Nassau County, NY – Shabbos Morning Police Action At Woodmere Synagogue Angers Orthodox Worshippers

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    Nassau County, NY – Elected officials and congregants expressed concern at a meeting this week after Nassau County police raided a popular Long Island synagogue on Saturday morning just as services were about to begin.

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    Seven members of the Nassau County Police Department paid a visit to the Young Israel of Woodmere, the largest Orthodox synagogue on Long Island on May 14th, according to Newsday.

    Police said that they were there to interview the synagogue’s security personnel after being tipped off to possible gun license violations.

    Steven Zuller, chairman of the synagogue’s board of trustees, said that the synagogue employs private security for the safety of its members.

    “We definitely have a lot of security,” said Zuller. “Our membership’s security and well being is one of the most important things. That’s top priority for anything we do.”

    Police interviewed the security guards outside the synagogue’s doors, never setting foot inside the building. Synagogue officials said that several hundred congregants were present at the time, some of whom were disturbed by the incident.

    “At no time did our members enter the temple of intentionally disrupt services,” said Steven Skrynecki, chief of department for the NCPD. “While on property, we did interview several security personnel outside the temple.”

    Police said that no violations were found and a meeting was held this past Monday between police, synagogue officials and local elected officials to try to smooth ruffled feathers.

    “It appears that a police department investigation was legitimate, but all agree that it was poorly executed, poorly timed and not well thought out,” said Hempstead Town Board member Bruce Blakemen, who took part in the meeting.

    Both sides acknowledged that it was important to maintain good relations between the synagogue and the NCPD and a second meeting has been scheduled for Thursday May 26th.

    Skrynecki said that his department has received several complaints about the raid from congregants who felt the incident suggested “inappropriate timing and demeanor on the part of our officers,” but defended the raid saying that police are required to investigate all complaints regarding potentially unauthorized or illegal weapons.

    “Upon receiving information such as that, the department is duty bound to take prompt action to maintain public safety and safety within or around a private entity,” said Skrynecki.


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    30 Comments
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    7 years ago

    this is the first time that i hear of this shul raid and it’s been nearly a week since it occurred, though it sounds like it took place in mid 1930’s Germany

    I would love to know if the police department would get away with a similar raid in a mosque or a church without protests or outcries. of course NOT!!

    instead, we yiden take the quiet intellectual way which only backfires on us with continuous anti semitism, as was demonstrated here. couldn’t they have at the very least waited till after the services???

    where are the protests, outcries??! demands for apologies??? i thought we promised never again??

    lenco49
    lenco49
    7 years ago

    The definitions:
    1) “raid”: a sudden assault or attack, as upon something to be seized
    2) “police raid”: a sudden assault or attack by law enforcement officers hoping to use the element of surprise to arrest targets that they believe may hide contraband or other evidence

    The reality of what happened:
    “Police interviewed the security guards outside the synagogue’s doors, never setting foot inside the building…or intentionally disrupt services.”

    This was a RAID?…a sudden assault or attack? Nah…just the usual media hyperbole meant to sensationalize a story beyond the actual reality. This quote from the story — “It appears that a police department investigation was *legitimate*, but all agree that it was poorly executed” — just isn’t as exciting as a RAID!!!

    rabbibillet
    rabbibillet
    7 years ago

    I am the Rabbi of the Young Israel of Woodmere. There was no police “raid” on Shabbos. A few police officers (I met 3) came to the synagogue to speak with our security people. They departed shortly afterwards.They did not enter the building. We take the safety of all of our worshipers and their families very seriously. We want our synagogue to be a safe place for people of all ages. Everything we do in the realm of security has the full knowledge and cooperation of the Nassau County police force. Our facility is very safe and secure because of our outstanding security team, the additional measures that are in place, and assistance of the 4th precinct of the Nassau PD. Everything else that has been reported is hyperbole and the figment of the imaginations of individuals who are Shakespeare lovers and want to make much ado about nothing. Heshie Billet

    Butterfly
    Butterfly
    7 years ago

    Just what did they expect to find? Who did they get their “information” from? “A “NICE” Anti=Semite!!!!!!!!!!

    kenyaninwhitehouse
    kenyaninwhitehouse
    7 years ago

    Maybe they should hire Nation of Islam folks to patrol there like they do in the projects.

    RocklandRes
    RocklandRes
    7 years ago

    Maybe linked to Shaya Lichtenstein gun permit bribery investigation. If some of security guards are also shomrim it’s possible.

    NotNeias
    NotNeias
    7 years ago

    With all due respect, Rabbi Billet and Shua Cohen were not present when the police first rolled up. I was, I saw it they did not. This is not rabble rousing. He can handle it as a community leader as he see’s fit, understate what transpired, while meeting with the powers that be and settling this matter quietly.
    I think there should be community outrage. You think for a second if this happened in a church or a mosque there would not be more significant repercussions? Lets not roll over and take it, that didn’t work out too well in the 1940’s.

