Website for Jacob Ostreicher is Down...

They are apparently experiencing technical difficulties but you can still access the online petition by clicking here.

HIKIND, GREENFIELD, LEVIN & UJO PUSH PETITION TO FREE JACOB OSTREICHER

PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Yehudah Meth 718-853-9616

MULTIPLE COMMUNITY LOCATIONS AVAILABLE FOR COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO SIGN PETITION

Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn), Councilman David G. Greenfield (D-Brooklyn), and Councilman Stephen Levin (D-Brooklyn) are urging community residents who have not already done so to sign an on-line petition to President Obama urging his intervention with the Bolivian government to free Jacob Ostreicher. Ostreicher, a Brooklyn resident and U.S. citizen, has been held in a Bolivian prison for nearly one year without being charged with a crime.

“Eleven months behind bars without being charged—the thought boggles the mind,” said Assemblyman Hikind. “Jacob Ostreicher spends each day of his life in a Bolivian prison without even basic human rights. None of us can sleep easy while this terrible injustice continues. Please be part of the solution and urge everyone to do the same.”

“I urge all of my constituents to do everything they can to help free Jacob Ostreicher, including signing the petition immediately,” said Councilman David G. Greenfield. “We must rally as a community to fight for justice on behalf of our neighbor who is languishing in the world's worst prison. We cannot rest until justice prevails and Mr. Ostreicher is back on American soil.”

Ostreicher’s plight was recently covered by “Nightline” on ABC News. The on-line petition is available at www.FreeJacobNow.com

For those who lack easy access to the Internet, Assemblyman Hikind coordinated the following locations where people can come during business hours to sign the online petition:

• The Office of Assembly Dov Hikind, 1310 48th St., Brooklyn, NY 11219
• The Office of Councilman David G. Greenfield, 4424 16th Ave., Brooklyn, New York 11204
• The Office of Councilman Stephen Levin, 410 Atlantic Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11217
• United Jewish Organizations of Williamsburg (UJO), 32 Penn Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211
• Copy Center of Crown Heights, 418 Kingston Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11225
• Midtown Camera, 185 Lee Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11211

As more locations become available, they will be posted here on this blog

Demanding Justice for Jacob Ostreicher

It has been a week since nearly 500 of us stood together in front of the Bolivian Mission to the United Nations demanding justice for Jacob Ostreicher. If he Bolivian government believes that was this issue’s 15 minutes of fame, they are sorely mistaken. We are just getting started.

My staff and I met with Jacob’s wife Miriam today to discuss next steps. There will certainly be many next steps and the Ostreicher family needs and deserves your support as these steps are taken.

Eleven months behind bars without being charged for a crime. The thought boggles the mind. There but for the grace of G-d goes any of us who travel or do business in a country that lacks the laws and justice system of the United States. None of us can sleep easy while this terrible injustice continues.

Keep an eye on this blog and on the website set up to free Jacob Ostreicher so you can keep posted on what’s being done and how you can help. Your prayers and your signature on the petition to free Jacob will go a long way in this battle. And when we rally on Jacob’s behalf again, we’re sure we'll see you there!

Field Day for the Mice: A Lesson in Misinformation

There was a small panic in my office last night. An unexpected incident caused my assistant to leap from her chair in fright. This usually occurs when she sees a mouse scurry across the floor (what can I say? It’s the city—mice like it here, too). But this was a mouse of a different color.

The story went like this: The Jewish Center for Special Education on 1760 53^rd  was concerned because their children are dismissed at 3pm and a parade, for the Jewish holiday of Log B’omer, had been announced along with street closures for tomorrow. The yeshiva called the police several times for clarity and instructions but their calls were not returned. So they phoned my office.

My assistant, with alacrity, called our friends at the police department to make certain there would be no issues for the yeshiva, the students or their parents. Assured that all was copacetic, she was relaying this information to the yeshiva’s staff when...

Suddenly someone was Tweeting (or is it Twittering?) the following: “Dov Hikind – Why are you calling NYPD to shut down Log B’omer parade! Terrible to do this – you were invited!”

Indeed, I was invited, and planned to attend. Still do.

Fortunately, we were able to correct this anonymous Tweet dropper and the twits who follow him/her/it (I have no idea who the person behind this Twitter handle is… and even if I do, I’m not telling).

Our reply: “Staffer called PD to make sure special needs children can get down 17th w/o problems. I plan to attend parade.”

Was the anonymous Tweeter mean-spirited? Was this just a hasty response to something he/she didn’t understand or misconstrued? Or was there something malevolent intended in this squeaky Tweet?

