SICK OF TERROR? GIVE POLICE THEIR TOOLS BACK!

Reacting to the recent bombing in New York City, the discovery of pipe bombs in Elizabeth, New Jersey and the subsequent capture of suspects in Brooklyn and New Jersey, Brooklyn's Senator Simcha Felder—a newly appointed member of the NY State Senate Majority Task Force on Counter Terrorism and Public Protection—complimented law enforcement on their work but also had strong words condemning not just the acts of terrorism but also the curtailing of law enforcement that allows terrorists to thrive.

“The elimination of stop-and-frisk; the removal of permission to monitor facilities and gatherings where terrorists are likely to congregate—these were mistakes that should be corrected,” said Senator Felder. “New York will remain a principal target for terrorism; however the practical and psychological beat down of our police is a recipe for disaster. Taking away tools that are proven effective weakens professional law enforcement’s ability to limit crime.”

The New York State Senate Majority Task Force on Counter Terrorism and Public Protection’s mission is to review and report on the counter terrorism / public protection activities that have occurred since September 11, 2001, and to make findings and recommendations—including proposing future legislative and administrative actions—that will promote the improved public safety of all New Yorkers.

BDS: The New Kristallnacht

Nazis boycott Jewish stores in Germany

In less than a month, we’ll commemorate Kristallnacht, that terrible two-day pogrom that saw Jewish homes and schools ransacked, and over 1,000 shuls and 7,000 Jewish businesses burned or destroyed. But it was more than two days of horror. Kristallnacht was immediately followed by economic and political sanctions against European Jews, which in turn were only a prelude to the unthinkable nightmare that would follow in the years ahead.

Today's BDS movement against Israel is nothing less than a political Kristallnacht

Today’s Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel is nothing less than a political Kristallnacht. Those who promote BDS—who try to economically strangle the Jewish people living in Israel—share the same goals as the monsters who took sledgehammers to shuls and set fire to Jewish homes. Anyone fooled by the packaging is grossly naive.

The men and women who make up legislative bodies are many things (not all of them good) but naiveté is uncommon among those clever enough to gather petitions and run for elected office. When these elected officials cast their votes publicly—or abstain from doing so—the
re’s a reason they’ve taken a position, and constituents are best served by knowing how their representatives voted.

Recently, the New York City Council approved a nonbinding resolution (sponsored by NY City Councilman Andy Cohen of the Bronx) to condemn the BDS movement against Israel. The resolution, which condemns “all efforts to delegitimize the State of Israel and the global movement to boycott, divest from, and sanction the people of Israel,” passed in a 40-4 vote with six abstentions.

Good news? Yes, it’s good that 80% of the council, including the Speaker, recognize the BDS movement for what it is. But then there’s the 20% who voted against the resolution, or abstained. Those ten elected officials know exactly what they didn’t support… and what they would allow, if only tacitly.

How did your Council Member vote? You should find out.

More, you should know how other elected officials stand on the BDS movement—a movement that political apologists claim is “non-violent”. Those same non-violent adherents had to be removed twice from the NY City Council’s proceedings because they were incapable of comporting themselves non-violently. They are anything but non-violent when they attack Jewish students and professors on college campuses across the United States.

The good news is there are plenty of men and women of good conscience who are unwilling to stand by the political Kristallnacht of the BDS movement. My colleague Senator Jack Martins and I sponsored anti-BDS legislation that Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law this past June. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie recently also recently adopted anti-BDS legislation in his state, which passed both the NJ State Senate and Assembly almost unanimously. In late August, the California State Assembly voted 60-0 to send an anti-BDS bill to their governor for approval. Other states to have passed similar laws are Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, Florida, Tennessee and Virginia.

The United States is a great country, where good people certainly outnumber the bad. But let’s not be lulled into a sense of false security because the BDS movement—and those who would leave Jews isolated and starved in Israel (and everywhere else, if they could)—are crouching at the door.

Simcha Felder
Senator, District 17

This article originally appeared in The Jewish Press.

Living the Miracle: A Visit with Club Nissim

Senator Felder met with members of Club Nissim, a creative fellowship of Holocaust survivors named by its members in recognition of their miraculous survival. The occasion was the club's 15th anniversary, which took place at the Boro Park Y. Click here for more information on Club Nissim.

SENATOR FELDER APPOINTED TO NEW YORK STATE SENATE’S COUNTER TERRORISM & PUBLIC PROTECTION TASK FORCE

Senator Simcha Felder (Brooklyn) has been named to the new NY State Senate Majority Task Force on Counter Terrorism and Public Protection. The task force’s mission is to review and report on the counter terrorism / public protection activities that have occurred since September 11, 2001, and to make findings and recommendations—including proposing future legislative and administrative actions—that will promote the improved public safety of all New Yorkers.

“Terrorism wasn’t born on September 11th,” said Senator Felder. “Nevertheless, it took the scope of our national catastrophe to open the eyes of those who didn’t realize how dangerous a time we live in—a time when radical Islamist groups attempt to reshape the world by whatever monstrous means they deem necessary.”

Chaired by Senator Thomas Croci, the task force will perform research, make site visits, conduct interviews, and hold roundtables and meetings. The task force will then issue a preliminary report prior to December 31, 2016, with respect to the issues it will be examining, as well as a final report, prior to December 31, 2018, with respect to its findings, conclusions, and legislative and administrative recommendations.

“New York remains a principal target,” Senator Felder continued. “As such, I fully support the formation of this new task force to improve the counter terrorism and public protection efforts in our City and State.”

