Guardian Angels Founder Slams NYPD-Jewish Ties

by Sandy Eller – VIN News

Guardian Angels founder and popular radio host Curtis Sliwa minced no words on his WABC Drive at Five radio program on Thursday afternoon, taking direct aim at the NYPD’s Jewish liaisons and challenging police to reevaluate its coveted chaplaincy positions.

Sliwa opened his program acknowledging that he was going to “make a lot of people unhappy,” but that as a close ally of the city’s Jewish community he felt an obligation to address a situation in need of correction.

“There is nobody outside of the Orthodox and Chasidic community who is closer to them than this goy, this gentile,” said Sliwa, who observed that over the years he has worked hand in hand with Shomrim and many others within the Jewish community.

Sliwa noted that a recent call from a former NYPD lieutenant who had worked in the Borough Park and Crown Heights precincts left him feeling embarrassed by the behavior of certain individuals.

The caller charged that Chasidim from Bobov, Satmar and Lubavitch run the show at the local police precincts in Borough Park, Williamsburg and Crown Heights.

“It’s not anti-Semitic,” said the caller. “It is a statement of fact.”

Left wondering why he was accepting a status quo that allowed police and elected officials to grant favors to those who wield undue amounts of influence, Sliwa took on a wide range of figures, calling Governor Andrew Cuomo a liar for saying he knew nothing of the Lincoln Tunnel closure arranged as a favor to Jeremy Reichberg and pointing the finger of blame at New Jersey Governor Chris Christie as well.

Sliwa slammed police for “acting like they have amnesia” when asked about special arrangements and escorts authorized by local precinct commanders and faulted Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino for appointing Jeremy Reichberg, who resides in Brooklyn, as chaplain for the Westchester County Police after receiving a $25,000 donation.

Sliwa questioned the credentials of many police chaplains, wondering why the NYPD grants special privileges to those who say they are rabbis without furnishing any proof.

“Every second guy is a rabbi,” insisted Sliwa.

Sliwa called on officials at One Police Plaza to establish a special division that would handle all requests for police escorts and challenged the NYPD to revoke all placards and special IDs issued to police liaisons pending further review.

“If they want to reapply, let them all show up with their proper accreditation,” said Sliwa. “I want to know. Where were you a teacher?  Where are you clergy? Where were you ordained, whether you happen to be a pastor, a priest, an imam or a rabbi.  Why won’t they do that?”

9 Comments

  • We control the NYPD? We Wish!

    Can’t put Crown Heights in the same boat as the others. We’re too small to have any say or power

  • huh?

    Why give this guy any extra publicity? He’s just flowing with animosity. His podcast has only 1,500 hits, why help?

  • Truth

    He speaks the truth. Why do we need to attack? He is not a jew hater. He is just calling out wrong doing.

  • Ms3w

    isnt this out of character for him? He used to be more pro-Jewish. This is just nasty, publicly shaming Jews.

    • pointing out

      maybe because he’s put his physical safety on the line for us during the pogram, and backed us since, he’s trying to point out something that needs fixing, and maybe we should fix it before the anti-semites get into gear, which might already be happening. We might owe him a vote of thanks, I think

  • mario mendoza

    curtis was here in 1991
    when it was a shreck to walk
    in the streets , he was here with his chevra for a month
    and i saw him help 100s of yiden in a time of crises

    • Ezra

      Indeed, and for that reason alone it’s a chutzpah and a total lack of hakoras hatov on the part of commenters “huh?” and “ms3w” to attack him.

    • MJ

      Kfar Chabad magazine covered his being here in 1991, but they misspelled his name (in Hebrew) as Silver (Samech-yud-lamed-vav-yud-resh) which was pretty amusing.

  • Today, anything goes

    Ordinarily, bribery and corruption are wrong. But, if the powers at be are going to, brazenly and forcefully, go against the Sheva mitzvos B’nei Noach, then, what’s so terrible about these things, including prostitution?
    If gay is okay, more power to the …!