    NotNeias
    NotNeias
    7 years ago

    Clear-Thinker You may be a clear thinker, but your not knowledgeable with regards to this topic. If you posses a home/range permit in Nassau County, and you get caught carrying unlawfully in Nassau County, its not a felony, rather a misdemeanor at best. The charge is “carrying out of class” and you will and should get your permit and weapon pulled.
    If you get caught carrying an unlicensed weapon in NYC, it is a felony carrying a 3 year sentence.
    It really does not matter, because nothing was found and this case.

    ActualJew
    ActualJew
    7 years ago

    It was no raid, just a visit. They know we will be there on Saturdays. take it easy. cops are on our side.

    7 years ago

    Not the first time cops don’t want to see Yidden properly protected by anyone else other than themselves.

    7 years ago

    Uhm I think YIW has video cameras. Why not release some of that video so you can see the police were acting with the proper respect (or not). Is it not a violation of the volunteer’s rights to have some police officer telling him to walk this way or that way and open his jacket to show he has no gun? 4th Amendment ? “The Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution provides, “[t]he right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly …”

    I think the Nassau County Police are supposed to have body cameras. Oh right, I forgot —somehow the police blocked the implementation of those.

    http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2015/12/08/nassau-county-police-body-cameras-delayed/

    How about the dashboard cameras on the police vehicles? Oh they don’t have those either?

    Interesting.

    my2cents123789
    my2cents123789
    7 years ago

    When cops descend on a place knowing the suspects (euphemistical “persons of interest”) would be there hoping to net arrests is called a raid in my opinion. Not a full-fledged assault but still, a police raid.

    Whether they asked questions, requested to walk, show permits, turn out pockets, etc, all that with the sole purpose to net arrests. It is immaterial in this case if it’s only a misdemeanor which in Nassau carries up to 12 month term in jail.

    Another thing that seems logical to me that is takes a certain amount of grudge or hatred spill over to put in a anon tip like this one. This was in no way an emergency, but instead of investigating this suspicious “tip” further and getting warrants to enter the shul (which would have never had materialized), someone rotten in the department gave the go-ahead. The intimidation caused cooperation and there was no need to enter the shul after all. Still as we can see the community meetings were to follow only to prove that there was a major issue.

    my2cents123789
    my2cents123789
    7 years ago

    What they did was a successful attempt to humiliate and intimidate observant jews. They are well aware we are trying to protect our community partly because they cannot provide us with such protection.

    We are not on the same side as someone commented. They are on their own side of power trips and corruption. Many on that hugely over-payed force dislike frum jews. Grudge reporting is also common in the 5T.

    The good news is that the raid netted nothing except embarrassment for them, turning out to be just another case of swatting. This should serve as a warning to our community not to associate too close with these “protectors” of the law. Such distancing would also be a great safeguard against any corruption like we are reading about lately.

    7 years ago

    Yidden-the cops did not come to that Shul on their own volition. Evidently, someone at the Shul complained to the cops about the security guards. Perhaps, the security guards were annoying some of the congregants, and the latter thought of a way of retaliating against them, by calling the cops. Over the years, I’ve found that many security guards, both unarmed and armed, are not as well trained as regular cops. Many of them are idiots, who look to intimidate and bully people. I’ve seen them at various department stores, and groceries. Many of them are rent-a-cops, and could not pass a background test, to be a regular cop. Incidentally, I’d like to ask everyone who complained about this “raid” a simple question. Where was the same outrage, when in 1981, at the Toldos Aharon Shul, in Jerusalem, the Israeli cops actually raided that place (they broke down the doors), beat congregants, broke bones of very frum Jews with their night sticks, destroyed seforim and other religious documents, destroyed other Shul property, and arrested scores of individuals. I’ve said for over three decades that because that incident took place in EY, there was no outrage over the incident.

    my2cents123789
    my2cents123789
    7 years ago

    “Where was the same outrage, when in 1981”??
    check vosizneias archives for 1981 🙂

    it seems that the ncpd were out to get the volunteers, the tip was against them carrying out of class, again as it seems from the above eyewitness posts above.

    my2cents123789
    my2cents123789
    7 years ago

    again, yidden, be warned, while NYPD are too busy with real crimes, NCPD fat cats can amuse themselves this way. “hey jew walk this way for me will ya?” we can’t do stop and frisk, no warrant either, just having good ole fun.

    7 years ago

    To #27 -Your sarcasm regarding VIN News being around in 1981, is not appreciated!