The following article appeared in today’s NY Post:
Didja hear the one about the cop who walked into a doughnut shop and asked for a bagel and a shmear?
You will soon. The NYPD is adding 10 Orthodox Jews, including one woman, to their ranks. That’s the largest Orthodox contingent ever in the department’s latest cadet class.
When Ari Husarsky told his parents he wanted to be a cop, they were all verklempt.
“My mom flipped,” the 24-year-old recalled as he stood outside the Police Academy on East 20th Street near Gramercy Park. When the shock wore off and he had promised he would still keep kosher on meal breaks and, yes, in doughnut shops, his parents gave him their blessing.
“My mother was also against it for the obvious reasons,” added Brighton Beach resident Max Silva, 28, a former caterer at Meisner’s in Brooklyn. He said they thought it was just too dangerous. “It was just one of those childhood dreams I never grew out of. Everybody was against it because nobody thinks of Jewish people as police officers,” he said.
“I always wanted to be a cop, but my wife, Sharona, was against it,” Silva added. “But I convinced her. It took her two years. She thinks it’s a dangerous job. I was sick of my other job because there was no room to grow. I wanted a future.”
The Police Department has welcomed the new recruits, who are excused from working after dusk on Fridays and on Saturdays and Jewish holidays.
“This class is going to be the ice breaker,” cadet Shmuel Tenenbaum said proudly. “The next class is going to have 30 or 40.” He said he’d prefer not to work in an Orthodox area, especially his own Brooklyn neighborhood of Crown Heights, where his dad owns a matzo factory. “If you give a Jewish guy a ticket, it’s very hard,” he said, noting that he might be pressured to give preferential treatment. “And then people talk. They could make your life miserable.”
Tenenbaum is fulfilling his childhood dream of becoming one of New York’s Finest. He finally took the plunge after serving as an auxiliary cop for the Highway 2 unit. And he doesn’t think that wearing a yarmulke under his police cap will mean he’s different from the others. “I just feel like a regular person. I don’t stop and think my yarmulke is on.”
Luckily, he’s now got plenty of support from the Jewish community, especially his rabbi.
Single and 25, David Attali is hoping that being a cop will help him find a wife. “I think girls actually like it. Because how many Jewish cops are there?” he said. But he worries that the low starting salary will make it tough keeping kosher. “A burger at McDonald’s costs two or three bucks, but at a kosher place it’s $8,” he lamented.
The Orthodox recruits graduate from the Police Academy in December along with 1,218 classmates.
Police recruit Jesse Cohen, 34, said his parents were convinced he was meshugana, but eventually they relented. “It’s what’s in your heart,” he said.
Born in Uzbekistan, Amnum Pirov, 32, was a barber in Queens. He believes he’s the first Bukharian Jewish officer. He’s married, has three kids, attends yeshiva, and despite the dangers intrinsic to being a cop, wife Elana is proud of his new career
While working as a manager at a kosher grocery store on Long Island, Chaim Goldgrab, 25, would often daydream about a new career. Since he couldn’t decide whether he wanted to be a mortician or a cop, he decided to do both, and is also training as a funeral director. His preference is saving lives rather than dealing with the dead. “I never fit the mold,” he said.
Eleena Zazon, 23, who lives in suburban Monsey, is one of a handful of female Orthodox Jews on the force. She’s looking forward to making her mark on the shooting range: “I’ve always been very adventurous and looking for excitement.”
She said her friends “are a bit surprised” by her chutzpah and she’s bucking strict tradition by wearing pants instead of long dresses, an Orthodox symbol of modesty. But her gear is manufactured specifically for women – so it’s not in violation of Orthodox law.
The kosher cops have had to deal with a few wardrobe issues during training. “Even today in the gym my yarmulke fell off when I was doing push-ups,” said Eliezer Zinstein, 24, who signed up after working as a rebbe – a Jewish teacher – for five years at Yeshiva Ateres Yisroel in Canarsie, Brooklyn. “An instructor gave me a suggestion about how to better secure it,” he said.
