By Mayer Fertig, Publisher and Editor-in-chief. The Jewish Star: We haven’t had much to say about Noah Feldman, figuring that whatever had to be said was being said to death elsewhere – we were right about that, by the way – so we continued to focus most of our attention and effort on very local matters not being discussed in the general media.
Feldman, and his comments about Orthodoxy, have now very much become a local matter with the publication, in the Wave newspaper in Far Rockaway, of an anti-Orthodox rant authored by that paper’s managing editor, Howard Schwach. Schwach began his commentary with the by-now-trite observation that “more people have died in the name of religion than anything else in history.”
He then recounted several episodes to which he was an eyewitness, and which he used to bolster his underlying point – that the desire of Orthodox Jews to live largely separate from the greater community is “bad for Democracy,” as he put it in a telephone conversation with The Jewish Star on Monday afternoon.
On an early morning visit to the Borders book store on Central Ave “several months ago,” the retired public school teacher wrote, he encountered several Nassau County police vehicles parked in front. Inside, a former student of his, a clerk in the store, “told me that they found a note on the door that warned them that the store would be destroyed by fire if they continued to open on Saturdays.”
We take him at his word that this is what he was told. For the record though, Brad Ruter, the manager of Borders on Central Ave for the last 30 years, told The Jewish Star on Monday that he had no knowledge of such a threat, or any like it. A Merrick resident, Ruter said he’s
watched the neighborhood change, but that business has remained steady throughout.
A few days later, Schwach wrote, he and his wife went into Carvel a few doors down where he witnessed, “an Orthodox man arguing with the Asian owner of the store, telling him that he needed a certificate from the local Orthodox Rabbi if he wanted to stay in business. The owner pointed to a framed document on the wall and told the man he already had a Kosher Certificate. The man told him that it wasn’t good enough and that if he didn’t pay for one from the local rabbi, nobody from the community would ever again come into his store.”
Three weeks later, Schwach wrote, “the store was closed. In my mind, that was worthy of the Mafia and the shakedown antics of the Chinatowngangs.” By phone Schwach first insisted that he saw what he saw and it was patently obvious to him that the conversation he witnessed directly led to the store’s closing.
A few points: First, Schwach’s timeline is way off, which he conceded. Since the Carvel has been closed for at least a year, the incident he described couldn’t have happened a few days after the Borders threat, which he said took place “a few months ago.” He said both incidents
could have occurred as long as two years ago. Rabbi Yosef Eisen, Rabbinic Administrator of the Vaad Hakashrus of the Five Towns and Far Rockaway, told The Jewish Star the Vaad doesn’t employ sales people. “We have a firm policy,” he said. “We do not solicit hashgachas. People call the office and ask to make an appointment.” He called the Vaad’s marketing effort, such as it is, “a one-way street. Proprietors contact us and we service people interested
in the Vaad hashgacha.”
Did Schwach witness someone discussing with the Carvel store owner the relative value of the local Vaad hashgacha versus the Kof-K, which provides a blanket hechsher to Carvel stores? We have no reason to call him a liar. He probably did see someone urging Carvel to “upgrade.” Nor would we have trouble believing that this person was coming on a too strongly. But to suggest that this isolated incident is somehow connected to the shutdown of the store is ludicrous. Schwach later conceded that he was interpreting the episode in the worst possible light, rather than offering the benefit of the doubt.
A frequent Central Ave shopper we spoke to yesterday offered a credible alternative explanation for Carvel’s demise on Central Ave. “In Carvel the service was slow, it was very crowded,” she said, adding, “it was very dirty, there was no natural daylight, the cakes were often stale and it was just a very unpleasant place to shop.” In contrast, in her opinion, at Haagen Daaz nearby, “the service is quick, everything is always fresh, it’s a much bigger store with many tables, tons of sunlight, outdoor seating and always spotless.” One person’s opinion, sure, but clearly the only explanation for Carvel’s closing was threats from the Kosher Mafia, right?
