Coney Island, NY – Bloomberg: Times Of Worship Services Should Be Adjusted To Accommodate Concert

    42

    Loud speakers set across from ShulConey Island, NY – There was anger in Brooklyn on Thursday over Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s solution to the community’s fight against free concerts at a local park.

    Join our WhatsApp group

    Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email


    The mayor has suggested two synagogues adjust worship services to accommodate the events.

    Bloomberg probably thought he was displaying the Wisdom of Solomon.

    “Maybe they could adjust their services slightly earlier. We just have to start being a little more tolerant of each other,” Bloomberg said.

    But members of two Brighton Beach synagogues — Temple Beth Abraham and Sea Breeze Jewish Center – were furious at the suggestion from our Jewish mayor that they deviate from Jewish practice and start evening services before sundown.

    “I’m flabbergasted that a man of such stature, a philanthropist, supposedly a caring man can ask us to take our religion and practically just dish it out. I mean get rid of it,” said Sea Breeze president Mendy Sontag. “He should be ashamed of himself. He’s supposedly Jewish, too?”

    Al Turk, the vice president of Temple Beth Abraham, was already upset about plans to turn Asser Levy Park across the street from the synagogue into a big concert space for 8,000 people.

    “What really gets me mad and angry is that the politicians are doing each other favors and violating New York City law by doing an end run,” Turk said.

    Saying the new concert space will disrupt services and create traffic and noise headaches, the residents sued the city to invoke the 500-foot law: No concerts 500 feet from any house of worship.

    “‘Disrespect’ is a mild word. I am completely disillusioned with our politicians who can so callously tread upon our beliefs,” Turk said.

    Mayor Bloomberg did an end run around the community. They sued, but before the judge ruled the mayor broke the indoor world record for legislative achievement. He got the City Council to introduce a bill and pass it in five days. The bill circumvents the 500-foot rule.

    “The issue here is that there is a park with a band shell and a lot of people would like to go there and hear music, and there’s another group that says, well, it’s going to bother them. Keep in mind it’s not at a time when most religious organizations – even orthodox Jewish organizations – hold services. And we all have to be somewhat accommodative of each other,” Bloomberg said.

    The end result is the summer concert series sponsored by Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz will go on and so will the court suits.

    Bloomberg is scheduled to sign the bill into law on July 12. The summer concert series is scheduled to start July 15 with Neil Sedaka and Brenda Lee.


    Listen to the VINnews podcast on:

    iTunes | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Podbean | Amazon

    Follow VINnews for Breaking News Updates


    Connect with VINnews

    Join our WhatsApp group


    42 Comments
    Most Voted
    Newest Oldest
    Inline Feedbacks
    View all comments
    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    Thats what a lot of us have been suggesting….move up the start time for mincha/maariv a bit earlier so the davening is over before the concert starts. For a change, the mayor has a practical solution to a problem.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    Rabbi bloomberg!! Maybe the oppesite?.. Maybe the concert should be adjusted to accommodate warship services?..

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    Come on , we are fighting the wrong war . The services last at the most 15 minutes, so how much would the worshipers suffer .Where is the goodwill ?

    reba
    reba
    13 years ago

    Maybe we should pray on Sunday mornings instead of Friday night/Sat. to better accommodate the needs of the society? How about ending Anti Semitism with mass baptism also???

    I forgot that was tried once in Vienna and look at what a nightmare it grew into.

    Doresh el HaMeisim
    Doresh el HaMeisim
    13 years ago

    That’s what you get when you vote for politicians on the basis of shelling out entitlements, in the end you get only tsuris.

    Shame on Mike
    Shame on Mike
    13 years ago

    Shame on Mike. His grandfather was a Rabbi and he has gone over to the other side. Let them have loud concerts at night with giant crowds, near his residence on the upper east side.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    These Synagogues are playing with fire. Their snobby attitude will only backfire for future political protection and accommodation of Jewish communities in the 5 boroughs. These Brighton Beach synagogues are not even Charedi. The temple can pray Maariv in the morning and Shachris at night—it is a conservative temple after all. So changing the schedule for 20 minute praying sessions should not be turned into a political noise because you will lose anyway. Markowitz and Bloomberg understand the Jewish aspect to the situation and both know that it’s not a big deal for the synagogues to change their timing. It’s not like Bloomberg told them to eat pork ribs on Yom Kippur. Changing the schedule for praying is not a big deal. Everyone wins like that, but you can’t tell 8000 people that they can’t have their concert at all because 50 Chosen Ones have to pray for 20 minutes and gossip in shul afterwards.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    what are the facts ?? what time are the concerts , how loud in the shul with the windows closed & ac on/ how many people at the shul…-

    Yaakov
    Yaakov
    13 years ago

    I agree with the Mayor, every frum shul puts up with some crap sometimes. Wow its going to be to noisy for them, I’m so sorry. Stop crying you sound like a psych, in a psych ward. Who is banging his head against a brick wall.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    Markowitz , Bloomberg on one side, and the Jews on the other .

    olam hafooch ra'iti
    olam hafooch ra'iti
    13 years ago

    The concerts should change THEIR shedules to accomodate the shuls!!!
    Not vice versa!

