CNN reports:
New York City will get its first female police commissioner to lead the nation’s largest police department after Mayor-elect Eric Adams picked Nassau County Chief of Detectives Keechant Sewell.
“Keechant Sewell is a proven crime fighter with the experience and emotional intelligence to deliver both the safety New Yorkers need and the justice they deserve,” Adams said in a statement released to CNN.
“Chief Sewell will wake up every day laser-focused on keeping New Yorkers safe and improving our city, and I am thrilled to have her at the helm of the NYPD.”
The formal announcement will be made Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. at a public housing development in Queens, according to Adams’ office.
Following news of the pick, the Police Benevolent Association of New York City, the union representing the city’s officers, welcomed Sewell as the next police commissioner, asking her to get the department, and the city, back on course.
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Love seeing a woman of color in a leadership role.
Love seeing the most qualified person in a leadership role. Gender and race are the last reasons for putting the security and welfare of millions in one persons hands.
Who gives a d— about about race and gender!
What’s with these politicians choosing people for their race and gender. Am I supposed to be excited about this?
Perhaps she was chosen for her competence but all the headlines beg to differ. Touting her race and gender rather than her strength against crime
Even if she is very capable
Police and combat should be men’s territory
It is the way Hashem made the world
And I don’t think it’s healthy for a police force of mostly men, to be lead by a woman, as amazing as she might be
This is in line with the Hashkafos of the Torah
Is this a real comment?
I think I’m going to be sick.
See, just because you’re not familiar with relevant Torah sources that say that men and women have different roles, and that the man’s is to “conquer” and dominate, doesn’t mean that the commenter is wrong. It means you have some learning to do.
Are there really still people who think like this?
Men are supposed to conquer and dominate?
…. I’m actually in shock.
Please don’t ever participate in mivtzoiyim, you’re going to make secular Jews think that all religious Jews are misogynistic.
Shocking, I know. Why, we’re supposed to believe in “liberalism” and “science” and so forth, not in the old-fashioned Torah.
Well, sorry, we don’t play that way. Doesn’t mean it would be the first thing we’d say on mivtzoim (and no one but you is pretending otherwise), but if you’re expecting that we falsify and deny Torah ideas because they’re not politically correct, then you’ve got another think coming.
Is it the 1950’s again and no one told me?
Why am I not in the kitchen slaving away to serve my husband and breeding a thousand babies!
the Torah is a lot older than the 1950s, and its ideas – including that men and women have different roles, and that the man’s is to “conquer” and dominate, and the woman’s is not – are eternal.
hahahahahahahahahahahaaaa. Chauvinist alert!
Which hashkafos exactly? Please give a source
Yevamos 65b, איש דרכו לכבש ואין אשה דרכה לכבש (a man’s way is to conquer, a woman’s is not).
Then look at Rambam, Hilchos Melachim 9:14: ולא תדון אשה להם (a woman should not be a judge [even] for non-Jews).
We don’t pasken on a gemara or Rambam. Besides, NYC is subject to the 7 mitzvos of Noach not 613 mitzvos.
In western countries, the military reports to the President/Prime Minister. Golda Meir, Angele Merkal, and Margret Thatcher are better sources here if you want to look specifically at how women as the top leader of a nation performed.
they are not the same
“A woman may not be a judge” is not “a head of a nation” either. The point is that positions far below “head of state” aren’t meant for women.
The Gemara I quoted has many halachic implications, for example about pru urvu (which, by the way, there are opinions that that’s binding on Bnei Noach too).
The Rambam I quoted, if you’d bother looking it up, I’d specifically talking about the 7 laws of Bnei Noach.
As for women leaders’ practical performance: Golda Meir nearly got Israel annihilated (r”l) at the beginning of the Yom Kippur War. Merkel has presided over her country’s descent into anarchy, with attacks by “migrants.” So far that’s 2 out of 3 to the bad – not exactly confidence-inspiring.
How do you explain Devorah Haneviah?