There’s more. Schwach claims to have had his car stoned on Shabbos near a Far Rockaway yeshiva, although he went so far as to say that he knew “it was an aberration.” Generally, he took everything Noah Feldman wrote at face value, including Feldman’s skewed account of the Talmudic discussion concerning saving lives on Shabbos. He expressed shock that The New York Times knew before publication that Feldman and his future wife had not, in fact, been cropped out of the now infamous reunion picture upon which hung Feldman’s whole essay.
“There are many people who believe that the influx of Orthodox to the Five Towns has ruined it for the rest of the population,” he baldly stated.” A great number of the stores and restaurants have been taken over by Orthodox owners. They are closed from early Friday night to Sunday. That community has tried, as with the bookstore, to force those
not owned by them to close as well.”
Bottom line, Schwach wrote, “To my mind, that is not being a good neighbor.” Neither is Schwach, nor the Wave, it seems to us. Seeking to bolster a rather un-neighborly, anti-Orthodox agenda, he is taking aim at the issues that concern him by, figuratively, shooting arrows at a tree before drawing the circles around them.
The Jewish Star covers the Five Towns and other orthodox communities of the South Shore of Long Island, and Far Rockaway.
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18 Responses
i am a resident of lawrence. the wave is the most unsignificant paper in new york. he makes comments like this to sell copies. he knows there is going to be an uproar which in turn means sales. if we ignore it and not talk about it he will continue having a circulation number of about 4 (on a good week). for the record the wave is sold in the “ghetto” PARTS of far rockaway which are dangerous to walk in.
i am a resident of lawrence. the wave is the most unsignificant paper in new york. he makes comments like this to sell copies. he knows there is going to be an uproar which in turn means sales. if we ignore it and not talk about it he will continue having a circulation number of about 4 (on a good week). for the record the wave is sold in the “ghetto” PARTS of far rockaway which are dangerous to walk in.
the paper is sold in the “Ghetto parts” of far rockaway. if we got some orthodox jews there it would prob. be safe to walk the streets and stores may be able to remain in business for more than a month
for the record though many yddein in the five towns do things in the way they act in stores, drive and flaunt houses and cars do things that are not akiddush hashem.
The worst anti-semites are the slef-hating Jews.
This guy sounds like the World Weekly News in the supermarkets, you know that paper with the alien stories.
hmmmm Mrmoose I ‘m just wondering what your point is and what constructive purpose you could posibly be doing by making public deragatory remarks about a place of frum Yidden. If you put any place under scrutiny you will find many examples where jewish people are doing things that are not “Akiddish Hashem” as you put it. These places are full of the most religious members of society and yet there are many that dress one way and do something else. So of you have a problem with this, then stop spreading loshon Horah and get off your chair and do something about it. Then when you are finished remaking the 5 towns in your own image go to all of the other religous hot spots within 80 miles that do the same thing you accused the 5 towns of being.
Meanwhile keep to the topic and watch your words this close to Rosh Hshanah
this person said he saw orthodox acting like a mafia but anyone can say whatever they want. i could say that isaw him murder a child. you have to prove what youu say.
Bentzy,
We frum yidden should stop being so senstive to criticism and start improving ourselves so that we will all be making kiddush hashem.
No I disagree, it’s not being sensitive but rather the person giving it needs to think of the best way of administering it. Honestly, how is saying Loshon Horah about a group of people on a web sight going to make any positive change?
Mitzvah boh la’averah?
Besides I can say the same thing about the most Heimish of places.
Sometimes all we hear is criticism, and if when there is no to’eles, then what is the point? This is straight Loshon Horah and needs to be recognized as such. Are the people in the 5 towns who read this really going to change their live styles after reading this response? Will the people in Boro Park, Flatbush, Lakewood (as well as any other frum community) who do the same things be doing anything different as a result of this on line converstation…..NO they wont and there is no reason to make people who read this start thinking neagativly against the 5 towns just because someone has a problem with how some people live there lives? Did they notice the amount of people who wake up at 4:30 am so that they can go to Daf Yomi and Daven before work? Did they notice all the minyonim that they people support and the Gedolim that they bring in to stay at their houses to raise money for their Tzeddokos? Did they ever look at the quality of schools out here? No all we have is a comment directed towards an entire community that was judged because of the actions of a minority. I have seen first hand the same thing in other places with reputations of being giant mosdos of Torah and yet there are people who live in fancy houses, who act insesnsitive to others while shopping and do not act in a way that would be a Kiddush Hashem….it’s called human nature and it’s a Yetzer Horah that is shared world wide. Would it be fare for me to label those places as well?
