By COLlive reporter
Photos: Itzik Roytman/COLlive
NYPD top brass held their annual Passover security briefing on Wednesday, continuing a 50-year tradition of addressing public safety at synagogues and temples around New York as the holiday approaches.
Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell promised Jewish community leaders that the NYPD would deploy additional resources around synagogues and other sensitive areas this Pesach holiday.
The Police Commissioner addressed attendees, noting that hate crimes have dropped by 50% this year in NYC. While fighting crime is law enforcement’s top priority, Commissioner Sewell also stated, it is imperative that officers meet and greet the community they are protecting.
“So that when you see an NYPD officer, you will feel safe. That is why we are holding this briefing, to advance this pledge,” Sewell said. “I hope that we can continue to foster a close collaboration for the betterment of our city.”
Chabad Singer Yoni Z sang the National Anthem. Special guests at the briefing were boys from Rabbi Leibel Vogel’s 6th grade class in Oholei Torah School in Crown Heights, who were invited by the NYPD. The boys, who were also accompanied by Menahel Rabbi Yehoshua Lustig, thanked the NYPD officers for all their help in keeping our neighborhood safe, and used the opportunity to distribute Matzah to fellow Jews who were in attendance at the event.
“The boys made a big Kiddush Hashem and were warmly greeted by the officers and other attendees, who were so happy to meet them and hear from them,” Rabbi Lustig told COLlive.
The Anti-Defamation League reported hate-crimes hit a record high in New York state last year, but Sewell says that the numbers have improved in the city this year.
“We are always concerned about hate crimes,” Sewell said. “While one is too many, we have seen a drop by about 50% this year. But that is not enough. We will stomp it out, we cannot tolerate it, we will never accept it. ”
No specific threats have been made against the upcoming holiday but the rise of antisemitism nationally is a concern.
Distract and re-direct is the game being played here. We’re being played. First of all, what difference does it make whether there is “hate” or not? A crime is a crime. Beat somebody and they are injured whether there is “hate” or not. Distracting us with statistics, trends, numbers, charts, graphs, etc. is just a way to make people think things are getting better. Can you go out at night and feel safe? Is there a sense of security or are we on our own having to provide essentially a private security service because the police have to worry more… Read more »