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    Your kidding right? What came first the chicken or the egg?

    jack
    jack
    13 years ago

    What the difference when one of our shuls are making partys and weddings at night and when the neighbors complain they become anti samits

    iish emmes says
    iish emmes says
    13 years ago

    put the whole shul in jail for two weeks as per judge levy in Immanuel!

    will anybody listen??
    will anybody listen??
    13 years ago

    the media is fudging the report. nobody in coney island objects to the concerts. they don’t coincide with davening. we object to marty’s ugly potato chip monstrosity. we don’t want it period. end. dot. we dont want an ugly potato chip in our back yards. don’t the people have a say anymore??

    Loshon Hora
    Loshon Hora
    13 years ago

    Tell Markowitz & Bloomberg they should know that no concerts in der drei Vochen & sure not the nine days.
    Are concert tickets free, or is Markowitz making money using a public facility, annoying neighbours & worshipers?
    All government is corrupt, power corupts absolute power absolutly corrupts.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    Thank you Bloomey and now that you have told us how to run our religion we will tell you how to run the city:

    CUT TAXES & SHUT YOUR BIG FAT MOUTH!

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    This is exactly what he did with term limits. If you don’t like the law, have “his” council people change it. And if the people disagree, screw them.

    The issue here is not if the synagogue can or cannot be more flexible, the issue is since when is cultural expression more important than religious tolerance. Bloomberg and is his ilk, sadly Jewish, worship culture like the Hellenists. Remember them?

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    I am somewhat surprised that the Sea Breeze Jewish center is not utilizing the wonderful oppurtunity it has, to try and attract through mivtzoim some new members.
    As one who lives in a small town,we wish there were eight thousand noisy people outside our doors. As jews we must look with a good eye, we must ask ourselves when
    there are hundreds of jews outside my door how can I help them observe a mitzva or two.I am not following when the concert is,but even if it were on a Fri night the center should have a quick make a kiddush and have some challah event.Any other night of the week goes without saying.
    Af vos hot min dir geshikt in Brighton…….. her uf mit di misnagdishe tnuos

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    Bloomy and Marty wouldn’t dare tell a church to move the timing of their services. End of story. Its amazing how these two assimilated Jews will tell us when and how to daven. Maybe the raabah ordained these clowns as dayanim…

    Torah Truth
    Torah Truth
    13 years ago

    I have a feeling that this has much less to do with Davening (after all one seems to be a reform “Temple”, how many people are davening Maariv or even care what time they daven), and much more to do with traffic. The issue of services are being used as an excuse for an aged population that just doesn’t want the traffic and the noise.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    The mayor is going to adjust the sun!! He will tell the sun to stop and go at his whim!! He thinks he is the almighty powerful person. He wants us to adjust our davening to suit him!! Well!! TOUGH!!!!!!

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    Markowitz & Bloomberg (M&B) have a lot in common. They are both men of short stature, who have Napoleon complexes. Also, both of them don’t know the first thing about Yiddishkeit. I guarantee all of you, that if a Black church was in the area, with an identical complaint that the two Shul’s have, both Bloomberg and Markowitz wouldn’t dared have criticized the protestors. Both M&B don’t know that there are certain times of davening that cannot be changed. Also, it is a violation of the New York State Penal Code to disrupt a religious service. In the community where I live, a number of years ago, the local July 4th parade was on Shabbos, and it passed right by our Shul. It was very noisy, and it was hard to concentrate on davening with all of the noise. However, this year, because July 4th is on a Sunday (which is the goyish day of rest), several communities in my area have opted to have the parade either on Saturday or Monday. May M&B lose this battle!

    Would Marty the bum and Mike make blasting concerts near churches on Sundays at worship time?
    Would Marty the bum and Mike make blasting concerts near churches on Sundays at worship time?
    13 years ago

    Of course not. But they think they can ride roughshod over the Jewish synagiogues.

    Down with Marty and Mike, a bunch of G-dless, liberal Jews.

    LJ
    LJ
    13 years ago

    Why don’t you also listen how stupid your comments are. The reason this whole thing started was becasue this residential communtiry signed 13,000 petitions against the ampitheater. In that process is when the two Synogoues found out about the 500 foot rule. Let me tell you nobody is trying to stop the concerts, but we are trying stop this ridiculous ampitheatre this is not jones Beach where there are no eresidents nearby. Alos be aware that both your Mayor and Boro President are Jews and are mocking the two synagogues let alone ask king them to chnage the hours of worship. The Mayore belongs to Temple Emanuel in NYC, would they change ours to suit the Mayor??? The answer is no. Religion si a faih just as Catholicism has rules and Muslims have rules and any other religion. Nothing is changed because a greedy Boro President and Mayor who got himself into this situation are both not real Jews they just hold the faith I am Jewish. it is time for all of you toread the papes catrefully and understand what you are saying and writing.