The Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (JCRC) expressed concern today over recent developments in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn where tensions have been increasing between the Hasidic and black residents there.
Some 2000 blacks staged a rally July 16 opposite the headquarters of the Lubavitcher movement, protesting against the use of police cars to guard the Lubavitcher buildings, charging that government money was used to finance Hasidic patrols and that these patrols beat black men. The specific reference was to the beating, allegedly by Hasids, of 16-year-old victor Rhodes on June 16.
The Rev. Herbert Daughtry, chairman of the Coalition of Concerned Leaders and Citizens to Save Our Youth, told the rally: “We want them to know the next time a Hasidic terrorist touches one of our kids, we are going to tear this community apart.” He and other black spokesmen addressing the rally also called for a boycott of Hasidic-owned stores in the area.
Richard Ravitch, JCRC president, said his organization viewed the situation in Crown Heights “with great concern. Given the difficult problem faced by many in that area–the poor, the unemployed, the elderly–we hope that all members of the community will work together to enhance the community’s stability and viability.”
DENOUNCES APPEALS TO BIGOTRY
Ravitch expressed confidence that mast residents of the community will repudiate the boycott and its implications. However, he added, “this makes no less repugnant the concept of action against any group–racial, ethnic or religious–because of acts committed by individuals. We have protested such action against blacks and others and cannot tolerate this kind of racial characterization in our own city.”
In specific references to the statements made by several of the speakers at the rally, Ravitch said, “that such appeals to bigotry and incited threats are only self-serving and a disservice to those they purport to aid. These cannot be allowed to go unchallenged by those truly concerned with justice and inter-group harmony.”
The JCRC and several of its member agencies in consultation with residents of the area, have been actively involved in a variety of efforts, including participation in coalitions with black, Christian and other organizations, to restore calm and foster reconciliation in the community, he noted.
The JCRC together with the American Jewish Committee, American Jewish Congress, and other groups has been working with governmental and voluntary agencies to defuse the existing tensions and to encourage resolution of the long-term problems that affect all residents of the area, Ravitch said.
He added, “The issues cannot be effectively addressed in an atmosphere of incited rhetoric and confrontational actions. Responsible representatives of the community must come together, with the assistance of the appropriate voluntary and public agencies, for constructive discussions which will lead to common action for the benefit of all.” The JCRC is the coordinating body for 26 major Jewish groups in the metropolitan area.
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.