The truth is, one never knows. That’s the problem with “information” and “inside scoops” from anonymous sources. Twitter—and I dare say Facebook, message boards, and even so-called “news” sites—are filled with  digital graffiti artists; people with agendas hiding behind walls of anonymity.

Author Harlan Ellison once noted to one of his proteges that the Internet is the greatest villain of the 21^st Century because it makes all information suspect. It makes the super information highway that much harder to travel.

But for small rodents lurking in shadows, it’s a field day.

Bonei Olam: Hope Today... Tomorrow A Child

I was privileged to not only speak on Sunday evening at the Bonei Olam dinner, but also to introduce my friend, NY State Senate Majority leader Dean Skelos, who addressed the dinner attendees. My heartfelt thanks to Dean for adding funds to the NY State IVF Grant.

Bonei Olam’s mission--a mission they fulfill--is to help couples that are experiencing infertility realize their dreams of having a child. Bonei Olam was founded by a group of individuals who themselves had experienced the hardships of infertility. They provide funding for all aspects of fertility treatments, relieving couples of the financial, emotional, and physical stress resulting from infertility. Bonei Olam has built a strong, dedicated network of doctors and fertility centers across the world, enabling them to offer unsurpassed medical and financial assistance to all applicants.

To date, over 2000 of the many couples that Bonei Olam has assisted have given birth to children of their own. If not for Bonei Olam, these couples would not have had alternative avenues to finance their treatments.

And My Endorsement for NYC Mayor Is…

When I received a phone call on Sunday afternoon from Sally Goldenberg at The NY Post, I was happy to answer her questions about Bill Thompson and his relationship with the Jewish community. Bill is an old friend and I have nothing but good things to say about him. But I also have nothing but good things to say about Public Advocate Bill DeBlasio, NYC Comptroller John Liu, and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer (listed alphabetically—not by position held, height, age or any other factor). In fact, I did say good things about all three of these friends to Sally in that same conversation. Those things just didn’t make it to The NY Post article.

The fact is I have not endorsed anyone for NYC Mayor. I’m far from discussing an election that will not take place until next year.

I was quoted as saying Bill Thompson is a favorite in the Jewish community. That’s true. But that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s the favorite.

I supported Bill when he ran against—and narrowly lost to—Mayor Bloomberg. I believed then that Bill was better for our community and our city. I still believe that. But I think the same thing about many of the candidates who are looking at a mayoral run.

As for my relationship with the other prospective candidates:

• Just last month I joined Bill de Blasio at his press conference demanding that Nissan—the winner of a $1 billion contract to manufacture NYC’s “Taxi of Tomorrow”—stop conducting business in Iran.


• John Liu and I have stood together on many issues impacting the Jewish community and we continue to do so. 


• Just two weeks ago, Scott Stringer supported my efforts (successfully) to have the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art give full disclosure to Gertrude Stein’s past in presenting her art collection “The Steins Collect.” 

 So I repeat, I haven’t endorsed anyone. And to the best of my knowledge neither has the Jewish community.

Yeshiva Bonim Lamokom Visits Albany

Children from Yeshiva Bonim Lamokom came to visit Albany on Wednesday morning. It was an extraordinary time for the children, but even more so for me and my fellow legislators who were fortunate enough to meet these special kids and their very special teachers.

Yeshiva Bonim Lamokom is a special education yeshiva for high-functioning boys with Down Syndrome and other developmental delays. The yeshiva took an overnight trip to Albany and I was delighted to meet with them as they toured the Capital building. One of the boys--a loyal listener to my radio show--introduced me to his classmates. Thank you Rabbi Zev Horowitz for sharing your students with us in Albany!

Lipa Schmeltzer Joins Rally for Jacob Ostreicher's Freedom

Lipa Schmeltzer--the popular American Hasidic singer and composer--was among the hundreds
of people who turned out in support of Jacob Ostreicher today at the first public rally on his behalf.

The time for quiet diplomacy has ended. The Bolivians are holding Mr. Ostreucher without having charged him for a crime.

Assemblyman Dov Hikind and musician Lipa Schmeltzer speak out for Jacob Ostreicher

How can you help? Get loud. Keep this story alive. Share the story of Jacob Ostreicher's illegal captivity in a Bolivian prison and re-post this story via Facebook, Twitter, and any other means at your disposal.

Jacob Ostreicher's Plight Is Our Own

Jacob Ostreicher, a U.S. Citizen, has been illegally detained by Bolivian prosecutors in Palmasola Prison, Santa Cruz for 11 months. This is unacceptable.

photo (c) 2012 Yehudah Meth

Attempts at quiet diplomacy have only brought frustration to this man's family and the time has come to do more. Hundreds of people from Borough Park and Williamsburg turned out today at the Bolivian Mission to the United Nations to speak out against this terrifying injustice.

