‘NO FIGHT CLUB IN OUR COMMUNITY’ VOWS HIKIND

COMMUNITY ALERT FROM
ASSEMBLYMAN DOV HIKIND

October  28, 2013

Contact: Yehudah Meth                                                       For Immediate Release
718-853-9616 (office)
973-945-4903 (cell)

‘NO FIGHT CLUB IN OUR COMMUNITY’ VOWS HIKIND

VIOLENCE-PROMOTING ORGANIZATIONS AREN’T NEEDED IN BORO PARK

Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) is vowing the community that he will strongly oppose a  proposed “New York City Fight Club” in Boro Park.

Assemblyman Hikind learned this morning the group, which sponsors unsanctioned fights,  had applied for a special variance in his community and that they hope to open at 4930 20^th Ave., Brooklyn, directly across the street from a girl’s yeshiva.

“We don’t need this here and we don’t want this here,” said the Assemblyman. “This is a quiet community centered around family life and educating our children. Members of our community are not going to participate in a fight club. It’s a frightening notion, antithetical to the peaceful culture here. Parents don’t want this type of club anywhere near their children, and neither do we want what this will attract and bring to our streets. In every imaginable way, this type of thing would impact our community in a negative way.

“This club can do what it wants, but we don’t want them to do it here in Boro Park.”

Assemblyman Hikind said he is working with Brooklyn’s Community Board 12 and plans to work with other elected officials to prevent this or any other “fight clubs” from entering his community.

Rabbi Daniel Schonbuch tonight on the Dov Hikind Show

Tonight's guest is Rabbi Daniel Schonbuch, an acclaimed author and expert in marriage counseling, pre-marital education, and helping teens in crisis. His books include At Risk–Never Beyond Reach and First Aid For Jewish Marriages. Rabbi Schonbuch is also the Executive Director of Shalom Task Force.

"The Dov Hikind Show" 7pm on 620 AM, WSNR.

Holocaust Denier Shutdown by Banks

David Irving, the well known 75-year-old Holocaust denier and self-promoter, sent out a letter to his followers from his office in Windsor, England today acknowledging that our efforts to stop him from spreading his lies and hate have been successful.

“If you attempted within the last few weeks to register for my talk on the Hess mystery, or to buy a book, on our online bookstore using a major credit card, you may have found your card ‘refused,’” writes Irving. He explains to his followers that his merchant service provider pulled their contractual agreement with him as a result of my efforts.

Once again, I salute the executives at MasterCard for stepping up to this issue at my behest and following through. I intend to maintain the pressure on the major credit card companies to be vigilant in distancing themselves from those who spread hate and attempt to rewrite history for the own purposes.

HIKIND ANNOUNCES $6MM FOR OCEAN PARKWAY SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS

NEWS FROM
ASSEMBLYMAN DOV HIKIND

September 24, 2013

Contact: Yehudah Meth                                                       For Immediate Release
718-853-9616 (office)
973-945-4903 (cell)

HIKIND ANNOUNCES $6MM FOR
OCEAN PARKWAY SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS

Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) is proud to announce that $6 million has been allocated by the New York State Legislature for Ocean Parkway Corridor Walking and Bicycling Safety Improvements. The allocations, which were accelerated thanks to efforts made by Assemblyman Hikind and his colleagues in the Assembly and the State Senate, are part of the NY Works program and supplement the existing State Road and Bridge Capital Plan. The monies will go towards state-of-the-art signage and other improvements meant to protect pedestrians and bicyclists along the span of Ocean Parkway.

“These improvements will be truly valuable to our community,” said Assemblyman Hikind. “The dangers on Ocean Parkway have long been expressed by residents. There are pedestrians walking where bicyclists are supposed to be and vice-versa. Confusion on a busy highway means high risk to everyone. I often walked my mother along or across Ocean Parkway. There’s children, elderly, and everyone in-between trying to get to where they have to go in the safest possible way. Proper demarcations, count-down signals for alerting pedestrians and bicyclists, and good, visible signs will go a long way towards protecting the safety of our many residents.”

