Thursday, August 30, 2012

From the Desk of ASSEMBLYWOMAN RHODA S. JACOBS


Dear Friends and Neighbors:

In these special days as the New Year approaches, I want to thank you all for Chizuk and support over the years.   It has been my privilege to work for our community and be a voice for your concerns in Brooklyn and Albany.

Now I must ask you for your help. On Thursday, September 13th, 2012 there will be a Democratic Primary.

As you may know, this is a very diverse Assembly District, and once again, I am facing an Election challenge, this time by a well- financed and organized opponent who is appealing to the politics of demographic divisiveness, and is neither cognizant nor concerned about your issues or needs.

I believe that you all deserve fair representation.  Together with my colleagues in government, Speaker Silver, Assemblyman Hikind and Councilmember Greenfield, I have worked to restore millions of dollars in transportation costs and mandated tax relief for our non public schools, TAP for yeshiva and rabbinical college students and transportation for students traveling after 5PM, and to address the needs of our special needs children.  I work to ensure that resources are provided to the vital institutions that serve our community, such as: Ohel, Masbia, COJO of Flatbush and Dor Yeshorim.  

I know that everyone is very busy getting children back to school and preparing for the Yom Tovim.  We are told that it is a Communal obligation to vote.  I am appealing to you take this time during theses busy days, to come out and vote Primary Day Thursday, September 13th.  

I ask for your vote, and for you to encourage your family and neighbors to vote so that I can continue to advocate for you and represent you.  Believe me, in this district, each and every one of our votes counts!!

L'Shana Tova and I hope to see you at Tashlich - I have once again arranged for the pond at Brooklyn College to be available.


Sincerely,







Rhoda S. Jacobs
Assistant Speaker
New York State Assembly

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

HAVERIM FOR ASSEMBLYWOMAN RHODA S. JACOBS

Dear friends and neighbors,

We are urging you to vote on Thursday, September 13th, 2012 to re-elect our friend and longtime advocate Assemblywoman Rhoda Jacobs, Assistant Speaker of the New York State Assembly.

Rhoda Jacobs serves our community with distinction.  She responds to the needs of our families and the neighborhood quality of life issues.  Her staff has helped many of us attain essential benefits and services and resolve problems with government agencies and health insurance.

Assemblywoman Jacobs continued activism in the Assembly in Albany, assures us of a strong voice.  With her knowledge and experience, she has worked to protect our rights and to expand funding for our programs and schools and communal institutions.  With Assemblyman Hikind and Speaker Silver, she worked to get increased funding and tax relief for non public schools; Rabbinical tuition assistance program (TAP); Empire State child tax credit; homeland security funding for local Jewish institutions and security cameras in our neighborhoods.

We are part of a “multi cultural” diverse Assembly District. This year our Assemblywoman is facing the most difficult primary challenge in her career.  Her well financed opponent is not sympathetic to our interests or needs, and whose supporters have publicly demonstrated their unacceptable disrespect for our community in general, and the must vulnerable members of our community, in particular.

We can’t afford to lose Assemblywoman Rhoda Jacobs.  We need to re-elect her so she can continue to actively advocate for all of us.  During these challenging times, we require an experienced and strong voice in Albany – the voice of Rhoda Jacobs.

Although this is a busy time with preparations for the Yomtovim, we ask that you go to the polls on Thursday, September 13th and re-elect our friend and champion Assemblywoman Rhoda Jacobs.


Meyer Apfeldorf*Morton Avigdor, Esq., * Dov Blumenthal*Shimmy Blumenthal*Chaim Deutsch*Pinny Fischer*Heshy Glatter*Leon Goldenberg*Moshe Gottesman*Dr. Stanley and Rhoda Reese Goldstein*Rebecca and Joseph Harary*Ezra Ogorek*Chaim Scharf*Joel and Zeesy Schnur*Rabbi Mayer and Nechama Steinhardt*Rabbi Joseph and Ann Stamm*Moshe Wieder*Emanuel Yarmish*Moshe Zakheim*Joel Zuller*Shlomo Zuller

Monday, August 27, 2012

Assemblywoman Rhoda Jacobs Arranges Tashlich Services at Brooklyn College


Assemblywoman Rhoda Jacobs has again arranged for the Pond at Brooklyn College to be available to local residents for Tashlich services. Special thanks to Brooklyn College for making the pond available.

Monday, September 17, 2012
2:00pm to 6:00pm
Brooklyn College


 
Assemblywoman Jacobs, her family in Brooklyn and Israel send their best wishes for a K'tiva V'Chatima Tova, one of health, peace and prosperity for all of Klal Yisrael.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Assemblywoman Rhoda Jacobs Fights for Brooklyn Resident’s Human Rights

The refrain of “we want justice” echoed outside the Bolivian Mission on Sunday, July 1, as Assemblywoman Rhoda Jacobs (D – Brooklyn) spoke out for Jacob Ostreicher, a Brooklyn resident and U.S. citizen who has been detained in a Bolivian prison for over a year.



Assemblywoman Rhoda Jacobs speaks out for Jacob Ostreicher

At present, there have been no formal charges brought against Ostreicher by the Bolivian government, despite his ongoing imprisonment. Ostreicher has been scheduled for over a dozen hearings, all of which have been postponed.   “We are here to make [Jacob Ostreicher] known to the world,” Jacobs told the crowd.

“It is in our moral imperative to redeem people who are unjustly imprisoned and essentially kidnapped,” Jacobs continued. “Jacob Ostreicher deserves due process,” Jacobs noted in an interview following the event. “His basic human and civil rights are being violated.”  

