Houston’s First Orthodox Cop’s Law Enforcement Career Began In The NYPD, and Started With the Question “Do You Know The Rebbe?”
by CrownHeights.info
Houston Texas’s first Orthodox Cop began his law Enforcement career in the NYPD, serving for years in The Big Apple before moving to Houston. In an article posted in The Jewish Link, his story was published, including his first introduction to the NYPD when he was asked the question “Do you know the Rebbe?”
The article, published on Friday, April 27th, told of Jacob Novikov’s upbringing and journey through Yeshiva University to the NYPD, and tells the interaction he had with a fellow officer as he was getting fingerprinted.
“NYPD policy is that officers must be clean-shaven and bare-headed other than standard-issue headgear,” the article reads. “The NYPD Shomrim Society had successfully advocated for exceptions for Jewish officers, who were allowed to don kippot, wear trim beards, and take off for Shabbat. Even so, Novikov was nervous as he was fingerprinted at NYPD headquarters as part of the new hire screening process. A big, tough-looking, Irish cop looked from Novikov’s kippah to his beard and back again through narrowed eyes as he rolled Novikov’s fingers with a powerful grip. For a fleeting second, Novikov wondered if he’d made a mistake. Finally, the cop spoke.”
“Let me ask—do you know the Rebbe?”
Novikov was confused. “Who?”
“You know, the Schneerson guy from Crown Heights,” the officer replied. “I was the bodyguard assigned to him from the NYPD. I still have one of his dollars in my locker.”
This was not the only interaction with or regarding Chabad Novikov mentions in the article, with another incident making its mark less than a years later on the first night of Chanukah.
“Police work was gratifying, but busy,” they article says. “During his first winter on the job, Novikov was coming off a shift late one night and remembered with a jolt that it was the first night of Chanukah. He’d been so engrossed with work that he’d neglected to purchase candles for his menorah. All the Jewish stores in Manhattan were closed. Novikov was at a loss when he happened upon two young Chabad men handing out boxed menorahs and sufganiyot. They spotted Novikov.”
“Are you Jewish?” one asked.
“Am I?!” was the enthusiastic response. Novikov whipped off his police cap to show the young men his kippah and gratefully accepted a boxed menorah, candles included.
Following the riots and unrest of recent years, Novikov decided to move to Houston, where he now works as Houston’s first Orthodox Jewish cop.