The by-the-book cadet said that only once he had to seek a rabbinical resolution. “I used to wear wool tzizit,” he said, referring to the tassels worn by observant Jews at the corners of an undershirt-like garment. His wise rabbi told him that he could wear lighter cotton during strenuous workouts. The tassels also are tucked into his pants.
Before joining the department, Zinstein also moonlighted as a mashgiach, the Hebrew term for someone who supervises the kosher status of a resturant.
Kalman Witriol, 23, was destined for the job. He’s following in the footsteps of his brother, Joel Witriol, who was featured on The Post’s front page in 2006 when he became the NYPD’s first Hasidic cop.
“The NYPD is the most diverse city agency and the most diverse police department in America,” said Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. “It’s one of our great strengths.”
Presently, there are Jews in almost every single rank of the department, including the highest-ranking female officer, Joanne Jaffe, Chief of Housing Bureau.
(Source: NY Post)
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29 Responses
Refuah Shelamo.
Im Crying
Absurd. It doesn’t matter if the pants are made for women, the style of pants themsleves are inherently assur – the fact that it shows a split in the midsection area makes them pritzusdik and assur to wear, parnosa is no excuse for this. and what about shmiras negiah? she’ll have to touch men for sure – and carrying a gun? assur entirely..klei milchomo are assur for women to wear – you’ve got to be kidding me…
Hashem should give them hatzlacha, that they should always be loyal Yidden, and fulfill their new roles in an exceptional manner – being mekadesh Shem Shomayim.
If the definition of orthodox / hasidic is going according to the halocho this whole artical is full of mistakes for example mesira tzenios negia nivul peh (listen to the language the police talk) and how many innocent people are brutaly hurt by the police (for example the doctor who was hurt by the beach and the person driving a bike in mannhatten that was all over the news last week and how many stories r there that are not reported)- bcause they act as if , u r guilty untill proven innocent in many cases
NYPD Jew!
If you are paying attention to this and other recent articles its obvious that the press reads our blogs and comments on them .They refer to them in the articles and use them as substance for articles.Please let us all be careful to comment thoughtfully and patronize the blogs that are carefull about what they print.
may these cops be zoche one day to do it the torah way; by being be a fulfillmernt of the pasuk “shoftim visotrim tieten licha”.
[eg. preventing pritsus in our streets …as the rambam says.]
“She said her friends “are a bit surprised” by her chutzpah and she’s bucking strict tradition by wearing pants instead of long dresses, an Orthodox symbol of modesty. But her gear is manufactured specifically for women – so it’s not in violation of Orthodox law.”
Nebach. 🙁
#1, amen
I agree w. # 1. It’s hard enough in golus America – we don’t have to put ourselves in even greater physical & spiritual danger.
More power to them. For sure they will bring more sensitivity with them as they deal with frum Jews. Also they will earn more respect for frum Yidden as the Goyish cops see what great cops they became.
Finally, not every Jew is cut out to be a rabbi, doctor, lawyer or businessman. What’s important is that everyone contributes, in his/her own way.
“he doesn’t think that wearing a yarmulke under his police cap will mean he’s different from the others. “I just feel like a regular person. I don’t stop and think my yarmulke is on.””
Rachmona Letzlan
Nebech. That’s all that can be said of a sad story like this. ;-(
The police is no place for a Jewish man, kol shkein a Jewish woman. Putting aside the false heter of a woman wearing pants, she can’t even begin to justify wearing short-sleeve shirts.
#1 (Joseph) Well said. We can only daven and hope they come to their senses and return to their roots.
There are frum police officers is cities other than New York… Cleveland has them, I think that there are cities in Nevada and New Jersey that have them too.
“I just feel like a regular person, I don’t realize my yarmulka is on” (not verbatim)
What a messed up hashkafa! A yarmulka is supposed to remind you to have yiras shomayim, that you are indeed different!