Our No-Cost Mammograms Save Lives

Each year, Senator Felder sponsors no-cost mammograms in the heart of Boro Park and Flatbush for women over the age of 40 who have not had a mammogram in the last 12 months. Last year, as a result of these screenings, a woman’s life was literally saved.

Please take advantage of this vital, life-saving, no-cost opportunity on Wednesday, September 21st (in Flatbbush) or on Wednesday, September 28th (in Boro Park). Again, there is no cost to you.

To make an appointment, call us today at 718-253-2015 or 718-484-3216.

ELECTIONS ARE COMING. DO YOU KNOW WHERE TO VOTE?

The Primaries will take place this coming Tuesday, September 13, and general elections are just around the corner. But do you know where to vote?

Senator Simcha Felder (Brooklyn), who is running unopposed this year, says that his office often gets calls from constituents who are confused about where their local polling site is. “Sometimes their polling site has changed,” said the Senator, “and even if they received something in the mail from the Board of Elections telling them where to go, they often can’t find the information when they are ready to go out and vote.

“My offices will be open on Primary Day making it easier for my constituents to call, and  my staff will happily tell them where to vote based on their address,” said Senator Felder, who encourages everyone in his district and throughout the city to vote. You have until October 14 to register to vote in the General Election.

Senator Felder’s Flatbush office can be reached at 718-253-2015; his Boro Park office can be reached at 718-484-3216.

Using the Environment as a Weapon

by Senator Simcha Felder

Assembly Members Mike Simanowitz and Michael Cusick with Senator Felder

In his book Up From Liberalism, William F. Buckley illustrated how the leading liberals of his day, in their speeches and statements and the premises that underlined their words and actions, clearly suffered from obvious social and philosophical prejudices. And that was only the 1950s. Over the last half century, left-leaning progressive liberals have lived down to Mr. Buckley’s expectations.

Part of their game is name calling. Another part is painting their opponents (i.e., anyone who disagrees with them) with a broad brush, putting words in their mouths and, ultimately, using misdirection in an attempt to create a false image of what their opponents stand for.

My recent run-in with these charlatans resulted from my taking a stance on the Bag Tax. As many of you will no doubt recall, the City Council — under the guise of an environmental initiative — attempted to force a nickel tax on every carry-out bag in the city. Why not a dime? Or a quarter? Because they didn’t think they’d get away with it. Yet. So the nickel tax (for now) was acceptable to the mayor and enough members of the council. But it wasn’t acceptable to New Yorkers. And it certainly wasn’t acceptable to my constituents, who made their voices loud and clear. Many of my colleagues, who also represent residents throughout the five boroughs, heard the same objections and joined me in the fight.

Does this mean most members of the Senate and the Assembly want to hurt the environment? No one in their right mind really thinks that. We all care about the planet and want to be good stewards. We simply saw through the ruse that pretended that adding yet another regressive tax to New Yorkers would help the environment. We understood that the Bag Tax was no different than a BIG Soda ban in its pomposity and pretentiousness.

My efforts had several results. The first was an overwhelming victory in the Senate for our anti-Bag Tax legislation, and an anticipated victory in the Assembly that forced the City Council to postpone the tax, which was slated for October, so it could be revisited next year.

The second result was the “Oil Slick Award,” which an environmentalist group has now bestowed upon me with all the public fanfare that the not-for-profit organization could muster. Each year, the Oil Slick Award — an insult of the highest order when hurled by those on the far left — is reserved for the legislator this group hates most. I’m told no one else even came close.

So I am pleased to accept this award. And I do so on behalf of all New Yorkers who care about the environment as much as anyone else, but won’t be fooled by hidden agendas that are, let’s be honest, the farthest thing from Green.

This article appeared in Hamodia on August 31, 2016.

If Memory Serves...

The last time you saw your doctor, he likely told you about your heart, your cholesterol, your blood pressure… but did he mention anything about your mind? Or did you think to ask?

While we may not always listen to prevailing wisdom, the Health Revolution and accessibility of wellness information has made all of us far more conscious about eating right, exercise, and well care than previous generations were. But it only just came to my attention that people have less concern about mind health than they do about body health.

And this is not necessarily a wise thing.

Recently, I was hosted by the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. Headquartered in Manhattan, the national foundation is headed by my former colleague Senator Charles Fuschillo, Jr., who, along with his staff, presented startling statistics that I was unaware of.

Here are a few:

* More than 5 million Americans may have Alzheimer’s disease.

* It’s estimated that about a half million Americans younger than age 65 have some form of dementia, including Alzheimer’s.

* While Alzheimer’s is not a normal part of aging, the risk of developing the illness increases with age and doubles every five years beyond age 65.

* One to four family members act as caregivers for each individual with Alzheimer’s disease.

Many of us have seen it up close: It’s not just the individual with the disease who is impacted but also any number of close relatives who become de facto caregivers.

The good news is that there are resources available for those suffering from Alzheimer’s, as well as those who help them and their loved ones. The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America is a center for disseminating such information.

Among its many services, the AFA provides free memory screenings, which I plan to offer in my district. No one wants to be the bearer of bad news, but early detection and awareness-raising education is important, and I urge community leaders who are in a position to share information with others to look into these free memory screening and education opportunities.

As I learned yesterday, everyone loses his or her keys. It’s when you find them and don’t remember what they’re for that you have to start worrying. For 5 million Americans learning to cope with the onset of Alzheimer’s – to say nothing of the 10 to 20 million people they will impact with their care needs – this is a serious matter. But a little diligence can make it easier.

State Senator Simcha Felder


(This column originally appeared in The Jewish Press on Sept. 1, 2016)