As New York City approaches the 20th anniversary of the Crown Heights riots, the family of Yankel Rosenbaum is unhappy that Rev. Al Sharpton will participate in a panel discussion about the state of black and Jewish relations.
Outrage as Sharpton Included in Event to Mark Riots
As New York City approaches the 20th anniversary of the Crown Heights riots, the family of Yankel Rosenbaum is unhappy that Rev. Al Sharpton will participate in a panel discussion about the state of black and Jewish relations.
Despite the criticism, Rabbi Marc Schneier, who is hosting the panel at the Hamptons Synagogue in West Hampton this Sunday, said the topic of conversation is not directly or solely related to the riots themselves. He spoke with 1010 WINS Wednesday and defended his decision to invite Sharpton.
“If you look at the topic of the discussion, it’s on the state of black-Jewish relations today — 20 years after Crown Heights — so the discussion will involve Rev. Sharpton’s connection with the Jewish community today,” Schneier said.
This Friday marks two decades since the deaths of a black child, Gavin Cato, and Australian rabbical student Rosenbaum resulted in three days of violence between African-Americans and members of the Jewish community in Brooklyn.
The family of Rosenbaum is incensed that Sharpton will be present at the forum because they believe he helped escalate the violence with some of his comments during the unrest.
Rosenbaum’s brother, Norman, was especially upset and said Sharpton did “absolutely nothing” for relations between the two groups.
“Rabbi Marc Schneier should take a damn-good, hard look at the videos of the riots over the three-day period, look at the media reports and he’ll see there clearly the role Al Sharpton played,” he said.
A statement from Sharpton’s spokesperson made note that he has “engaged in many such discussions” and accepted the invitation to speak at the panel.
“For those extremists who want to use this to cause further harm than dialogue and healing, it is unfortunate and Rev. Sharpton will not participate in a circus,” the statement read.
pursuing peace
“Be amongst the disciples of Aaron—loving peace, pursuing peace, loving ordinary folk and bringing them near to Torah.”
The detractors of Rabbi Marc Schneier and/or Sharpton ought to read Dr. Tali Loewenthal’s article, “The Teaching of Aaron,” which anyone can find on the chabad.org website.
Rebbe Schneerson says like this, “Peace is not homogeneity. Peace does not mean that everyone thinks the same way. Peace is when there is plurality that finds a higher Oneness.”
nu
The unfortunate accidental death of a precious child
was used to instigate riots that demonstrated blacks frustration of their unfulfilled lives
the driver left to israel bc he felt threatened
understandably so when the accident exploded into mob anger
mr sharpton claims he is not a bigot
but it is easy to prove he is
he is quoted as saying many times “no justice, no peace”
it amazes me that accident can be blown out of proportion to be deemed an injustice to black society and then have such an outrageous reaction.
if blacks are unhappy with their lot, they have to think about what THEY can do to improve their situation – there are plenty of blacks that have taken the opportunity that america has offered them.
jews have been displaced constantly and we picked up and carried on.
stop griping and move on with your lives.
Hensha Gansbourg
I vividly remember this pogrom. I was living in Crown Heights at the time. I do agree that Sharpton should NOT participate on the panel, however I did look at the photo you used on the top of this article. It is obviously taken during the winter. The trees are bare with snow on the branches and the pogrom took place in August.
ceo
he does not qualify for anything. He is devisive.
He took a very unfortunate accident, and created a much worse situation. He has never proved himself to understand dynamics of politics nor crowds/people/populations and is quite inept, while making a big shturum.
Alex Heppenheimer
“Pursuing Peace,” consider this.
One famous metaphor used to explain what it means to love your fellow Jew (and, by extension, to treat your fellow human beings with dignity) is: if your right hand slaps your left, they’re not going to get angry at each other – they are all part of the same body.
But now let’s extend the metaphor a little. What happens if certain cells in your body start attacking others uncontrollably? Well, then that’s cancer, and there’s no room for compromise, coexistence or toleration; we do whatever we can to root it out so that the rest of the body can remain healthy.
Sharpton isn’t just someone with a different opinion which we should learn to understand and accept as valid. He is responsible for the murder of at least two innocent people (Yankel Rosenbaum and Fred Harari), the terrorization of many more, and the smearing of a good man, Steven Pagones. This is not a question of whether he “thinks the same way” as us; these are crimes and vicious acts.
So no, “pursuing peace” in this case means, at the very least, ostracizing Sharpton from decent society. Rabbi Schneier is most certainly wrong to treat him as a respectable voice.
i8dkasha
See letter of Rebbe 29 Teves 5714 after public slander of mosdos: Does “ne-elavim b’lo olbim” apply to a large and holy movement“ (referring to Chabad (in Eretz. Yisroel)) ”and in particular, why are people mehader in this inyan davka in situations like these?”
Call them email them
http://www.thehamptonsynago…
find their number and call them and email them, I couldn’t find their number or email.
