September 2026
Joshua Zucker
Welcome back, I hope you have been enjoying your summer. A lot has happened since our last newsletter was published so buckle up, buckaroos. Hakarat HaTov to brothers Gal Tal and Yahav Brintouch for running our June meeting at Olympia Steakhouse where we heard from Avi Posnick Posnick, the Executive Director of StandWithUs. Despite there being a cover charge the meeting was well attended. While this will not become the standard, we will be doing it again at some point in the future.
Our Assistant Spiritual Director Committee under the leadership of Rabbi Kogan and brother Zinstein worked diligently and will present their findings lower down in the newsletter.
There is a concept in Judaism called “Hashgacha Pratit” which means “Divine Providence.” In early June I met with the Police Commissioner’s Chief of Staff to introduce myself and advocate on behalf of our membership. The following week the department canceled RDO’s effecting our Sabbath observant members. My first phone call went to the Assistant Commissioner of Equal Employment Opportunity. She returned my call in a prompt manner, however she felt that since the entire department was having their days off canceled, granting our members their day of rest would amount to an undue hardship on the Department. In that moment I realized that our reasonable accommodation letters are nothing more than a paper tiger.
Upon graduating from the academy, one of our Sabbath observant members went to his new command only to be told his days off would be granted based on the needs of the command. The letters we have been given seem to merely ask our commands to accommodate us, but the moment they are challenged they seem to crumble. Rabbi Kogan and I each rolled up our sleeves and began making our respective phone calls. The Chief of Staff was happy to help and thankfully some our members’ commands handled their individual requests accordingly. I can guarantee you that without the help of the Chief of Staff those approximately ten members would not have been at home with their families on the Sabbath.
Early on in my career I encountered Jewish members of the Department who, when asked why they were not members of the Society or were no longer members, stated, “What do I need the Society for? I have my letter from EEO.” The Shomrim Society has always and will always continue to advocate on behalf of its members for the ability to practice our religion while proudly serving our city. May you, our membership, continue to serve as a Light unto the Nations.
I want to shed some light and apologize for our cancelation of the Father’s Day BBQ. Being that we hold it on Department grounds and request various departmental resources we are at the mercy of the Department. For the first time since holding this event our request was denied due to manpower issues. Our subsequent request to hold the event on August 23rd was submitted in a timely manner but we were asked to change the date to August 16th, and even then, we were not given a clear answer as to when we would receive the final approval. I felt it would not be fair to our members and vendors to try and assemble the event on such short notice only to have to possibly come back and cancel (again).
A big Yasher Koach to Rabbi Kogan for hosting us at his house for “Meet the Rabbi” sponsored by the Community Police Relations Foundation and coordinated by brother Farazmand. The Rabbi will be hosting us once again at the Hillcrest Jewish Center’s Sukkah on Monday, September 28 for our September general membership meeting. Rabbi Sam Levine and the East Midwood Jewish Center will be hosting a memorial for Rabbi Dr. Kass on October 18. Stay tuned for more details. I look forward to seeing you all at our annual Memorial Service and Breakfast on October 25 at Temple Emanuel. Please see the flyer for details.
Joshua Zucker, President