New Assembly Speaker Courts Jews in Boro Park

The Assembly’s new speaker courted the Orthodox community, meeting with yeshivah administrators and organizations during a visit to Boro Park on Sunday and scheduling further visits later this week with other Jewish groups.

At a meeting Sunday at the Avenue Plaza Hotel, Assemblyman Dov Hikind hosted Speaker Carl Heastie, who was elected to lead the body last month.

According to a press release by Hikind, a Brooklyn Democrat, Heastie listened to the community’s concerns, principally on the tuition aid bill that was passed by the Senate and endorsed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo but waits confirmation by the Assembly. Other issues included increased funding for security at non-public schools, and additional funding for infertility.

“I have known the Speaker as a respected colleague for years,” Hikind said in a statement. “We had a very warm gathering today in Boro Park where the Speaker answered questions from the many people who had come to welcome him.”

At the meeting, Chaskel Bennett, an Agudath Israel of America trustee, made an impassioned plea to Heastie to make every attempt to pass the Education Incentive Tax Credit.

“The education tax credit was designed to give 50 percent to public schools and 50 percent to non-public schools, a very fair approach,” Bennett said. “But the well-funded, well-organized opposition will not accept any monies going to private schools.”

“We all come here … begging state government to understand and appreciate how we can fix the problem,” he added. “We thank you, we applaud you, we respect you, but we need more.”

Heastie has further meetings lined up with Agudah leaders on Wednesday, during Agudah’s annual “Albany Mission” to meet legislators and representatives from the governor’s office.

According to an Agudah official, Heastie told him on Sunday that he was looking forward to the meeting and is hopeful that “it should be productive.”

This article appeared in print on page 1 of the February 23rd, 2015 edition of Hamodia.