Dear Editor:
Queens Hatzolah has been receiving complaints from civilians and police about alleged Hatzalah members who are abusing lights and siren privileges. We were provided with license plate numbers of the perpetrators.
As expected, we determined that these vehicles are not driven by members of any branch of Chevra Hatzalah, despite some of the plate types being VAS and EMT.
Besides those who actually complain, most probably there are many more incidents of this kind witnessed by those who assume that these are Hatzalah members but say nothing.
This is very unfortunate, as it endangers the public and gives the false impression that Hatzalah members are the culprits.
Please publicize this issue in your shuls and any other venues you can think of.
Again, it has been determined that vehicles found abusing lights and sirens privileges – despite some of the plate types being VAS and EMT – are not driven by members of any branch of Chevra Hatzalah.
Yechiel Nakdimen
Bye-Bye, We Will Miss Shimon’s Pie
Dear Editor:
It goes without saying that, growing up, my favorite pizza parlor was Shimon’s Pizza, Falafel, & Dairy Restaurant. Maybe it was the unique wooden sign still affixed atop the pizzeria, the Israeli-themed artwork inside, or their classic pizza slice that simply was phenomenal and beat out every other store in every other borough. When I heard the store was closing, it felt like déjà vu when I heard that King Solomon Pizza was closing, although that was many years ago.
As a child, my family would often go for supper on Sunday evenings to Shimon’s after spending a busy day shopping in Brooklyn and visiting my grandmother. We would always choose the same classic wooden booth on the right side near the windowsill; It was a view that we will never forget. Our order was generally quite simple. I would get a half falafel with pickles and sauerkraut, my sister Elisheva would request cheese blintzes with applesauce and sour cream and a Golden Flow chocolate milk, while my mother would order a baked ziti or cheese ravioli, and let me tell you that there was no store who can make it like Shimon’s, where you would have to scrape the sides of their classic dishes to get the best burnt goodies of charred cheese stuck along the sides.
My sister remembers how every Friday, the Bais Yaakov girls would gather at Shimon’s for lunch and pop next door to Max and Mina’s for a frozen yogurt dessert. However, my fondest memory is of Shimon himself calling out, “Eggplant rollatini,” or “Eggplant parmesan,” naming the dish that my father would request each time we went out for Sunday supper. We still call it out in my house to this day exactly as Shimon did; it is simply nostalgic. My father and his friends grew up with Shimon’s as a go-to location. They even recall its expansion to the current two store spaces it occupies, their iconic saloon doors that led to a seating in the rear, all this growing from a small niche pizza shop.
A decade and change ago, Shimon Gluska retired to the tranquility of the Florida sun. About two years ago his wife passed. I am told Shimon comes back to New York every so often to spend time with his three daughters.
Many may recall Shimon’s nephew Uziel, who worked behind the counter and left Kew Gardens Hills in 2007 to open Rami’s Kosher Pizza in Midwood, that he sold five years ago before making aliyah. Shimon also has a brother Sam who opened Sam’s Pizza on 108th Street in Forest Hills for a short bit, and Eli, who, with his wife, owns Blooming Flowers on Main Street. Many thanks to Mo (and Ruchie) Harary, originally from the kosher food stand at Brooklyn College, Young Israel of Redwood in Canarsie, and Clearview Bungalows concession, for continuing the legacy ever so eloquently since approximately 2006.
May our memories at Shimon’s live on forever through all the other kosher pizzerias that Main Street in Kew Gardens Hills – and the outlying communities – is zocheh to offer.
Shabsie Saphirstein
KGH resident from birth
Is Shmurah Matzah Now Threatened By NYC?
Dear Editor:
Are our religious values at stake? Might we no longer be able to purchase genuine, oven-baked shmurah matzah in New York City? I commend Moshe Hill for his article, “Radical Environmentalists Target Pizza In NYC,” and would like to add how the frum community might be affected. There have got to be at least a dozen matzah bakeries in New York and half a dozen in Brooklyn alone that would see their revenue flattened should this carbon emissions rule be put in place. It’s my understanding that many of these matzah bakeries have already put in place air filtration systems to reduce unsafe emissions that may affect neighbors and passersby. The Jewish people achieved their freedom from the Egyptians, and we have struggled to avoid persecution ever since.