I can respectfully disagree with someone else’s career path, as they can disagree with mine, but to make a statement like that officer is not representive of an orthodox jew, no matter what denomination.
This Job is VERY dangerious for the neshoma! The Chachomim were very disappointing when the TANA reb Shimon became in charge of the police department.
Kal V’Chomer in our society…. and the people signing up are not in the level of Reb Shimon and they will be in situations of non tznius and a non kosher and and and…..
Why put your self through fire…..
TRUE YIDDISHE NACHAS…
While there will be many halachic issues to be dealt with, if the various sorts of uniform services (not just police, but also the military) were open to frum Jews, it would have a significant impact on the economy of frum Jews in America, and for our status within American society. Since these are jobs that need to be done 24/7, in theory it should be possible to arrange for Shabbos observance since we prefer to work at times the goyim prefer to be off.
Refuah Shelema is right. BH these brave people have been cured of doing something they didn’t like and will go into a rewarding career. I’d like to ask Joseph the previous comment if becoming a truck driver or packer is a more rewarding acreer for a Jewish person? Kol Hakovod NYPD recruits.
That’s what happens to kids who are prevented from going to college by all means.
As long as these guys keep their yiddishkeit and stay positive role models it can be a very big kiddush hashem.
Just a thought, maybe some or even all of these young men and women asked their rav before making their decision. Halacha is not always as simple as what you were taught in yeshiva. All of you who wrote negative comments about these individuals should think what your rav would say if you asked if you were allowed to post those comments in public. It seems to me that the chillul Hashem you could be causing might be worse than what you’re accusing them of.
youdontknowme – KUDOS!
I had read the comments earlier with disgust, and just logged back in to say that people should be dan l’kaf zechus that these people did ask a Shaila and weren’t given a heter from daas Torah.
Readers don’t know the whole story in any situation and should think before they speak.
Thank you for saying what needed to be said (zerizim makdimim) and for creating such a wonderful Kiddush HaShem!
What a Kiddisuh Hashem. It shows how we care about our communities and great city. The timing is perfect, considering a lot of the bad news to hit our community (e.g. the allegations against Rubashkin). Don’t you think the non-frum and non-Jewish worlds pay attention to what we’re doing? Here’s a case where we don’t look like complainers, users and abusers of the system. We should be using this as a positive.
Why is negiah and beged ish a problem for the female officers? I highly doubt a frum female police officer is going to be turned on by some slimy thug she arrests. It’s a work uniform. She’s not wearing it to entince men. If that was her goal, there are far better outfits for her to achieve that. Please, I’m suggesting anything about Ms. Zazon. As a Jew, I am very proud of her. Unless if you’ve been asleep, there are plenty of women on the force. So who’s to say she doesn’t get partnered up with a female officer? This way none of you Gedolei Hador will have to worry about her being in close quarters (in a car) with a man.
We should be happy that they are doing something that they believe in and are proud of. While the starting slaries are low, the career advancement potential is high.
As for the men who joined, what happens if you can’t make it in business or medicine? Is it better to sit all day along in a yehsiva and hope your parents and in-laws don’t run out of money to support you, or have paranassah for themselves and their family? Don’t forget health insurance and a pension.
My paternal grandfather loved to learn, especially after he survived the shoah. But he knew he had a responsibility to make money his family and he also knew that many gedolim throughout our history worked – Rambam, Abarbanel, Rashi, etc. So he took a sefer with him to work. When there were no customers around, the sefer came out.
Kol HaKavod
Yes, how dare anyone not assume that someone eating Chazar got a “heter” after asking a shaila!
#28 first of all your comparison to eating chazar is completely absurd. Even if it wasn’t so absurd wouldn’t you have a halachic requirement to be dan l’kaf zechus? It would be hard not to judge someone that you saw eating chazar, but to go in public and call him out for it without knowing 100% what is going on is wrong.