Ken Thompson: About Last Night… And Tomorrow

My phone hasn’t stopped ringing today. People want to congratulate me on last night’s victory in the Brooklyn District Attorney primary election. But it wasn’t my victory. It was yours. And it was Ken Thompson’s.

I don’t take my endorsements lightly. I’m not interested in being a so-called “power broker.” That’s someone elses obsession. I am only interested in doing the right thing. When it came to the Brooklyn  DA’s race, the right thing for Brooklyn and my constituents was supporting Ken.

From the moment I met Ken, I liked him. We spoke about the issues and about who he was, and I said to myself, “This is a good man. Regardless of what happens in this election, I believe he’s the best man for the job.”

I must be honest: I believe that people who supported Charles Hynes in my community did so out of fear. That’s not the right way to do things. The correct approach is to stand up for what we believe in—and for the people we believe in—regardless of the consequences. That’s why I was the first elected official to take a stance on sexual abuse within our community, long before it was acceptable to even acknowledge the problem. To many, it still isn’t. People wanted my head. But that didn’t matter—right is right.

I knew that standing up for Ken Thompson wouldn’t be the most popular stance. An incumbent had not lost a DA race in our borough in over 100 years. Standing up for Ken had nothing to do with showing how many votes I could swing. It wasn’t about me or my ego. It was about our community.

Everyone agrees that Ken is a smart guy, a good man. I saw that every time we spoke, every time we discussed the issues and the imbalance of justice we’d seen here on too many occasions. And as I stood with Ken last night at his victory party, I saw something else, too. I already knew that his credentials were impeccable, but last night I watched how Ken thoughtfully treated his wife. I watched the tremendous respect that Ken showed toward his mother. These small things just added to the picture that I already had of our next DA: Ken Thompson is a mensch.

For those who have been fooled by rhetoric, I tell you your fears are in vain. Ken will be fair to the members of the Jewish community as Ken will be fair to the members of every community. I look forward to working with a District Attorney where we have an open door.

My job last night wasn’t to deliver an overwhelming majority of our community. The odds were too strong and the misinformation and rhetoric too great. My job was to help Ken get enough of our community to make a difference, and to do so by informing you of the facts. I’m proud of the stance I took. And I’m proud of those of you who like AMI Magazine took the bold and honest position of supporting Ken.

But it wasn’t my victory. It was yours. And it was Ken Thompson’s.

Receiving Blessings From the Leaders of Satmar

I was delighted to sit down this evening with Rebbe Aaron Teitelbaum and Rebbe Zalman Leib Teitelbaum, the esteemed leaders of Satmar. After receiving a delightful and warm reception, we sat down to discuss the many accomplishments that we’ve seen together, including TAP, transportation, and other important accomplishments impacting our families and yeshivos. I was honored to receive their blessings, including the blessing to continue bringing as much good as possible to our community for many years to come.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Rabbi Moshe Dovid Neiderman for arranging my meeting with Rebbe Zalman Leib, and to thank Rabbi Aaron Weltz and Rabbi Isaac Sofer for arranging my meeting with Rebbe Aaron.

Wishing everyone in our community a Kesiva va’chasima tovah!

Bill Thompson, Scott Stringer - Tonight

Tonight, NYC mayoral candidate and NYC Comptroller candidate Scott Stringer join me on The Dov Hikind Show. Also joining me will be Rabbi Mordechai Biser, general counsel of Agudath Israel of America.

"The Dov Hikind Show" 7pm on 620 AM, WSNR.

 

Distributing Food Packages at COJO with Elsie McCabe Thompson

I had a delightful time this afternoon distributing holiday food packages with Elsie Thompson, the lovely wife of mayoral candidate Bill Thompson. Elsie and I were at the Young Israel of Midwood for COJO (the Council of Jewish Organizations) and the Met Council. The Met Council distributes 5.4 million lbs. of kosher food each year ensuring that needy individuals and families can celebrate the holidays with joy and dignity.

