By Rabbi Jacob Goldstein – Assistant Commissioner of New York State Homes and Community Renewal
To Anash Crown Heights,
Nes Gadol Hoyoh Shom!
Let me elaborate: In 1979, when I became Chairman of the Community Board 9, I set my sights on changing the parking regulations on our side of Eastern Parkway from 6 days weekly to what has happened now.
Over 34 years, I spoke to the Mayor’s Office of David Dinkins, Ed Koch, Rudy Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg and engaged in face to face conversations with each about the change.
Each promised to work on it and nothing happened. It was a Mayoral call since it was Crown Heights and additionally, it was a revenue generator (tickets).
This past week, things changed due to Mayor Bill de Blasio and his staff, namely Pinny Ringel and Commissioner Marco Carrion of the Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit.
It took 37 years, 4 Mayors and a lot of talking.
My friends in City Hall told me that Crown Heights is lucky to have Chanina Sperlin and Eli Cohen looking out for our interests as communal leaders.
Additionally, this past week , Department of Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg instructed her staff to change and lengthen the times of meters on Fridays in two Jewish neighborhoods – commercial shopping areas of Crown Heights – Kingston Ave and Flatbush – Kings Highway , due to the religious makeup and unique needs of those communities and neighborhoods.
We owe a debt of gratitude to the Mayor and Commissioner Trottenberg for making this happen and for easing our parking burdens weekly and Erev Shabbos.
Additionly, an Hakoras Hatov to the leadership of the Crown Heights Jewish Community Council (CHJCC) for pushing this to the finish line and concluding with this final positive outcome.
The block affected include Kingston Avenue between:
Eastern Parkway and Union Street (east side)
Union Street and President Street (east and west sides)
Carroll Street and Crown Street (east and west sides)
Crown Street and Montgomery Street (east and west sides)
Montgomery Street and Empire Blvd (east and west sides)
Moshol L’mah hadovor domeh? To five people sitting in a kitchen for 25 years, and the kitchen has not produced so much as scrambled eggs for anyone (besides for the ones in the kitchen that have been siphoning off incoming deliveries for themselves) Yoma Chodo, a new guy comes into the kitchen, and suddenly there is food for everyone, are we really to believe that the new guy had nothing to do with it, and that the 25 year olds had everything to do with it?
Why does even a good thing need to include petty politics? Anyone who’s spent even five minutes working on community projects, knows that Yaakov Behrman works like crazy to get things done and he does that even while having many other responsibilities and no unlimited checkbook. Yaakov as part of his relationship with Jesse Hamilton and his position on the community board helped make this happen and whitewashing that isn’t nice.
rabbi goldstein
you are a HERO for many other reasons nut NOT THIS
not YOU or CHANINA or COHEN
YAKOV BEHRMAN gets all the credit for these changes
it sounds like a election is coming up rabbi golstein giving such praise to chanina and eli cohen …
Whoever wrote comment 14, probably worked for Kodak before they went out of business, thinking those Youngblood, who is going to want digital
Years of quiet persuasion by Col. Goldstein and Sperlin and crew have hatched this egg. To all of those doubters who think that these people have done nothing, little do you know the Col. Goldstein and C. Sperlin and company have spent decades laying the groundwork for massive changes in this community. Any benefit that occurs to this community in the future will be thanks to their years of extremely subtle persuasion. Change takes a long time and 20+ years of nothing was hard for us lay people to understand, but to those experts that kept their eye on the… Read more »
In 2013, when Sen. Jesse Hamilton started a petition to remove Saturday street cleaning on Easten Parkway, he approached Rabbi Cohen employee of CHJCC for his support. Rabbi Cohen asked Jesse to stop lobbying for the change.
Ask Reuven Lipkind. He was there when it happened. I heard the story from him in 2013.
Behrman is chair of sanitation committee on CB9. As Rabbi Goldstein is well aware, behrman and commitee would have to review any sanitation changes, as per the city charter.
To yaakov behrman for getting it done!
what are the new parking rules? is it just on Eastern Pkwy? What changes on Kingston? (there’s a picture)
Bill Deblasio has competition from another Mayoral candidate who says she wants to do something about parking, flow of traffic, the signals in the MTA system etc. While I am grateful to Bill Deblasio for making the changes, I feel that it happened as a result of the timing and threats from Nicole Malliotakis.
Thank you yaakov Berman for doing what has to be done
I received a parking ticket this Shabbos on Eastern Parkway at 8:09 AM
Its nice give compliments to ppl but try to keep things factual. This is only due to Chanina as Chaplain Goldstein so eloquently points out.
Our appreciation to Rabbi Jake Goldstein, is way and Long Overdue!!!!
For his services to this great country, and his services to this (could be, and should be) great community!!!
I am taking my lesson from Jake’s humility, in giving credit to where credit is due, to Rabbi Sperlin and Rabbi Cohen. In spite of declaring that he tried for the longest, to get the parking corrected.
Reb Yannkel
חזק ואמץ
A big yasher koach to Yaacov Berhman as well. A true askin in our community and key to making this happen!
What does it mean from six days to what’s now?
Does that mean Do you have to move your car for 6 days or only one day?
I live on Eastern Parkway, and now I KNOW who to thank.
Rabbi Goldstein my gratitude to you for clarifying who is who in this good and beneficial accomplishment.
Who separated the men from the boys!!!!
YAASHER KOACH
REB CHANINA SPERLIN and REB ELI COHEN.
Thank you Rabbi Goldstein for setting the record straight…..
Thank you Rabbis Sperlin and Cohen.