Now, the Jewish community has more seichel than to throw matzah over the fence at City Park; rather, we will go about addressing this issue with Mayor Eric Adams to reach a reasonable understanding. The mayor and his camaraderie of religious Jewish officials are sure to be of help in finding common ground. I applaud the mayor for seeking a safe environment for his constituents, but I beg of the Adams administration to ensure that our Jewish custom spanning thousands of years is not threatened. Preservation of the coal and wood methodology to baking matzah is essential, as gas stoves cannot be as hot as coal and wood. Business owners will comply with a reasonable compromise. Don’t hurt our small shops; help us ensure safety and security of the environment for all New Yorkers.
Shabsie Saphirstein
Dear Editor:
Defenders of President Trump’s legacy frequently cite his record on issues related to Israel and his Middle East policy. But his greatest legacy was his ability to pick winners when it came to nominations for Supreme Court openings. His selections of Justices based on their qualifications and accomplishments (as opposed to Biden’s and Obama’s disgusting selection of Justices based on race) will reverberate for generations to come, long after Trump leaves the spotlight.
Just this past week, the US Supreme Court issued landmark rulings negating President Biden’s overtly unconstitutional scheme of student loan forgiveness and ended one of the last bastions of institutional racism in our country: affirmative action. This country has gone almost completely off the rails. Our Congress is made up of incompetent, self-interested buffoons. Our President is a corrupt, bought-and-paid-for politician with a nasty habit of issuing dictatorial and unconstitutional executive orders. And most leftists (including the two Affirmative Action Supreme Court Justices) believe that the solution to racism of the past is to have sanctioned, institutionalized racism going forward.
Thanks to the conservative majority, the only sane branch of government left is the Supreme Court. Trump may be rude, may be holding classified documents, and likely has no chance to win a general election, but he is single-handedly responsible for the Supreme Court being the only current functioning branch of government that hopefully can keep this country from completely going off the deep end.
Avi Goldberg
Dear Editor:
Now is the time to get rid of alternate side parking. I’ve been saying for years that it would be worth it for homeowners and shopkeepers to be solely responsible for curbside cleaning. They are already, as they are responsible for the trash that is adjacent to the sidewalk of their property, even 18 inches into the street from the curb. We can eliminate the street sweepers, as they are like swatting a fly with a cannon.
The homeowners and shopkeepers would benefit from the added parking space. How would they clean the curbside with cars parked there? Answer: A broom can access the space that is not covered by the car’s tires. So, couldn’t a car be on top of a piece of trash and then when it moves, the homeowner shopkeeper would be ticketed? Answer: No, the only way there should be a ticket is if there is an obvious neglect of cleaning. One or two pieces of trash would not suffice. Would unions complain that you’re taking away jobs from the street sweepers? Yes, but I think certainly with congestion pricing, alternate side parking has outlived its usefulness. The city could still make money ticketing neglected curbsides and they wouldn’t have to shell out the big money for the truck sweepers.
Councilman Jim Gennaro and Assemblyman Daniel Rosenthal, you would be heralded as stars if you would implement this for our districts.
Thank you in advance,
Abe Fuchs
Dear Editor:
In his latest column, Warren Hecht implores all his readers and especially QJL letter-writers to write letters to the committee chairmen to express our opposition to the despicably anti-Semitic remarks uttered by Fatima Mousa Mohammed at a recent CUNY Law School graduation. Although Mr. Hecht and I have disagreed on many issues, I completely hear him on this one. But perhaps a little introspection would be a worthwhile endeavor to figure out how we got to the point where a CUNY Law School grad feels comfortable enough to spew her hatred of Jews in a public forum in a city that is home to over 1.5 million Jews.
Mr. Hecht has frequently espoused his support for the Democratic Party, despite the mainstreaming of anti-Semitism within their ranks. Last year, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, channeling the modern version of the oft-used dual loyalty canard, stated that one could not be both progressive and a supporter of Israel.
