LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

It's just disgraceful

Originally published May 27, 1993

Posted

EDITOR'S NOTE: This letter to the editor was originally published on May 27, 1993, and was reprinted as part of the 70th anniversary of The Riverdale Press.

Editor, The Press:

I was present at the Benjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club’s mayoral forum held at M.S. 141 on May 13. What occurred at this event was a disgrace.

When Mayor Dinkins arrived, he was met by Rabbi Avraham Weiss of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, and a group of predominantly youthful demonstrators. They were there to protest the murder of Yankel Rosenbaum as well as the Dinkins administration’s moral and administrative failures throughout this tragedy.

The mayor’s subsequent attempt to label what was truthful criticism as “teaching our youth to hate” shows disdain for our democratic principles.

Following this, Rabbi Weiss was denied the right to publicly question the mayor due to what clearly appeared to be collusion between the mayor’s staff (if not the mayor himself) and the Benjamin Franklin Club (if not its president himself, Michael Heller). Censorship is the only word that explains what transpired.

What is quite shocking is that a so-called reform Democratic club would show such disrespect for not only a much-respected rabbi, but for beliefs that it has in the past proudly stood for.

Additionally, it was sad to see a man I thought highly of, Assemblyman G. Oliver Koppell, stand idly by and allow these injustices to happen. Where was his voice?

Rabbi Weiss, as well as the Riverdale community, is owed an apology by the Benjamin Franklin Club and its leadership. The members of this club should take whatever steps necessary to see that what took place at M.S. 141 does not ever happen again.

ROBERT CONFINO

EDITOR'S NOTE: Michael Heller responded at the time saying there was no censorship, stating the mayor had told him he had already talked to Rabbi Weiss for several minutes, and did not want to take an additional question.

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Robert Confino,

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