By Antwan Lewis – FOX 5 NEWS
Carmel Cato and Professor Norman Rosenbaum haven’t seen each other in five years. But their bond goes back to August 1991 and the Crown Heights riots in Brooklyn.
Cato’s 7-year-old son Gavin was killed when a station wagon came onto the sidewalk and crashed into him while he was fixing his bike. His 7-year-old cousin Angela was also hit but survived.
The accident touched off three days of riots between August 19 and August 21 by mostly African American residents angered that the driver of the station wagon was Jewish.
In the ensuing melee, Rosenbaum’s brother Yankel was murdered. He was an innocent man targeted only because he was Jewish.
This weekend marks the 25th anniversary of what has been called one of darkest chapters in New York City history. Since that time, relations between Crown Heights Jewish and black residents have healed.
Community activist Richard Green helped broker that unity. He hopes the Crown Heights of today can serve as an example, he feels, that is needed.
“The blacks were alleging that we were getting preferential treatment from the police..”
Of course! Our community does not steal and kill. Our clergy teaches us right from wrong. We bring blessings to the world.
YeChi HaMelech! Moshiach Now!
Norman stay strong and don’t let them forget the big difference between the ACCIDENT the took away Gavin and the MURDER that killed Yankel HY”D. We have not forgotten.
G-d should bless you and your family.
There is no website yet, & it’s not official either, Maybe Col could present it to the Larger Lubavitch community around the world, & that might be a way to get it started, does anyone know how to get Sefer Torah’s started ?
Is there a website where we can donate towards this Torah?
To #6 what a great idea, & it was mentioned a number of times in the other articles about this Sundays event in CH, yes we must get this started with a Campaign, we still have 28 days till the Yartzeit to get it started, we need sponsors & a Sofer that would be designated to be the 1 to write & start the letters, if it can’t be on the night of the Yartzeit, for sure it should be started in the later afternoon at least 2 hrs before Shkia so it will be started on the day of… Read more »
Yanke’sl HY”D Yartzeit is on the 10th of Elul this year it will be Monday night Sept 12 through the day of the 13th, we should have a Sofer start writing the 1st letters of the Sefer Torah @ 770 either the night of his Yartzeit or during the day before Shkia & the Sefer Torah should be a New Sefer Torah for 770, & it will be Yankel’s Sefer Torah, how very appropriate on his 25th Yartzeit to start the Sefer Torah, every Lubavitcher throughout the world should have a letter in this Sefer Torah, every child from every… Read more »
Many have expressed different views about the upcoming neighborhood festival, this Sunday. Some view it with indignation, whereas some think it’s a good idea. Whatever the case, emphasize the truth: one was a tragic accident, but the other was unjustified violence that resulted in two murders (Yankel Rosenbaum, HY”D and a bearded Italian man, who could have passed for Chassidic). I was living in Crown Heights when this happened. The blacks were alleging that we were getting preferential treatment from the police, while they were being neglected. So the accident was, as they saw it, like the proverbial “last straw… Read more »
Who best can speak about his only brother then he alone!!!
May his neshama have an Aliyah
The Left utilizes rioters to achieve their ends. All it costs is the lives and safety of local people. Where is the mamzer Al Sharpton in all this unity celebration—in the White House?
They did not both lose loved ones in the CH riots. When will someone get up and say the truth?
Moshiach is at our doorstep.