Ilhan Omar never tried to hide her bigotry towards Jews with her “Israel hypnotized the world” and “It’s all about the Benjamins” remarks. Cori Bush and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s statements about Israel being an apartheid state can be chalked up to ignorance or intellectual laziness, but the fact that they feel comfortable purveying overt lies about Jews through the media is certainly telling of their mindset and their lack of fear over any political reprisal within their own party for their repugnant and factually incorrect points of view.
Are there any political leaders within the Democratic Party who can stand up to this bigotry? Well, I can think of a few with last names such as Schumer, Nadler, Raskin, Blumenthal, Sanders, and Schiff, but they have all shown their cowardice with their conspicuous silence over the years when it comes to defending Jews against the relentless attacks of their Democratic colleagues. Florida Democratic Rep. Ted Deutch had the courage to condemn the Democratic Party’s anti-Semitism a few years back, but he unfortunately is no longer in Congress.
With the mainstreaming of anti-Semitism within one of the two major political parties that has gone largely unchecked, is it any surprise that we’re seeing a trickle-down effect to places of higher learning? Mr. Hecht, you are treating the symptoms of the sickness of anti-Semitism, but you are ignoring the underlying causes for why it exists.
Let’s say you succeed in your campaign against Ms. Mohammed. Does that change in any way the malignancy that has infected your beloved Democratic Party? I think not. Instead of aiming your fire at low-hanging fruit like Ms. Mohammed, how about targeting a more strategic target? Perhaps if you can reel in a bigger fish, that would move the needle a bit on this scourge that has become all too common within the ranks of the Democratic Party.
Jason Stark
Dear Editor:
We owe a debt of gratitude to Drs. Salk and Sabin for the discovery of the polio vaccine. I would like to throw another hat into the ring of great medical discoveries: the caffeine suppository. Too personal, you might say? That’s okay. You’ll thank me when it’s 3:00 p.m. on the next fast day.
Let’s face it. Preparing for a fast is akin to preparing (l’havdil) for the NYC Marathon. Kiss your caffeinated coffee “adieu.” That MSG Chinese food is a no-no. Cold cuts are a sure-fire path to a colossal migraine. Hydration (water, not Coke!) and pasta will ease your fast. Imagine not feeling like you are with Yonah on that boat. After taking the suppository, you don’t have to worry if the fast is over at 7:37 instead of 7:21 or 9:15 instead of 9:00. True, it’s the three (or six) times a year you are happy you don’t live in LA (three hours behind us), but the millionth time of the year you wish you had made aliyah (seven hours ahead of us). Just remember. Even though it’s a mitzvah to eat a lot on Erev Yom Kippur (a mitzvah I fulfill with gusto), avoid caffeine and salt and then you can actually concentrate on the Avodah part of Musaf!
Debbie Horowitz
Dear Editor:
At a recent meeting to discuss the issue of rent control, an elderly White woman criticized Mayor Adams for his stance on the issue. The Mayor, in response, stated in part, “First, if you’re going to ask a question, don’t point at me and don’t be disrespectful to me. I’m the Mayor of this city, and treat me with the respect that I would deserve to be treated... Don’t stand in front like you treated someone that’s on the plantation that you own.”
Putting aside the outrageous, unwarranted, and inflammatory “plantation” remark, the Mayor getting upset at someone for pointing at him shows how thin-skinned he truly is. Does he not realize the everyday indignities New York City residents endure just to commute to work today? Commuters are forced to ride crime-ridden subways filled with the stench of urine and countless homeless, mentally ill drug addicts he has done nothing about. Last week, thanks in part to Adams’ ridiculous stance on illegal immigration, New York City homeless shelters now have more illegal immigrants residing there than legal residents of this country. I don’t think anyone believed that whoever took over as mayor could do a worse job than former Mayor Warren Wilhelm (stage name: Bill de Blasio), but Adams is giving him a run for his money.
Doniel Behar
Dear Editor:
Happy 76th anniversary, Larry Doby.
July 5 marked the 76th Anniversary of Larry Doby playing his first major league baseball game for the Cleveland Indians in 1947. It was a milestone for integrating the American League, along with Jackie Robinson playing his first major league baseball game for the Brooklyn Dodgers, integrating the National League.
It was a time when most baseball fans could afford a bleacher, general admission, reserve, or box seat. Hot dogs, beer, other refreshments and souvenirs were reasonably priced.
