Formation of a new coalition of Blacks and Jews in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, world center of the Lubavitch Hasidic movement and long an area of inter-racial tension and conflict, was announced at a press conference today held at the Brooklyn Public Library. The nine Black and nine Jewish members of the coalition, headed by Rev. Heron Sam and Mendel Shemtov, president of the Crown Heights Jewish Community Council, were present for the press conference.
The co-chairmen said the coalition was the outgrowth of six months of meetings of the leaders of the two major groups — the Blacks and the Hasidim. They expressed thanks to Bishop James Witcher, the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island, which includes Brooklyn; Rabbi Balfour Brickner, director of interreligious affairs for the (Reform) Union of American Hebrew Congregations; and Malcolm Hoenlein, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council, an umbrella agency of Jewish organizations in New York City.
Sam and Shemtov declared in a jointly-presented statement of the coalition’s goals that the coalition comprised ” concerned individuals, holding positions of responsibility and /or residing in the Black and Jewish communities of Crown Heights.” There are no official demographic data on the racial and religious make-up of Crown Heights, but it is estimated that the ratio is about two Blacks to each Jew.
The joint statement declared that “recognizing that Crown Heights is the established locale of Blacks and Jews, and other minorities; conscious that the above groups have long contributed to the stability and development of this community; appreciative that these groups consider it home, deserve and intend to remain in this area; convinced that the atmosphere of trust necessary for the stability and growth of the community can be achieved only by mutual cooperation, we have banded together jointly to build our community.”
WILL SEEK TO HELP AREA
The two co-chairmen pledged that the coalition would seek to bring to Crown Heights “those resources — financial, physical, social and spiritual — needed for its development and implementation of programs and projects that will attract city, state, federal and private resources into our community, leading towards a total urban renewal and reinvestment process. “Crown Heights is generally considered a changing area.
Sam and Shemtov stressed that they did not “presume to speak for the entire community. However, we shall seek to develop mechanisms by which to respond immediately to crises which may arise. Moreover, we shall seek faithfully and accurately to represent the needs and legitimate desires of those who wish to associate themselves with our purpose. We shall do this without compromising the unique particularities of faith, race or culture which distinguish us and which give our community its positive pluralistic character.”
The co-chairmen said the coalition would try to get funds to provide “the right education for our children, Black and Jewish” and to teach them “there is no room” for street violence, a problem which has plagued Crown Heights for years. Both sides have created citizens patrols to monitor the area.
Sam was asked why Rev. Herbert Doughtry had not been invited to participate. Doughtry is a Black clergyman who has made speeches against the Crown Heights Hasidim they consider inflammatory. Sam replied that there were geographic restrictions on coalition membership and Doughtry does not live in Crown Heights. He added that the coalition would accept Doughtry as an advisor if he wanted that role.
Asked if he was negotiating with the Hasidim without the consent of the Black community, Sam gave a two-part response. He said he was a minister of the largest church in Crown Heights, representing half the Blacks of Crown Heights; and that he had reported fully to his parishoners on the developments leading to the coalition and that his parishoners had applauded his efforts vigorously.
The co-chairmen said the coalition plans to create a community ombudsman for the two communities and a mechanism to respond to crises. One of the principal goals of the coalition, they said, would be to work together to diminish street crime and improve security in Crown Heights. Sam said “our choice is either coming together in a coalition or destroying each other.” Hoenlein said that other Black and Jewish Crown Heights leaders have been holding and will continue to hold talks on strengthening Crown Heights.
Hoenlein said that plans were under consideration to arrange an early meeting by the coalition with Mayor Edward Koch. The coalition is expected to soon start organizing the mechanism Sam and Shemtov cited and to hold regular meetings to implement the goals of the coalition.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
