White House Liaison Visits

White House Jewish liaison Matt Nosanchuk, who was involved in combating hate crime, came to Crown Heights this week. Full Story

November 22, 2013 – 19 Kislev 5774

White House Jewish liaison Matt Nosanchuk, who was involved in combating hate crime, came to Crown Heights this week. Full Story

By COLlive reporter

Matt Nosanchuk, Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs who doubles as White House’s liaison to the Jewish community, was in New York on Tuesday.

One of the stops of Nosanchuk was to see first-hand the Jewish community in Crown Heights, which President Barack Obama saw in passing on his way to a speech this past month.

He met with Eli Cohen, Executive Director of the Crown Heights Jewish Comunity Council (CHJCC) and its Executive Vice President for Governmental Affairs Chanina Sperlin.

The discussion included potential assistance to the community. The plight of Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin, the former meat-packing executive sentenced to 27 years, was also mentioned.

The issue of the rise of local hate crimes was discussed in their meeting. Nosanchuk oversaw implementation of the Matthew Shephard Hate Crimes Act, passed in 2009.

Afterwards, Nosanchuk met with Mrs. Devorah Halberstam, Director of Foundations and Government Services at the Jewish Children’s Museum in Crown Heights.

Nosanchuk toured the museum’s recently completed 4th floor, and was very impressed and inspired, he told a Jewish Community Relations Council meeting the next day.

In related news, New York Assemblyman Jim Tedisco of Schenectady proposed a bill that would make the violent “knockout” game a gang assault with a sentence of up to 25 years. Youths would be charged as adults.

Tedisco told the AP news agency his measure is intended to be a deterrent to stop the game and avoid more serious injuries by what he calls “twisted and cowardly thugs.”

Tedisco’s bill will also include prison time for those convicted of attending to watch or record the assaults, AP reported.

Assemblyman Karim Camara said in a statement: “I deplore acts of violence against anyone and denounce the recent vicious and reprehensible acts of violence against individuals in the Crown Heights and Borough Park communities.”