Jacob Ostreicher has not been charged with a crime. We cannot stand silently by and allow this to continue. I am calling upon Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the State Department, and President Obama to stop ignoring the plight of this U.S. citizen. Are American lives so cheap that any of us can get snatched by a foreign country while our own government turns a blind eye? I say no!

photo (c) 2012 Yehudah Meth

photo (c) 2012 Yehudah Meth

Today at the U.N.: We Demand Justice for Jacob Ostreicher

Today at 11 am I will address the press to demand justice for Jacob Ostreicher, an American citizen held in Bolivian prison for 1 year without being charged. I will stand with Jacob Ostreicher’s wife, family and friends. Please join us. “Where have you been Secretary of State Hillary Clinton?”

HIKIND & STRINGER CONVINCE MET TO DISCLOSE GERTRUDE STEIN’S NAZI PAST

PRESS RELEASE

PRESENTATION OF ‘STEIN COLLECTS’ AT METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART TO BE UPDATED FOR HISTORICAL ACCURACY

Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer (D-Manhattan) have convinced The Metropolitan Museum of Art to reveal that its exhibit “The Steins Collect” was owned and collected by fascist/Nazi-collaborator Gertrude Stein.

“The Steins Collect”—a popular exhibit currently on display at the Met, which includes art from Matisse, Cezanne, Van Gogh, Renoir and Picasso—noticeably overlooked some key historical details in its presentation: That the collection survived the Nazi plunder of France only because its owner, author/collector Gertrude Stein, was philosophically aligned with the Vichy Nazi collaborators. Stein not only translated Nazi puppet leader Marshall Philippe Petain’s speeches into English for submission to her New York publisher, she also lobbied for a Nobel Peace Prize for Adolph Hitler in 1938.

Following this glaring omission, Assemblyman Hikind met with representatives of the museum this morning who assured him that the presentation of “The Steins Collect” exhibit will be updated for historical accuracy.

“People are entitled to the facts,” said Assemblyman Hikind. “Visitors have the right to know that this collection exists because Gertrude Stein sold her soul; that she lived in comfort, aiding the Nazi cause while her fellow Jews were being robbed, tortured and murdered. “I am grateful to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for accepting the historical accountability of full disclosure. I also want to thank Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer for joining me in correcting this glaring omission.”

HIKIND DEMANDS METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART UNMASK GERTRUDE STEIN’S NAZI PAST

PRESS RELEASE

STEIN COLLECTED WHILE FELLOW JEWS WERE MURDERED

Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) is demanding that The Metropolitan Museum of Art reveal that its exhibit “The Steins Collect” was owned and collected by fascist/Nazi-collaborator Gertrude Stein.

“The Steins Collect”—a popular exhibit currently on display at the Met, which includes art from Matisse, Cezanne, Van Gogh, Renoir and Picasso—is scheduled to remain on display until June 3rd. However nowhere are visitors of the collection informed of the owner Gertrude Stein’s dark past.

Gertrude Stein at home in France with

Vichy bureaucrat Bernard Fay

“Stein’s despicable behavior while her fellow Jews—men, women and children—were being rounded up for deportation to work camps and gas chambers may be well known to historians, and likely to curators at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but this information should be equally available to people patronizing the museum,” Assemblyman Hikind wrote to Dr. Thomas P. Campbell, Director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. “As a legislator, a New Yorker, a child of Holocaust survivors, and a representative of one of the largest communities of Holocaust survivors in the United States, I was deeply disturbed to learn that the museum is displaying ‘The Steins Collect’ without any acknowledgement of Gertrude Stein’s involvement with France’s fascists as a Nazi Collaborator.”

Neither the museum’s website nor “The Steins Collect” display make any reference to Gertrude Stein’s dark past. It is a matter of fact that, among other things, Stein lobbied for a Nobel Peace Prize for Adolph Hitler and was only allowed to remain in France and continue collecting art because she aided the Vichy government in its collaboration with the Nazis.

“People need to know these facts,” said Assemblyman Hikind. “People need to know who owned this art and how she came to maintain it while her fellow Jews were being robbed, tortured and murdered. Indeed, the collection should be presented as collected and safeguarded by a Nazi Collaborator. The Metropolitan Museum of Art must take responsibility for this historical accountability.”

Assemblyman Hikind is demanding full disclosure of this information for the many people who will visit “The Steins Collect” at the Met.