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Curtis Sliwa to Raise Jewish Family

Algemeiner

Catholic Guardian Angel founder Curtis Sliwa has long been known as a mensch. Now the title takes on new meaning as he has revealed to the New York Post that he plans to raise his kids Jewish.

In an exclusive interview with the paper, Sliwa reveals that in his relationship with Jewish former New York politician Melinda Katz he fathered two children. He is now living with the family and taking an active role in the upbringing of his young sons.

A cult figure in New York, Sliwa is known for leading the City’s citizen fight against crime in the 80′s and 90′s and his vigilante escapades. Writes the Post, his “famous red beret now serves a dual purpose: The Roman Catholic wears it to shul every Saturday as a yarmulke and plans to raise his sons Jewish.”

Sliwa’s status among New York Jews was elevated following the 1991 Crown Heights Riots when his angels moved into the neighborhood for three months, protecting the Lubavitch locals from the aggression of black mobs. A year later he escaped an abduction attempt by diving out of the window of a moving car after being shot twice and mentioned that he had a dollar that he had received from the Lubavitcher Rebbe on his person throughout the incident.

He describes his experience in Crown Heights in the following video:

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22 Comments

  • Lechaim

    He’ll have to do geirus and change his last name to Sliwowitz (Sliwa probably is the same Slavic word for plums that sliwowitz comes from anyway :)).

  • Stanley

    AMAZING MAN – AMAZING GUTS – HIGH MORALE — God Bless Curtis. May he continue doing his holy work. He’s 10 shomrim rolled into one.

  • Milhouse

    C. S. Lewis was one of the most important Xian writers of the 20th century; but he gave his two stepsons a Jewish education, because he thought it was the right thing to do. One of them became very frum and I’ve heard that he lives today in Meah Shearim.

  • Speechless

    For crying out loud….Hasn’t anyone told Curtis the truth about how one can be Jewish?

  • bochur

    how did the rebbe give him a dollar on shabbos? who put a picture of the rebbe on top of George Washington?

  • Question

    I’m not sure why this is up here.
    Firstly, he speaks very disrespectfully of the Rebbe. Yes, from his perspective what can one expect, but still why post?
    Second, His story details are flawed. He obviously wouldn’t have received a dollar from the Rebbe on Shabbos.

  • a good guy

    ok so he got confused and you think it was disrespectful? no, he is someone who is not jewish and obviously doesnt know how to respect a Rebbe- but his intentions and his mindset were totally good and good enough to protect crown heights SO KEEP UR DUMB COMMENTS TO YOURSELF. He is talking like a non-Jew who obviously was thanked by the Rebbe for a reason.No it was not a shabbos but maybe a shabbos night?? whatever, hes a good guy!!!

  • A Jew??

    It seems like he is really a Yid. He understands almost nothing about the Rebbe. I hear the same things in 770. Most people have no clue about the Rebbe, His Torah, His ways, etc. Outside of 770, the people think and say much wilder, more coarse things than this guy. Talks like a Jew, thinks like a Jew, must be a Jew.

  • very interesting

    Incredible man of high integrity. You can see he’s a believer if you have the wisdom to read between the line of his worlds. I enjoyed this interview very much.

  • intermarriage

    please don’t put any type of ‘good press’ on intermarriage
    curtis deserves our thanks and our appreciation
    but this doesn’t mean that we have to make as if this relationship is ok…

  • OUT OF LINE

    yes number 12. he helped us out and is a nice guy but his impressions of the Rebbe are absolutely out of line and has no place or reason to be publicized here or anywhere. one thing has nothing to do with the other. He deserves credit for his asslistance but not the publicity on a lubavitch website.

  • not -good press- on intermarriage

    the kids are jewish because the mom is- I am frum yet my dad is roman catholic- he led our seders and drove me to hebrew school although he didn’t and doesn’t believe as we do- crownheights.info isn’t celebrating intermarriage instead they are applauding a hero who in addition to helping the jewish community physically – is helping us spiritually by not preventing his sons from following their ancestral faith-

  • MI Yehudi?

    mi yehudi anyone? NOT A GOOD THING TO RAISE KIDS THAT ARE NOT JEWISH AS JEWS. Why do lubavitchers whimp out on everything in the name of PR even things the Rebbe cared deeply about?

  • Milhouse

    Who’s celebrating intermarriage, chas vesholom? The site is celebrating the fact that even though Sliwa is living with a Jewish woman, which he has no right to do, he is nevertheless committed to doing the right thing with respect to the children’s chinuch. Surely that is a good thing that should be celebrated.

  • A mentsch he is!

    BS”D
    Hes a great guy!
    Boruch Hashem he’s raising his kids as erliche Yidden! JUST THANK HASHEM AND STOP COMPLAINING
    HE does worlds of good!

  • Not so simple

    I believe Melinda Katz’s mother, the late Jean Dale Katz, was not of Jewish background. So I think that means that she is not Jewish either. If so, this story doesn’t have a basis for frummeh Yidden.