For What it’s Worth: Warren Hecht

When I bring up the president’s foibles, the refrain I usually hear from the Jewish Trumpians is that he is good for Israel. Therefore, I will address current events with that in mind. There are two major issues involving the president. One is the holding up of funds from Ukraine and the second is the situation in northern Syria. The president’s conduct in both should cause supporters of Israel concern.

A number of years ago, John Bolton was the keynote speaker at the Yom Yerushalayim program at the Young Israel of Hillcrest sponsored by then Queens Borough President Helen Marshall and Queens Jewish Community Council. The shul was packed. He was well-received because even then it was well-known that he was a strong supporter of Israel and tough on her enemies.

On occasion, I have written to take issue with some of the comments made by fellow columnists. This week, I was proud of the tone set by the Queens Jewish Link (October 3, 2019). For example, Rabbi Oppenheimer, as he has before, has addressed the importance of the Jewish community working together even with our religious differences. Moshe Hill wrote about how those who have political disagreements should not engage in personal attacks. I agree with both sentiments and hope we can act this way the entire year.

On September 8, 2019, I rode in the New York Century Bike Tour. Although it was my first time riding the Century, it was the 30th and last time they were doing the tour. It went through four of the boroughs (not Staten Island). Unlike the Five Borough Bike Tour, the streets were not protected. Thus, we were like any other cyclist dependent on whether there was a bike lane. We did ride on some streets without a bike lane, which upset some drivers. One woman driving on Myrtle Avenue threatened to run us over.

On September 17, the past presidents were honored at the Queens Jewish Community Council’s Testimonial Dinner. This year was the 50th anniversary of the incorporation of the organization.

One of the disadvantages of flying standby is that you may be limited as to where you can fly. If you have a confirmed ticket, then you know where you are going. Sometimes you have to fly to a country you really do not want to be in, just because all other options are closed. This happened on my trip with my wife to Europe. The only airport in Europe that had flights from the New York area was Berlin.