Prominent New York State and City officials, along with senior NYPD leadership, joined Crown Heights activist and government liaison Rabbi Chanina Sperlin for his annual Sukkos celebration on Thursday evening.
The festive gathering took place in Rabbi Sperlin’s sukkah and drew an impressive lineup of public figures and community leaders, including New York Governor Kathy Hochul, New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, and New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.
Also in attendance were Council Members Darlene Mealy and Lincoln Restler, Assemblyman Kalman Yeger, and Brooklyn Democratic Chair Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte. Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine joined the gathering, alongside senior NYPD leadership, including Assistant Chief Francis Giordano, Captain Ronald Perez (Commanding Officer of NYPD’s 71st Precinct), 77th Precinct Inspector Omar Birchwood, NYPD Assistant Commissioner Alden Foster, NYPD Chief of Housing Charles McEvoy, and NYPD Inspector Igor Pinkhasov.
The evening also brought together influential community leaders such as Joseph Potasnik, Executive Vice President of the New York Board of Rabbis; Eli Slavin, representative of Congresswoman Yvette Clarke; Pinny Hikind, representative of Comptroller Brad Lander; Jacob Eisdorfer, Senior Advisor; Yoel Lefkowitz, Senior Advisor in the office of the New York State Attorney General; Errol Louis, Political Anchor of Spectrum News NY1 and host of Inside City Hall; Gershon Schlesinger, President and CEO of Brooklyn’s ParCare Community Health Network; Mark Meyer Appel, founder of The Bridge Multicultural and Advocacy Project; and Jack Simony, Director General of the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation.
Representing Crown Heights were Vaad Hakohol members Zalman Friedman, Shmuel Rosenstein, and Yitzi Kamman, along with Rabbi Eli Cohen, Executive Director of the Crown Heights Jewish Community Council. Rabbi Cohen was honored with a special award presented by District Attorney Gonzalez and Speaker Adams for his years of dedicated service to the community.
Each leader addressed the crowd, speaking of the remarkable progress made in Crown Heights to unite residents from diverse backgrounds and emphasizing the need to continue bridging communities through dialogue and shared effort. Many praised Rabbi Sperlin for his role in shaping the Crown Heights political landscape, recalling years of working together to strengthen the Jewish community.
Governor Hochul joined Rabbi Sperlin in a l’chaim, expressing her appreciation for the deep partnership between New York State and the Jewish community.
Mayor Eric Adams, returning from a trip to Albania, was warmly greeted by attendees. Rabbi Sperlin described him as “the ultimate mensch and a steadfast ally of Crown Heights, the Jewish community, and Israel — a true part of the Crown Heights Mishpacha,” adding that Mayor Adams “will be remembered as one of the greatest mayors in New York City history.” Adams has long maintained close ties to Crown Heights, beginning in his tenure as State Senator, and has continued to support the neighborhood’s needs and its Orthodox Jewish community.
how long will it take for people especially yidden or so called frum or Chassidic people to understand how evil hochul and the dems are ????
As a jew in golus we have no business getting involved in politics and naive idealism, we should be voting for right left and center, the bottom line is who will mix out of our spiritual needs and take care of our material needs for these next
few years better? Whether he be
cuomo, zohran mamdani or hochul or borat!
There is currently a 70 year old tzadik, remanded and languishing behind bars, who did absolutly nothing wrong, prosecuted by Gonzales yemach shemo. If he’s not willing to do what’s right, he should be shunned from our community events. Shame on Gonzales. Askanim need to wake up.
Definitely a kiddush hashem
Another year in which all of these elected officials will claim to be our friends on the strength of this photo op, while at best ignoring our concerns and at worst stabbing us in the back.
Some Democrats are not good for us