Op-Ed: On The Anniversary Of Yankel Rosenbaum’s Murder, A “One Crown Heights” Fun Day?

From August 19th to August 21st, Crown Heights was torn apart by what is now known as the Crown Heights riots.

During the riots, Yankel Rosenbaum was attacked and killed by a mob shouting “Kill the Jew.”

My father worked at the National Committee for the Future of Jewish Education, where the Emergency Committee was located, and developed a close relationship with Norman Rosenbaum, Yankel’s brother.

Before I proceed further, I want to emphasize that I absolutely support any event that brings the community together. The leaders of the diverse communities in Crown Heights have come a long way since the riots and have engaged in productive dialogue. However, that does not mean we should distort history or be insensitive to the loss of life.

In 2016, a group of Jewish organizations calling themselves One Crown Heights announced that they were organizing a “Fun Day Festival” on the 25th anniversary of the Crown Heights riots. It felt wrong to me, so I tweeted about it, and shortly thereafter received a call from Norman Rosenbaum, who expressed his disgust with the event and viewed it as a disgrace to his brother’s memory. He said that holding a “Fun Day”  on the anniversary of the riots was shameful. Norman also informed me that his family hadn’t been consulted or invited; they first read about it in the news.

He shared with me that his mother was very upset by the situation and that he was taking the next flight to New York. It’s worth noting that he lived in Melbourne, Australia.

I spent considerable time with Norman that week and discussed the issues surrounding the event. I had the honor of organizing a prayer and memorial for Yankel, which was a deeply meaningful experience, at the site of the murder.

Norman felt that the Jewish leaders who planned the event should have known better and should have acted with greater sensitivity.

Over the years, I made numerous attempts to contact the event organizers, urging them to change the date from August to another month out of respect for the community. Unfortunately, their responses prioritized maximizing turnout and failed to adequately address the concerns raised.

This year, the festival is scheduled for August 20, the actual anniversary of Yankel’s murder. In what world could it ever be considered acceptable to host a festival on the very date that marks this tragic event?

Sadly, Norman passed away in 2020. I am certain that if he were still with us, he would speak out against holding the event on this date.

I urge the organizers to change the date and show respect for the memory of Yankel Rosenbaum.

Yaacov Behrman, founder of the Jewish Future Alliance, and Director of Operation Survival.