IMMEDIATE PROBLEM RESOLVED
BUT BIG PICTURE MUST BE ADDRESSED

April 11, 2014—After reporting that a large quantity of shaimos (books or other sacred objects which can no longer be used but may not be destroyed) had been illegally dumped in Haverstraw, NY, Assemblyman Hikind (D-Brooklyn) says those responsible have been identified.

Assemblyman Hikind and his staff worked with Rabbi Yisroel Kahan, Oizrim, the police liaison to Rockland County, to spread word of the incident after the Assemblyman was notified. Within hours, the owner of the truck that had carried the shaimos had been identified and contacted. The man, who had as many as five trucks operating a shaimos collection business out of Williamsburg, NY, was not arrested; he claimed to have permission from the private property’s owners in Haverstraw to dump the shaimos, however the property owners denied this. Eventually, the truck owner agreed to recollect the shaimos and properly dispose of it at Beth Genizah Olam, which is run by Rabbi Yosef Schwartz, after Assemblyman Hikind’s office made the arrangements.

“People were literally crying thinking that they may have inadvertently given their holy shaimos to someone who could care less, who treated their shaimos like garbage,” said Assemblyman Hikind. “We worked to resolve this immediate problem but I’ve been warning people for years to be careful about this. It’s time to develop a real system and I look forward to working with the leadership of the communities—with the Daas Torah—to work something out for next year. People don’t just eat anywhere. Neither can they just give their shaimos to anyone.”

“It’s an outrage to see honest people paying to have their shaimos cared for according to Halacha [Jewish Law] only to be exploited by dishonest people trying to make a quick dollar,” added Rabbi Kahan. “This is a serious issue, and we will continue working with Assemblyman Hikind to prevent this from happening again.”

Assemblyman Hikind thanked Rabbi Kahan, Police Chief Miller and the officers of the Haverstraw Police Department for their assistance. He also thanked Rabbi Schwartz who assisted in a similar matter two years ago when shaimos was dumped in Boro Park. Assemblyman Hikind also recognized his community liaison Chesky Klein who worked many hours into the evening to help solve the problem.

Contact: Yehudah Meth
office: 718-853-9616
cell: 973-945-4903

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