doubt it but what exactly did he say slash do? Anyone know where I can read or hear about his involvement?
    Thanks.

    12 years ago

    Maybe invite Mayor Dinkins and police commissioner Lee Brown.

    scmaness
    scmaness
    12 years ago

    the story is that the boy, was hit and hurt very badly,the blacks weren’t interested in saving the boy,although he had a chance,the blacks would not let the ambulance in and so he died,no one says the truth,and then attack joseph lifz

    12 years ago

    As one that lived thru the first, and hopefully the last pogrom in America, inviting Al Sharpton is a slap in the face to not only the Jews of Crown Heights, but to all Jews. Besides Sharpton, no other member of this panel was present at the riots. I have been reading all the hype in the media this past week about the riots, and what is truly amazing is that most of those grandstanding were never there, or played no role at all. This reminds me of all the politicians, “Jewish Leaders”, and orginizations that were touting at the time about thier efforts in helping the Jews of Crown Heights. As one of the members of the emergency committee formed in Crown Heights at the time, I can testify that besides a few individuals whose names you did not see in the media, the rest did absolutely nothing besides trying to enamor thier own names. We were left out to dry . Al Sharpton was an outside interloper that led and instigated a roving mob of anti-semites. He organized busloads of outsiders to come to Crown Heights and create mayhem. He stood at the front of these mobs that were shouting ” kill the Jews”. This is who a respected rabbi invites to a forum ? G-d help us !!. S.D.

    Mark Levin
    Mark Levin
    12 years ago

    Al Slim Shady Sharpton yemach sh’mo v’zichro should get nothing because he was a major trouble maker in that riot. If the so called Jews on that program had onions, they would distance themselves from it as far as possible.

    eighthcomment
    eighthcomment
    12 years ago

    If anyone here is really interested in voicing the opinion- go to the seminar!

    enodmilvado
    enodmilvado
    12 years ago

    Not one Lubavitcher on the panel.

    dave11
    dave11
    12 years ago

    I am not sure if they will be taking questions but, I would suggest that people ( and in particular those who were in CH at the time of the riots) go along to the event.

    They should prepare pointed questions (with facts and recorded quotes readily available) and expose Sharpton for what he really is in the public arena.

    Beat the at their own game!

    Babishka
    Member
    Babishka
    12 years ago

    This “Hampton Synagogue” sounded familiar and I just remembered where I have seen it before: they were spoofed by Wyatt Cenac on Jon Stewart’s show about putting up an eruv.

    Barsechel
    Barsechel
    12 years ago

    Marc shreier should be ashamed of himself ! I hope his father will give this mechutzaf a proper dressing down

    12 years ago

    if rabbi scneier”s father invited the pope to his shule to speak by the aron kodesh(rl) then what do you expect from the son who by the way was caught cheating on his wife
    these are not rabbis they dont follow any halachos nor do they have any orthodox rav who guides them
    father and son are a disgrace and cause chillul hashem

    Aryeh
    Aryeh
    12 years ago

    Since when was racial relations an issue in The Hamptons?