Brooklyn, NY – It was an opportunity for movers and shakers within New York City’s Jewish community to get an up close look at newly elected Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie who made a quick stop in Borough Park this morning at an event hosted by Assemblyman Dov Hikind.
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Heads of major Jewish organizations and community representatives from Borough Park, Flatbush, Williamsburg, Crown Heights, Marine Park and Brighton Beach gathered at the Avenue Plaza Hotel to brief Heastie on the main priorities of the Jewish community focusing primarily on tuition relief and security in schools, synagogues and Jewish community centers.
Hikind noted that while he has served in the assembly with Heastie for many years, he took the time in recent days to become better acquainted with the Bronx assemblyman and, in a conversation that sometimes resembled a crash course in yiddishisms, described Heastie as “a mentsh.”
“We’ve got a great friend as the speaker of the assembly,” said Hikind.
Heastie noted the importance of security, particularly in schools, observing that the Sandyhook shootings have every parent on edge. The Bronx Democrat acknowledged that the morning’s event was a learning opportunity for him and described himself as both analytical and mathematical.
“I like to listen. I like to process,” said Heastie, proving his point just moments later, asking for a pen and paper to take notes during the Q and A session that followed his remarks.
Well known community activist and Agudath Israel of America leader Chaskel Bennet was one of several people to take the floor, hoping to shed light on pivotal issues. Bennett’s impassioned speech on tuition relief earned him a round of applause from listeners as he described the annual maneuvering in Albany as activists try to find some way of providing relief to cash-strapped parents.
“Listen to the people in this room,” urged Bennett. “From education to security, to the elderly and housing, you are looking at the ground floor of activism in an incredibly diverse community, all talking about every way to protect our community, advance our cause, but we have to be creative because if we don’t we get shot down.”
Bennett quoted Governor Cuomo who previously described his thoughts on channeling funding to private school parents by saying, “It’s not charity. It’s justice,” and echoed the governor’s words, saying that “helping our community of taxpayers and contributors is not benevolence, is it is not charity, it is justice.”
Bennett also noted that every attempt to pass the Education Incentive Tax Credit, which would benefit private and public school students equally, has been thwarted by well funded opposition groups and asked Heastie to stand up for the state’s private school students.
“We all come here … begging state government to understand and appreciate how we can fix the problem,” said Bennett. “We thank you, we applaud you, we respect you, but we need more.”
Rabbi Shmuel Lefkowitz, vice president at Agudath Israel of America, said that he hopes that Heastie’s appointment as speaker will provide the added incentive needed to pass the Education Investment Tax Credit, noting that Heastie was one of the bill’s sponsors.
“There are many assembly people who told us privately that they really would co-sponsor but they were waiting for the leadership to tell them what to do,” Rabbi Lefkowitz told VIN News. “Heastie didn’t wait for anybody. He has been a co-sponsor for years.”
Rabbi Lefkowitz also noted that Heastie’s voting record seems to indicate that he will be a good friend to the Jewish community.
“He has voted for other things that are of our values,” said Rabbi Lefkowitz. “He is not just a man who is an opportunist. He is a man of faith, who votes his faith.”
Several elected officials were present for this morning’s gathering including Senator Marty Golden, Assemblyman Peter Abbate and Senator Simcha Felder, who voiced his support for Heastie.
“I thought he is very unassuming and he seems like a very good listener which is very, very rare in elected officials and is very refreshing,” said Felder. “I am very much looking forward to working with him.”