Just as Jackie Robinson and Larry Doby both fought racism in the 1950s, Detroit Tigers’ Hank Greenberg had to do the same with anti-Semitism in his time. Doby, Robinson, and Greenberg both document the long-lasting relationship between African Americans and Jewish sports fans standing together for decades in support of each other.
Sincerely,
Larry Penner
Great Neck, New York
Dear Editor:
The current trajectory of the 2024 presidential race could’ve been a plot for an episode of The Twilight Zone.
The Republican frontrunner hardly ever discusses policy because he has scant knowledge or understanding of issues the country faces. He gets more popular with each indictment, lie, utterance of cruelty toward other candidates, and insane comment. He is under indictment for several serious unconstitutional, criminal acts.
His supporters act like cult-captured zombies; normal people cannot even have a conversation with them involving Dear Leader or convince them to support other worthy, accomplished candidates, especially Ron DeSantis, the second-leading candidate for the Republican nomination who can easily beat Biden (which is why Democrats are hoping Trump will be the candidate). They refuse to see the obvious fatal flaws in Trump or understand the political reality that he cannot win a general election and if he is the Republican candidate, will bring another term of a Biden (that will likely become a Harris) presidency. They’re literally in another dimension.
Not to mention the robotic, barely-alive, likely-criminal Democratic candidate.
Would’ve it have been a top episode of this iconic television show? Or is it too bizarre to even be imagined?
Sincerely,
Arlene Ross
Forest Hills,
Dear Editor:
The Deep State is at it again.
The FBI and DOJ interfered with the 2016 election by starting a phony “Russian Collusion” investigation against [President Donald] Trump in an attempt to help Hillary Clinton win the White House.
The FBI, DOJ, and CIA interfered with the 2020 election by labeling the Hunter Biden laptop as “Russian disinformation.” This helped Joe Biden win the White House.
Now, once again, the Deep State is interfering with the 2024 election by charging Trump with phony crimes.
The most recent indictment is by special counsel Smith for mishandling classified documents and obstruction. Smith is a highly partisan Democratic activist who was involved with Lois Lerner of the IRS in targeting conservative groups.
The indictment is based on the Espionage Act of 1917. This is a false legal premise. Trump did not commit espionage. Presidential handling of classified documents is governed by the Presidential Records Act, which states that the President has the sole discretion to classify and declassify documents. Smith did not use the Presidential Records Act because it does not carry any criminal penalties. Here is a thumbnail sketch of Trump’s possible defenses:
Trump did not commit espionage, so the Espionage Act did not apply.
- Smith went after Trump’s attorneys and pressured them to testify against him. This violates attorney-client privilege.
- One of the attorneys working for Smith pressured an attorney to get his client to flip on Trump. This is unethical conduct and is cause for dismissal of the criminal case.
- The warrant to raid Mar-a-Lago was too general. The FBI went after all of Trump and his family’s personal belongings. This is improper.
- This case is an example of selective prosecution. Hillary Clinton had a private server with classified documents. When the government investigated her conduct, she destroyed the evidence and was never charged with obstruction of justice. Biden had many classified documents in his home from his time as senator and vice president. No action was taken against him. This double standard of justice is very bad for this country, and it must stop.
I would like to take this opportunity to respond to Warren Hecht. In his last three columns, he had the temerity to complain about the anti-Semitism of the Muslim CUNY graduation speaker. He is talking out of two sides of his mouth. When Lee Zeldin was running for governor against Hochul, he stated that he would cut funding to CUNY if they allowed anti-Semitic speakers. Hochul was fine with the anti-Semitism. Warren urged QJL readers to vote for Hochul. Hochul won and Warren got what he wanted. Warren also urged readers to support the Dems in Congress who unanimously supported anti-Semites such as Omar and Tlaib. If someone votes for the anti-Semitic Democratic Party, they are supporting anti-Semitism. Warren also claims that he supports Israel, but he supports Biden who just signed on to a BDS policy that Trump rejected.
The only way to check this abuse and anti-Semitism, is for us to vote for Republicans. The Democrats have too much power and they have weaponized our legal system and institutions against Israel and their legal opponents. We must fight this if we are to survive as a Democratic nation.
Martin Berkowitz
