June 2025
Benjamin Gelber
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
April and May are behind us and what a start to the year. Pesach came and went and our annual Passover distribution was a great success. Like always so many people to thank: Stu and Marcia Portner, Met Council, Lee Stanton, Mike Kris, Phil Weisbord. If I forgot any names, I apologize, but I have to keep the column short and sweet.
I went to Washington DC for Police Week and our annual Kaddish Service hosted by Washington DC-Shomrim Society. It was a very moving ceremony, and we will always remember the fallen. At the ceremony, I met some Israeli Police Officers and Soldiers who were there to remember the fallen who were killed protecting Israel and their civilians on October 7th, 2023. It’s over a year and a half, and we need our hostages back ASAP. Bring them home now!!
On Sunday, May 18th, 2025, we joined National Shomrim for a morning coalition at Temple Emanu-EL, followed by Marching up 5th Avenue for the Celebrate Israel parade. This year we had a great turnout and everyone had a blast. Special thanks to Police Commissioner Tisch and Deputy Commissioner Kemptner for marching with us. Thank you to the NYPD for great set-up, and like always being on top of everything for another successful and safe parade. This year had no disruptions. Security was tight, and everyone could see that NYPD came out in numbers to protect everyone.
Shomrim events coming up: Shomrim Society annual dinner dance is around the corner. We are coming to the final countdown. Please order your tickets ASAP. We are in the process of finalizing the count for the caterer. If you dont RSVP, there is a chance you might need to bring your own peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I love PB and J, so I might give you my steak dinner. All joking aside, please RSVP asap. I am looking forward to seeing everyone and sharing this remarkable event. Sunday June 15th, is our annual father’s day picnic at Floyd Bennet Field. Glatt Kosher BBQ, games, and all the NYPD specialty units for the kids. It’s a great event and everyone loves it and leaves full and with many great memories. We will be celebrating a very special occasion this year. Past President David Wagner (1970) will be celebrating his 100th birthday on that very day, in Florida. We plan on joining him via some kind of electronic connection to sing happy birthday to him. He gets the song, we get the cake.
We are also planning Jewish Heritage at Cyclones stadium, set for Sunday June 29th.
Our May meeting was at the VFW in Brooklyn, and we had a special guest speaker: Capt. James Berk from IAB. He spoke about how to avoid getting into trouble and always covering yourself, because according to the discipline matrix, some common offenses are no longer CD’s and are automatically Charges and Specifications. Always activate your body camera and dashboard to dashboard.
This allows IAB to be able to close cases much easier just after watching the body camera footage. It was great seeing a new face and I hope that more people will come to meetings. Special thanks to Yossi Azzizo from Yossi’s Pizza for the delicious dinner. We ordered food for many more people and there was plenty left over. If more people come to the next meeting, we won’t have that issue again.
We just held our annual “Old Timers Luncheon Celebration” at Ben’s Kosher Restaurant and Delicatessen of Bayside. As every year a great time was had by all. Bro. Paul Daniel did a fantastic job as always and trust me, no one left wanting for more. I couldn’t eat that much again, well, until next week when we celebrate Shavuos and later hold our annual Installation Dinner and Dance. (see cover page) Our June meeting will be back at the Police Academy in Queens: Room # 305.
Please come as it will be our last meeting before our summer break. I look forward to seeing everyone at the dinner dance and sharing a photo, joke and a beverage.
Stay safe always.
Benjamin Gelber
President