City Island News BX: Why are Pols Silent on Anti-Semitism Rise?

City Island News BX: Why are Pols Silent on Anti-Semitism Rise?: Why are Pols Silent on Anti-Semitism Rise? By Rabbi Harry Hertzberg Temple Hatikva Spiritual Leader More than 70 years ...

Why are Pols Silent on Anti-Semitism Rise?

Why are Pols Silent on Anti-Semitism Rise?

By Rabbi Harry Hertzberg

Temple Hatikva Spiritual Leader

More than 70 years ago, the Jewish community in the United States maintained a strange silence while the Holocaust was burning throughout Europe. Six million Jews were murdered by the Nazis, yet American Jews had virtually no voice and applied little public pressure to stop this atrocity.

Today, we again have a government who chooses to ignore the murderous and vicious entity known as Hamas. Even 

though Hamas has been recognized as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union, they are somehow not held morally responsible for their actions – but rather, are granted the status of being “morally equivalent” to Israel.

The charter of Hamas, simply states that Jews must be eradicated and Israel destroyed.  Much to their credit, Hamas does not try to hide their intentions – but instead, is proud of its’ goal to destroy Israel and the entire Jewish population.

Yet, even when confronted with their rockets firing at Israel indiscriminately, or their tunnels meant to wreak havoc and murder upon the Jews, our leaders are strangely silent concerning the actions of our government.

It is of particular note that our President hails from the Democratic party as do the vast majority of our elected representatives in the Bronx. Yet, not one elected official has taken the President to task for his obvious lack of support for Israel – the only democracy in the Middle East and our only ally.

Congressman Eliot Engle serves as the ranking member of the foreign affairs committee of the United States House of Representatives, but has not issued one statement criticizing the actions of the executive branch of the government in this situation. While the President and Secretary of State do all in their power to weaken Israel and protect Hamas, we have not heard one objection from our Congressman.

Recently, our State Senator, Jeff Klein, went to Israel with a star-studded group that included Governor Andrew Cuomo. This trip was ostensibly to show solidarity with Israel and support for Israel. Yet, upon their return, the Governor and State Senator were not critical of our President or Secretary of State, nor did they take them to task for the obvious lack of support for Israel.

It is embarrassing to note that the leaders of the Jewish community-at-large have also taken the silent approach to dealing with this situation. Rather than speak up and demand executive branch support for Israel, Jewish communal leaders have acted as cowards – afraid that by speaking up they would damage their own access to the seats of power.

We have long known that those that do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Anti-semitism in Europe is at an all-time high. A rabbi in Miami was murdered on his way to synagogue. Jewish schools and museums are the targets of hate. It is way past the time to speak up. It is time to speak out and take action – even if that means voting against those who have represented us for many years.

It is not enough to feel bad for Israel. It is not enough to silently support Israeli actions. The time has come for public displays of support for Israel and to hold our elected officials accountable for their actions. There is no excuse for silence in the face of such evil and horror. There is no excuse for silence in the face of such danger and hatred. And, there is no excuse for silence in the face of anti-semitism.

It is time for each and every one of us, Jew and Gentile alike, to speak out and demand that our country support Israel and that we make a bold statement against anti-semitism. It is time to tell the world that we will not stand idly by while Jew-hatred pervades Europe while planting the seeds of another Holocaust. And finally, it is time to stand up and demand that our elected officials really represent us, rather than run scared.

If we choose silence over action or choose to look away rather than meet the problem head-on, then shame on us. We will truly get what we deserve.

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City Island News BX: Yankees, Victoria’s Secret Opening in Bay Plaza

City Island News BX: Yankees, Victoria’s Secret Opening in Bay Plaza: Yankees, Victoria’s Secret Opening in Bay Plaza By Michael Horowitz BRONX, NEW YORK, AUGUST 15-  The Bay Plaza shopping center’s ne...

Yankees, Victoria’s Secret Opening in Bay Plaza

Yankees, Victoria’s Secret Opening in Bay Plaza

By Michael Horowitz

BRONX, NEW YORK, AUGUST 15- The Bay Plaza shopping center’s new wing, which has been in the planning stage for years, opened on Thursday morning.