“Howard Schwach” The name says it all.
(The W in his surname was pronounced as a V in the old country)
The question then remains when does loshon horah about a place constitute “consrtuctive” criticism? Where is the toeles that will make people want to do better over here (or anywhere)?
Next I agree to the part about being so sensitive, but to criticize for the sake of cricism is counter productive. We face criticism at every turn, the way we dress, the way we act….and so on. If we have too much money we are materialistic, if we don’t have enough we either don’t have the bitochon or are lazy. We need to build up Yiddishkiet not put it down. We have so many kids going off the Derech and so many others who act and dress frum but lack the enthusiasim of serving Hashem B’ahavah. With every critisim we need to find a postive outlet to hook onto.
This was a report that I would assume it’s perpose was in exposing a source of anti-semitism directed towards Far Rockaway and 5towns, then came along the negative commnent about the 5towns that really was uncalled for. While we can be dan l’kav zechus that the purpose of the comment was to point out the “cause” of the anti semitism, but the reality is that it just validated the anti semetic jew’s reasoning. This isn’t a 5towns problem it’s a personal problem that is found everywhere. So if we need to work on improving ourselves, lets find the proper venue so that “we frum” can make a kiddush Hashem.
Kof-K provides “blanket” hashgocha on Carvel?! What kind of hypocrisy is that?! Carvel stores are not only certified by Kof-k?!
this guy is a self hating rusha!
This is scary. It’s like the blood libels! He’s obviously making it all up. What frum person EVER cared if a goy kept his store open on Shabbos? Nobody! It obviously never happened. He’s just playing out antisemitic stereotypes and fears. And who throws stones at cars on Shabbos in America? Nobody! But that’s what the antisemites always talk about, based on accounts from Israel.
He’s trying to convince the goyim of Belle Harbor that the Jews are tan evil mafia out to drain their bank accounts and drive them from their homes and businesses. It really is just like the blood libels. Hashem yerachem.
1. actually, he said worse things than what meyer fertig says here.
2. the wave is not a minority distrubuted paper; its mainly an irish community paper. i remember about ten years ago being in his belle harbor area (a few blocks from the yiddishe section of town, but dont go there at nite), and literally, daytime, bars , not one, not two, not one block, not two blocks, full of bars, and full of drunks. of course, the police wont do nothing because a: they are irish — no blacks (etc) allowed, and b: all bars in nyc are owned by (off duty) cops (actually, police in nyc are forbidden to own bars, so they put it in their girlfriend’s (not wife’s) name, and they’re there on their off time, till they retire, when it goes into their name; the only liquor licenses that are not (de facto) owned by cops are those the cops sell off; now you know the liquor license business).
i guess he’s complaining that there are no liquor bars on central avenue.
3. a bigger pblm with the kof-k: they certify stores under an agreement with carvel. however, if the store is owned by a yid, they must certify it, even if its opened on shabbas!!! (as a practical matter, this is considered only a pblm on motzei shabat, since there is enough turnover that sinday’s ice cream is made on sunday, not shabbas (but what about the other flavors, etc)
of course, this wont be a pblm with this particular carvel, since its owned by a chinese man, prob not a yid.
forgot to mention (esp to bas torah’s comment):
will he pass up the increase in his property values due to these jews???
I just went to their site (rockawave.com) and someone posted a not to their messages that the owner of the book store and the police have never heard of the supposed arson threat. The Wave should be sued for slander or false reporting or something!
see bas yisroel look what i said in message 9