הרב נפתלי משה אינדיג - פאליציי ליעזאן פון וויליאמסבורג (סאטמאר-מהר"א) מיט אן אפ-עד אויף דזשעי-פי אפדעיטס:
Op-Ed:
Let’s Stand United Rather than Divided – In Honor of Our Fallen Heroes
(By Rabbi Moshe Indig)
The bodies were still warm; the wounds were still fresh; the tears have barely begun; but while monitoring the news, I was shocked and taken aback at some of the responses to the horrific murder of officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos
As members of the Jewish community, we all know that the Talmud demands us to pray for the peace and safety of our government. Therefore, we are known to be very supportive of government and respectful of our law enforcement. This senseless brutal murder of the two heroes in uniform has shaken us and the entire nation
But while grieving and reflecting on this tragedy, we kept on seeing some opportunistic self-serving attention seekers harping on this tragedy, jumping in front of the microphones and cameras pouncing away on Mayor Bill de Blasio
This tragedy was caused by a violent, deranged individual who decided – because of his own illnesses and problems – to launch an awful spasm of destruction
This bashing and finger pointing should not be our way of responding to tragedies that strike our city
First of all, tragedies of this magnitude should never be turned into political posturing; the loss of any soul should serve as a time of mourning and reconciliation. Our focus now must be on the grieving families and friends of the fallen heroes and their extended NYPD family
Secondly, to claim that mayor de Blasio is anti-Police is nothing less than a hoax and a political fabrication. Mayor de Blasio and his administration have been nothing less than staunch supporters of the law enforcement community, in general, and the NYPD in paticular. And with 20/20 hindsight, we would see a stellar record in his handling of law enforcement and crime fighting
When it came to choose a police commissioner for the NYPD, Mr. de Blasio handpicked a world renowned hardcore crime fighter, who had an impressive record in running large police departments. Despite the criticism among his progressive base, the mayor looked at what was best for the department, and choose someone that would be capable of keeping crime low and bring it down even lower
The reforms that the de Blasio administration has discussed have never been about punishing police. They have been about bringing the police and the communities they serve closer together. These reforms are good for the police and very beneficial to the communities they so bravely serve alike
We can see from our own community’s experience, how important it is to have the close collaboration and working relationship between the community and the NYPD
The recent protests following the verdicts in the Michael Brown and Eric Garner cases were also handled brilliantly. To let the people demonstrate peacefully is just the beauty of democracy, and that does not by any means show that the mayor is anti-police
While the mayor understood that these are tragic times, that people are understandably angry and sad and that emotions are running high, he clearly said that he will not tolerate any criminal acts or violence against anyone what so ever. While letting the masses vent their pain and express their freedom of speech, he still had all demonstrations closely escorted with heavy police forces, monitoring them from the ground and from the air, for impending violence, to be able to disrupt them before they turn violent
Just compare the violence in Ferguson following the verdict in the brown case, or the riots that we had going on in Crown Height during the Dinkins days, to the mostly peaceful protests in New York City. This doesn’t happen by itself. The mayor, the police commissioner, the chief of department and the entire NYPD brass managed this crisis with a perfect balance between freedom of speech and law and order. This was an accomplishment that this city should be proud of, and this should demonstrate the mayor’s mission of bringing communities and police to work together
The actions of a sick murderer should not blur our focus from implementing common sense reforms that will make us all safer, and will unite everyone including communities and police
Moreover, if we look at the crime statistics, we see the same results, crime numbers continue to drop and New York City is by far at an all-time low in violent crimes
In my view, to take a terrible tragedy like this and divide this city in such a mean spirited manner is beyond reprehensible. This is political demagoguery at its worst
Mayor de Blasio is a real man of the people. He is a man of his word, and has a proven record of going above and beyond in his dedication to improve the city, whether it his pushing for more affordable housing, Universal Pre-K, implementing policies that would continue the job growth in private sector, bringing businesses to invest in this great city, dramatically reducing the numbers of homeless, and keeping the landscape of this city in its natural beauty
I believe that the right approach would be to divert from the divisive rhetoric, and instead, honor the service of our heroic men and women in uniform, by uniting our great city, by bringing people together to understand each other better and by advocating for justice and fairness in a unified manner
Let’s honor our fallen heroes by standing together in unity – Police Officers, City hall, elected officials, and community members. Let’s show the world what the real New York City spirit is like, Let’s show those who try to divide us that there is only one New York City for all, and its spirit can never be broken
May God bless America, and may he keep the men and women in blue safe
Rabbi Moshe Indig is a Jewish community leader in Brooklyn