Portions of the new mall, including its spanking new Macy’s, were still under construction by the middle of this week. Portions of the new mall will not be completed until next year.

The new mall, when it is fully completed, will be anchored by Macy’s at one end and a pre-existing JC Penney’s department store at the other end. 

Stores in the new mall will ultimately include Victoria Secret Express, Swarovski Crystals, H&M, Michael Kors, and the Yankee Clubhouse.

Other chains that have signed leases to be at Bay Plaza include Zales Jewelers, Kay Jewelers, Matthew’s Jewelers, Cohen Optical, Bath & Body, Charlotte Rousse, Champs, Footlocker, Lid’s Hats, Joe’s Crab Shack, the Olive Garden, Red Robin, American Eagle Aeropostale, and Sprint.

The new Macy’s, which will be an anchor store for Bay Plaza’s new, enclosed mall, will comprise 160,000 square feet on its own.

The 780,000-square foot extension of Bay Plaza will mean that the shopping center, which is on the outskirts of Co-op City, will comprise close to two million square feet.

The price tag for the extension of the Bay Plaza mall is expected to approach $300 million. The new mall is expected to create 1,700 permanent jobs and to have parking for up 2,300 cars.

The extension of Bay Plaza’s new wing will be connected to the existing JC Penney store at Bay Plaza.

In recent months, those living in Co-op City and those driving by the community have seen the new wing of the shopping center rising on its southern end of the Bay Plaza shopping center. 

The shopping center’s developers and elected officials have stressed that the impending of Bay Plaza’s new wing is an exciting development for the Bronx and Westchester.

Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., among others, have touted the development of Bay Plaza’s new wing as a sign of progress in the Bronx and in the city as a whole. 

Bay Plaza, which first opened in the mid-1980s and spans 1.3 million square feet, is already the largest mall in the Bronx.

When the new mall is completed, it will be attached to the current shopping center. The entire mall will be enclosed, making it the first mall of this kind in the Bronx.

“We are talking to all the major chains about coming to Bay Plaza,” Sam Shalem, CEO of Prestige Properties (the shopping center’s developer), has stressed. “This is just the kind of suburban mall this area needs.”

Shalem has said that he is confident that the enlarged mall will have major appeal to the more than four million people who live in close proximity to Co-op City.

Shalem has stated that he expects the new shopping center to attract those living in Westchester and southern Connecticut, as well as those living in neighborhoods through the Bronx.

City Island News BX: Bay Plaza

City Island News BX: Bay Plaza: Bay Plaza’s Open for Business BRONX, NEW YORK, AUGUST 14- Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. was the very first customer at th...

City Island News BX: Bay Plaza

City Island News BX: Bay Plaza: Bay Plaza’s Open for Business BRONX, NEW YORK, AUGUST 14- Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. was the very first customer at th...

Bay Plaza

Bay Plaza’s Open for Business

BRONX, NEW YORK, AUGUST 14- Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. was the very first customer at the new Macy's near Co-op City, which officially opened as part of the new Mall at Bay Plaza—a facility which has 780,000 square feet of retail space and is the first enclosed fashion mall in the New York City area in almost 40 years. 

To fill 1,800 new job spots, Governor Andrew Cuomo's Unemployment Strikeforce partnered with Borough President 

Diaz and the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation to help match candidates with the positions.

“To all the Macy’s family, on behalf of 1.4 million Bronxites, I want to say thank you,” Diaz said. “This is truly a partnership between the community, community leaders, people like Marlene Cintron, who is the president of the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation; and, of course, government.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I just want to say this: of all of the brands that are being sold at Macy’s, in all seriousness, the number one brand, the most important brand that is being sold here today is that of the ‘New Bronx.’

“When Macy’s makes a decision to go somewhere, they don’t make that decision lightly. And so to invest in our borough, to give our residents better and more pleasant shopping opportunities, to give employment to our borough…but also to send a message across the nation that they’re coming to The Bronx, and they’re here in The Bronx, it shows that something good is happening right here.

“So for that, we all want to say thank you, God bless you, and let’s continue to move forward.”

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