Councilman Greenfield spent the morning visiting bread burning sites throughout Boro Park and Midwood and thanking FDNY, Shomrim and Chaverim members for their participation in the annual bread burning ritual. Prior to visiting several burning sites, Councilman Greenfield stopped by the firehouse at 4210 12th Avenue, which is home to Engine 282 and Ladder 148, where he thanked FDNY officials and firefighters for their hard work throughout the day to make sure the bread burning ran smoothly and safely this year. He also checked in with Boro Park Shomrim members in their mobile command center, and praised them for their help overseeing the 33 burning sites throughout Boro Park and Midwood that were established in coordination with the FDNY and Community Board 12.

“It was great to tour the neighborhood today and take part in this tradition the day before Pesach. Once again, Boro Park is fortunate to have the full cooperation and assistance of the FDNY and the Department of Sanitation in setting up these burn sites and cleaning up afterwards. It was a pleasure running into so many residents throughout the neighborhood and seeing so many of my constituents taking part in this great tradition on Erev Yom Tov,” said Councilman Greenfield.

As a result of months of planning between Councilman Greenfield, the FDNY, NYPD, Sanitation Department, Community Board 12, Shomrim, Hatzolah, Chaveirim and other community groups and city agencies, the neighborhood was prepared for today’s celebration and for Passover, with additional trash and recycling collections, dumpsters available for public use and the 33 burning sites set up around the neighborhood.

The controlled burning of the chametz is an important part of the preparations leading up to Passover, when leavened foods are forbidden throughout the holiday. Jews are forbidden by the Torah from eating or owning chametz during Passover, so it is tradition for Orthodox Jews to dispose of all leavened bread from their home and symbolically burn a small piece of bread before the holiday begins. Since the FDNY began the program of establishing controlled burning sites around the neighborhood there has not been a single serious injury in Boro Park.

“The city always works incredibly hard on behalf of our community to accommodate the biur chametz (burning of the bread) and the results were evident today at the many chametz burning sites around Boro Park. My thanks to everyone involved in making this day run smoothly and safely on behalf of the thousands of local residents who took part in the burning of the chametz today in Boro Park, especially to New York’s bravest – the FDNY. I also want to give a special shout-out to the Sanitation Department for working overtime to ensure that every local home can be free of chametz,” concluded Councilman Greenfield.

Greenfield also thanked Community Board 12 Chairman Yidel Perlstein and Greenfield’s Deputy Chief of Staff Barry Spitzer, both of whom were involved in the arrangements.

(YWN Desk – NYC)