RR
So obviously this panel is not one of inclusion but one of exclusion like this website appears to be. I innocently wandered upon it looking for information about Crown Heights and was met with this article. While I may have personal mixed feelings about Al Sharpton,I still feel if this community trully wants to be seen as a united community healed and whole this is one step.
awacs
“if blacks are unhappy with their lot, they have to think about what THEY can do to improve their situation …”
Why should they? The welfare state has conditioned them for decades that they are entitled to everything. Why work to improve yourself?
Look at
Declasse Intellectual
The invitation was done because it is politically correct. End this insaness of being politically correct and publically with proof call Sharpton a biogted racists and an instigator that created and provoked further unrest. Demand that he apologize for all his eveil talk and ask for forgiveness.–we cannot do that because it is not politically correct and if you hold that way………
RS
#9, good point.
Thats why the sheva mitzvos bnai noach were given, and thats why we know that they need proper leaders, because everyone needs a leader to make sure that the morals and values are in the right place.
on the other hand, Sharpton’s morals and values are not in the right place, and I agree that he is DIVISIVE, AND BIGOTED and therefore is not qualified.
Pursuing Peace to Alex Heppenheimer
Alex Heppenheimer writes, “But now let’s extend the metaphor a little. What happens if certain cells in your body start attacking others uncontrollably? Well, then that’s cancer, and there’s no room for compromise, coexistence or toleration; we do whatever we can to root it out so that the rest of the body can remain healthy.”
Dear Alex,
My concern, and perhaps I’m totally alone in this, is that your very argument has been used by genocidal Jew-haters that believe Klal Yisrael is a cancer in this world, which should be surgically removed with extreme prejudice and by any means necessary.
Just because the AMA only knows how to deal with cancer via surgery and chemotherapy doesn’t mean that WE should follow suit. Heaven forbid! WE have a Greater Doctor to turn to for healing and He has an exhaustive staff of Doctors of the Soul that WE can turn to for answers, not the least of which is the Baal Shem Tov!
Perhaps, just perhaps, Rabbi Schneier is allowing Sharpton to speak in order that Sharpton might, in turn, HEAR – if not LISTEN to – what the Jewish community has to say. And for those who’d response with, “Sharpton won’t hear or listen to us!,” I can only ask, “Who are WE to say that HaShem won’t or can’t open Sharpton’s ears?”
Is it too much to ask for US to demonstrate some emunah and bitachon in HaKodesh Baruch Hu?
Calling Sharpton a rasha and judging him to be persona non grata, regardless of how justified one might be in so doing, isn’t going to help establish justice in this world or elevate any divine sparks.
Why do we continue to play this game of “tit-for-tat” with the Goyim? We’re suppose to be better than that! Let’s rise above this game of “you insulted me, so I’m going to insult you” and use the tools that HaShem Himself has given us to overcome evil in this world and bring Heaven down to earth and thereby establish His Kingship in the heart and mind of every living creature!
Elevating the Sparks ...
My dear “Pursuing Peace”, dealing with Sharpton is “elevating sparks”?! Yea, elevating sparks, just like the Netura Carta are elevating sparks in Tehran, giving chizuk to the mullahs, the Islamic Nazis. The elevation of sparks is through olam ha’tikin with it’s hiskallus ha’midos, including GEVURA sh’b’Chesed, TIFERES sh’b’Chesed etc.. You advocate an olam ha’tohu approach, which inevitably results in shvria and yenikas ha’chitzoinyim. Just like the Reform are so interested in “tiken olam” and R“L do every aveyra in the book. How can you be m’saken the world when you’re busy destroying it, and giving chizuk to sonay Yisrael?! If Sharpton YM”S hasn’t listended yet, you expect him to listen now? Ayn somchim al a nase! He has caused death and misery, with no charata.
RR
The most devisive and bigoted comment came from AWACS. How did Al Sharpton speaking at a panel turn into comments correlating welfare to blacks people. And you are worrying about Al Sharpton.As a African American women I nor has my parents before ever received welfare from this country. I am also a educated and travelled women.
Alex Heppenheimer
“Pursuing Peace”:
The argument about “what the non-Jews will say” is a total non-sequitur. They’ve hated us and called us a “cancer” when we were living as a persecuted minority in Europe, when there were no Jews killing Polish or German gentiles; they hate us equally when, during a state of war against her enemies, Israel kills some of them. How on earth does this compare to a rasha like Sharpton instigating riots against peaceful and law-abiding people who did nothing to him? (Not to mention that no one, not me and not any other commenter, is calling for his death, just for not giving him respect.)
If he showed the least bit of remorse for what he’s done, then that’s one thing; perhaps you’re right that then a panel discussion would have its place. Absent that, though, inviting him sends the clear message that you can do such things with impunity and that there are no consequences – which, like Israel’s repeated groveling before her enemies and futile attempts to make “peace” with them, only emboldens them to commit more acts of terror, G-d forbid.
awacs
“The most devisive and bigoted comment came from AWACS. How did Al Sharpton speaking at a panel turn into comments correlating welfare to blacks people. ”
Go back and re-read my comment, and the comment I was replying to. Then you’ll get it.