Assemblywoman Jacobs was joined by a diverse group of elected officials, including Assemblyman Dov Hikind, who organized the gathering, Councilman Mathieu Eugene, Senator Eric Adams, Councilwoman Letitia James, Senator Charles Schumer and former NY State Governor David Paterson, as well as Ostreicher’s wife, children and extended family. 

 “I applaud Senator Schumer, Assemblyman Hikind and my colleagues in government for their efforts. We are all asking the U.S. Department of State to move assertively for Ostreicher’s release and to demand every American citizen’s rights,” Jacobs emphasized.  

“This issue directly affects the communities I represent,” she added, “but I am pleased that elected officials throughout New York City turned out to show their support. This is not just an issue for a particular ethnic or religious group,” Jacobs underscored. “Human rights are everyone’s concern.” 

 In December 2010, Ostreicher, 53, purchased Bolivian land and launched a rice business there, which he oversaw until his arrest by Bolivian officials in June 2011.  This past April, his fate began to capture national attention, as Ostreicher launched a hunger strike from prison to assert his human rights.

“[Ostreicher] is in a prison governed by chaos,” Jacobs emphasized. “We want justice. We want justice. We want justice.”

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Security Cameras Funded in Brooklyn

Funding approved to install security cameras to protect the Brooklyn neighborhoods


Almost a year after the tragic murder of an eight-year-old boy that stunned our community, Assemblywoman Rhoda Jacobs and Assemblymember Dov Hikind have helped secure funding for a project to install security cameras to protect our streets, ensuring that something like this never happens again.  

The new $1 million project, named for Leiby Kletzky, was announced this past Sunday. The project will result in the installation of 150 security cameras in several of Brooklyn's largest Jewish neighborhoods – Borough Park, Flatbush and Midwood – with the equipment being owned and operated by local private community groups. 

 According to Jacobs, the cameras will also help protect the neighborhoods against possible terror threats that might target the Jewish population. The security cameras will be installed outside synagogues, schools and banks throughout the community.  

Leiby Kletzky got lost on his way home from day camp last summer and was then kidnapped, drugged and killed before his body was dismembered in a grisly murder that rocked the normally safe streets in these parts of Brooklyn.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Assemblywoman Rhoda Jacobs Hosts Forum on Neighborhood Safety



Assemblywoman Rhoda Jacobs (D- Flatbush) and the Flatbush Shomrim Safety Patrol came together on November 16 to welcome Deputy Inspector Eric Rodriguez to his new post as commanding officer of the 70th Precinct.
The meet and greet, which was hosted by Rabbi Aryeh Ralbag and Rabbi Eliezer Sandler at the Young Israel of Avenue K, enabled members of the community to acquaint themselves with the new commander and to raise their concerns about safety and quality of life in the area. Evening discussions centered around the importance of community involvement with the local police force and the Flatbush Shomrim, a team of 40 Jewish civilian patrollers who aid in the pursuit and detainment of suspects until the police arrive.
 “It’s always good for us to develop and maintain a working relationship with our police,” Assemblywoman Jacobs emphasized. 

Chaim Deutsch, the founder of the Flatbush Shomrim, implored “the community to be our eyes and ears.”   He added, “It’s impossible for the police to be everywhere. If you see something, say something.”

Rodriguez, who has been the commanding officer of the 70th Precinct since June 27, echoed their sentiments, noting that, “there have to be many partnerships in the community to make this work. “Shomrim helps us out a lot, but we want more people to get involved.”

He added, “We’re all in this together. We want the safest community possible.”   Rodriguez noted that the “majority of crime [in the 70th Precinct] is property crime,” not violent crime, adding that there has been about a 12% decrease in crime since he began his stint as commanding officer, and a 4% decrease over the past year. But, Rodriguez stressed, “you can’t look at the numbers when you’re the victim of a crime.”  

To help protect Flatbush and Midwood residents during the holiday season, Rodriguez and Deutsch conveyed the following safety tips:
  1. If you go away for the weekend, make your house look occupied.
    • Keep shades slightly open.
    • Make sure your papers are picked up.
    • Ask neighbors to put their garbage in your can and park their car in your driveway.
  2. Don’t make your car into a holiday gift for burglars.
    • Don’t keep pocketbooks and electronics where they can be seen through the car window, including on the front and back seats.
    • Purchase tire locks to deter thieves.
    • Be mindful of fliers placed on your back windshield; car thieves often use them as a distraction.
  3. Keep your household valuables secure.
    • Store valuables such as jewelry in the last place thieves would think to check, such as the kitchen cabinet or the freezer.
    • Do NOT keep jewelry in the master bedroom.
  4. Criminals take advantage of longer nights. Be extra cautious at this time of the year.
    • Be extra vigilant on your commute to and from work or school.
    • Refrain from using mp3 players, cell phones and other electronics while commuting after daylight hours.
    • Install additional lights on your bicycle.
  5. Be wary of scam artists impersonating professionals.
    • Do not disclose credit card numbers or other personal information to alleged police officials soliciting money over the phone; the New York City Police Department NEVER makes phone calls for this purpose.
    • Don’t let strangers into your house without proper identification, even if they claim to be utilities technicians from Con Ed or Verizon.
For her part, Assemblywoman Jacobs emphasized that she and her team of staff, as well as the members of the Shomrim and the 70th Precinct, will remain committed to the community’s safety and well-being. “I would like to assure community residents that we will all continue to be available to work on their behalf,” Jacobs underscored. “We were pleased to be the conduit in affording the community this opportunity to meet Deputy Inspector Rodriguez. I thank Chaim Deutsch and Rabbis Ralbag and Sandler for helping us to organize this meeting.”