MATERIALS DENYING HOLOCAUST MUST FIND NEW MERCHANTS

NEWS FROM
ASSEMBLYMAN DOV HIKIND

August 27, 2013

Contact: Yehudah Meth                                                         For Immediate Release

718-853-9616 (office)
973-945-4903 (cell)

HIKIND APPLAUDS MASTERCARD AS
HATE GROUPS EXIT PROGRAM

MATERIALS DENYING HOLOCAUST MUST
FIND NEW MERCHANTS

Assemblyman Hikind (D-Brooklyn) had the highest praise for MasterCard and its executives for educating its merchant banks with regard to doing business with hate groups. Meeting with MasterCard’s top executives this morning, the Assemblyman thanked Richard Santoro, MasterCard Worldwide’s VP of Government Affairs, and Noah J. Hanft, General Counsel and Chief Franchise Integrity Officer for MasterCard Worldwide, for their diligence in addressing this deeply hurtful issue.

Last month, the Assemblyman called on all of the major credit card companies to withdraw their support from numerous haters operating in the United States and abroad when it was discovered that eight Holocaust denial organizations were selling racist, anti-Semitic and Holocaust Denial products (books, videos) via websites through credit card sales. Some of the many anti-Semitic and Holocaust-denial books sold by these organizations include Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion, and The Rudolf Report which states, “The alleged gas chambers of Auschwitz could not have existed.”

“MasterCard was the first to take this issue seriously,” said Assemblyman Hikind. “Freedom of speech allows anyone to espouse openly racist, hateful ideologies, but there’s no need to make it easier for them—and no cause for a respected credit card and international brand to be associated with such reprehensible material. I applaud MasterCard for their sensitivity and respect—for going the extra mile and making the necessary efforts to do the right thing.”

Unlike in certain European countries, where selling racist and Holocaust-denial materials is illegal, hate literature is protected speech in the United States. As such, MasterCard is limited to “educating” its merchant banks with regard to who they are issuing merchant accounts to. “But MasterCard has been a Master Educator,” said Assemblyman Hikind who noted that nearly every hate group that he reported last month for selling Holocaust Denial products has now been dropped by their individual merchant banks.

“It’s an important victory,” said Assemblyman Hikind, the son of Holocaust survivors. “The Jewish community and anyone interested in historical accuracy owes MasterCard a debt of gratitude.”

Assemblyman Hikind with Noah J. Hanft, General Counsel and Chief Franchise Integrity Officer for MasterCard Worldwide (L) and Richard Santoro, MasterCard Worldwide’s VP of Government Affairs

My Endorsement for NYC Mayor

Not surprisingly there are rumors going around regarding who I will support for NYC’s next mayor. While the attention to my endorsement is flattering, it should be known that my endorsements of any candidates have never had anything to do with politics. I have only endorsed candidates who I personally felt would be best for our community and the issues that are most important to us.

With regards to Bill de Blasio and Bill Thompson (listed here alphabetically, or by height if you prefer) I believe both of these men would be great for the Jewish community. They are both men of excellent character and I have enjoyed both a personal and professional relationship with each of them.

Bill de Blasio and I met when he was running Hillary Clinton’s campaign for Senate. We had the opportunity then to talk about my commitment to the Jewish people, to Israel, and to the issues that were vital to our community. From that day on, Bill and I have continued building a deep friendship.

Bill Thompson and I go back even further—more than 30 years. I’ve known his family, his father Judge William Thompson Sr., and I have always had immense respect for Bill’s opinions and his commitment to doing the right thing.

With both of these men, our differences have never mattered as much as our common ground. With both men, the Jewish community has received and will continue to receive respect and sensitivity to the issues that matter to us. Time and again, both have stood with me on important matters facing our city and our community. Both have worked with me to combat anti-Semitism and racism. Both have sat at my Shabbos table with their families and mine.

Bill de Blasio is sensitive to the issues that we care about. So is Bill Thompson. Either man would make an excellent, caring, responsible mayor and choosing one over the other will be a very difficult task for me.

But whoever wins the election, our community wins.