Nearly seven weeks after riots broke out in the Hasidic enclave of Borough Park, tempers are still simmering -- and offensive words are still flying. A reader directed us to a website called NYPD Rant, on which police officers complained about the recent transfer (no one seemed to know if it was forced or Read More
Michael Fragin just sent out an e-mail informing colleagues that Wednesday will be his last day working in the Governor's office, as he is taking a job as the Vice President of Strategic Planning at the Battery Park Authority. Mr. Fragin confirmed the move and emphasized that he is "still part of the Pataki orbit." Read More
The death of Rabbi Moses Teitelbaum last night raises two immediate questions. The first was which of the Rabbi's two sons, Aaron or Zalmen, would speak at his funeral, and if both, in what order? That answer could shed light on the battle over succession rights in the Satmar community. The second question has more Read More
Ben Smith reports that Jonathan Greenspun is moving on to Mercury Public Affairs, leaving his unofficial post as the Bloomberg administration's liaison to the Jewish community. His departure, of course, comes only a few weeks after the protests in Borough Park. In the aftermath of the demonstrations, many people in the community said they Read More
On April 6, with Passover only a few days away, young men with yarmulkes on their heads and cardboard boxes in their arms rushed in and out of Schick’s Gourmet Bakery on 16th Avenue in the largely Hasidic Borough Park section of Brooklyn. Their frantic loading of chocolate babka, mandel bread and rainbow cookies into Read More
On April 6, with Passover only a few days away, young men with yarmulkes on their heads and cardboard boxes in their arms rushed in and out of Schick’s Gourmet Bakery on 16th Avenue in the largely Hasidic Borough Park section of Brooklyn.
Their frantic loading of chocolate babka, mandel bread and rainbow cookies into Read MoreAssemblyman Dov Hikind and City Council member Simcha Felder might have broken bread with New York Police Department Chief Joseph Esposito in an effort to quell tensions after last Tuesday's riots between black-hatted yeshiva bochers and blue-uniformed police officers. But the controversy is far from dead, as this video that has been making the rounds Read More
Jason Horowitz is hitting the pavement in Borough Park today. He called in with this report: In the storefront Yidel's Grocery on 12th Avenue between 48th and 50th streets in Borough Park, there's a photo of a guy wearing a varsity jacket with a letter on it, no yarmulke, and he's about to light a Read More
Ben Smith points us to a sober, matronly moral accounting of the whole affair at Orthomom. Here's my question: When did the Orthodox and Hasid world of Borough Park get on the wrong side of the law? When, and how (politically) did these people who were so well-in in the Giuliani administration become targets Read More
Eliot's team isn't waiting to hear Tom's announcement on Saturday. Eliot and David Paterson will get Charlie Rangel's endorsement at his office tomorrow at 11 a.m. Then, while Tom makes some kind of announcement on Saturday, Eliot will be attending a breakfast in Boro Park, courtesy of Brooklyn Assemblyman Dov Hikind, Read More
The Politicker is told that Rabbi Milton Balkany, a prolific political fundraiser before his legal problems, is back in the game: Earlier this week, Balkany hosted a gathering a fund-raiser at his Borough Park home for none other than Senator Joe Lieberman. A photo of the Senator and the disgraced rabbi appeared in Read More
People toward the back of the City Council Chamber during the vote that made Chris Quinn speaker noticed an unexpected sight: Councilman Simcha Felder, a key Quinn supporter, slipping into the men's room at the back of the chamber just before the vote. I called Felder to ask about this and he declined to Read More
A reader forwards a copy of an invitation to a breakfast in Borough Park for Tom Suozzi, hosted by the consultant Suozzi reportedly hired as a Jewish liason for his campaign for Governor. "We now look towards a future where Tom's innovative leadership can benefit all of New York State," says the invitation. Read More
Jason Horowitz calls in from Mike's swing through senior centers around the boroughs to note that reporters in Borough Park were taking bets on how long it would be before Mike mentioned his 96-year-old mother. It took exactly 36 seconds, and Gabe Pressman won the pool. A bit later, in Queens, Mike brushed off his Read More