Tosafos to Yevamos 45b address this, and offer two answers. One is that she didn’t actually judge the people, just instructed the judges what do do. The second is that there was a specific command from Hashem at that time to accept her as a judge.
Esther! And Miriam! And Yocheved! And all Sara, Rivka, Rochel and Leah! All feminists.
Esther was the queen. She had no power of her own. And she deferred to Mordechai’s leadership. Some “feminist.”
Miriam was a prophetess, and she led the women, not the men. Tell me, is this Sewell a prophetess?
Yocheved was the mother of Moshe. What about her? Did she lead the nation or any part of it?
Sara, Rivkah, Rochel and Leah were the wives of the Avos. Again, were they leaders of the nation, or judges, etc.?
The lengths you’ll go to deny women’s strength in Tanach. Esther saved the Jewish people. Who do you think was in that palace doing all the work and risking her life? Miriam and Yocheved saved Moshe’s life. He wouldn’t have even existed had the two of them not been courageous enough to defy the law. And don’t belittle the pain and strength that goes into pregnancy and labor, and the absolute faith required to put your newly born baby into a basket and believe Gds going to look out for him. Yocheved was basically a superhero. What did the Avos… Read more »
Yes, Esther saved the Jewish people. _By listening to Mordechai_, not by saying that I’m a feminist and I’ll decide on my own what to do. Yes, Miriam and Yocheved saved Moshe’s life. And? Did they step out of their women’s role – you know, the one mentioned upthread about not being the “conqueror” – to do that? Next: who’s “belittling” the pain of labor, etc.? That would be the typical feminist, for example the one upthread who claimed that there’s something wrong with “breeding babies.” Talk to her, please. The point is: of course these women were heroines. Of… Read more »
The other commentator provided…we might not pasken like the rambam but we can’t dismiss it either
It should have been DEVORAH Helberstam!
She has the experience and knowledge.
Female power! This is what the future looks like!!
just as men have power-each have their own special role
a woman never needs to be LIKE A MAN to feel she is important or has power, women don’t need women at the head of the police force to feel powerful
It’s nice to see a woman of color up there.
if yes, then it is not a good decision
we should not choose people because of things that have nothing to do with their job
color should have nothing to do with it, not for NOT having someone be chosen or for YES having someone be chosen
if someone is the best person for the job, that is who should be chosen
The head of NYPD of the largest city in the United States should be chosen based on capability. experience, and qualifications, not based on skin color and because she is female. Btw I read that he chose her because he wanted a woman, even though she is inexperienced. I shudder at the consequences of this seemingly stupid decision, and yes policing is a man’s profession. Which policemen are going to feel confident having a woman as head of the department. Which citizens will feel safe with an inexperienced woman in charge of NYPD at a time that crime is at… Read more »
Men haven’t been doing a great job!
1-specific men not doing something well, doesn’t mean men as a whole
2-even more than anything is how the hands of the NYPD have been tied by De Blasio and cronies. Not to forget to mention how these same people have villified the NYPD as a whole
Amazing that she is a woman of color. Here in Chicago where I live, we were blessed with an amazing woman of color, Lori leftfoot as mayor, and bless the science she is doing an amazing job.
767 people killed in Chicago this year (and the year ain’t even over yet). Such a bang-up job Leftfoot is doing for her fellow “people of color”…
I can only hope this will not be more of a problem than a solution.
WOW!
No kidding. Who would of thought? This is great news. We need to mark this day somehow. Historical!
women tend to be more empathy so this is good in a role like this and as NYC is majority people of color the population will relate to her more than the current Irish fellow, so good choice.
which kind of cop would you like coming to help you
either way, no one is saying that she is not a wonderful officer, but asking more if a woman should head the police and questioning if she was chosen mainly because of her gender and color, and then subsequently asking if indeed she was chosen for those reasons, then one must ask if the best possible candidate was chosen
Eric promised to be tougher on crime so maybe this pick will make it easier for his reforms to be accepted