gun violence

Addressing Concerns About Gun Safety during the Pandemic

April 22, 2020 by Kiran Sheth

With fears that the global pandemic could result in civil unrest, gun sales have catapulted. New York State Assemblyman David Buchwald and gun safety expert Andy Pelosi recently addressed how the coronavirus may be impacting gun safety and gun violence, given the rise in gun sales and the potential for increased risk of in-home gun violence.

The outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) has brought communities across the nation under a multitude of pressures – hospitals are overflowing, unable to accommodate patients, grocery stores are wiped clean of paper products and disinfectant wipes and many local businesses are struggling to remain financially afloat. However, as the virus becomes ever-more present in our daily lives, we have witnessed a spike in the numbers of people reaching for a perceived sense of security through gun ownership.

As Americans flock to gun stores in response to fears about the coronavirus, many dealers are reporting a massive increase in gun sales across the U.S. According to a New York Times analysis of federal data, approximately 2 million guns were sold across the country during the month of March. That’s the second highest monthly total ever recorded only after January 2013–a month after the tragic mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Montage from the Campaign to Keep Guns off Campus. Visit www.keepgunsoffcampus.org

Pelosi is the Executive Director of The Campaign to Keep Guns off Campus, a non-profit advocacy group working to keep families, students, and communities safe from gun violence. “Just like the pandemic, gun issues and gun theft in our country are public health issues and we think there are ways we can reduce the risk to people,” Pelosi stated. “People have different reasons for purchasing weapons, but fear of the unknown and fear of what’s happening right now is driving those sales.”

The increase in firearms in the face of the virus have raised concerns over whether gun stores should be considered “essential” in society. The Trump administration included gun shops to the federal list of critical infrastructure and most states have followed along with this position. With at least 30 states across the nation, including the neighboring states of New Jersey and Pennsylvania, allowing gun retailers to be open, New York is in the minority in terms of deeming gun shops as non-essential. According to Pelosi, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives stated that dealers can provide drive-up or walk-up services to help reduce health risks when buying guns. “There are more places where you can purchase a weapon through a drive-up or walk-up service than there are COVID-19 testing locations in the United States,” Pelosi exclaimed.

There have also been multiple gun-related incidents involving the public’s apprehension regarding the pandemic. Pelosi illustrated that “In Florida, there was a disabled man in Gainesville who was arrested for pulling a gun out. He got into an argument with a visitor in his apartment complex. He didn’t want him [visitor] there because he didn’t know if he had COVID-19. There was another incident in Wisconsin where a doctor and a husband were killed execution-style by the daughter’s boyfriend over stresses related to COVID-19 and social distancing. This is very concerning.”

In seeking to mitigate the increase in gun purchases in response to the pandemic situation, Pelosi advocated his support of more stringent safe storage laws. According to a study published on May 10, 2018 in the Journal of Urban Health, “Approximately 7% of US children (4.6 million) live in homes in which at least one firearm is stored loaded and unlocked, an estimate that is more than twice as high as reported in 2002, the last time a nationally representative survey assessed this outcome.” Pelosi states that 75% of those kids know where the guns are located in the house. Although Westchester county has stricter safe storage laws than other towns and cities, Assemblyman Buchwald says that “there is more work to be done… I would like to see the national government step up in a way that it clearly has not in recent years.”

Amidst the worries of gun violence in relation to the coronavirus pandemic are the concerns of domestic abuse and violence. Pelosi cites that “every month in the United States, 53 women lose their lives, which comes to around 600 women a year who are shot by their partners. With the COVID-19 there is an elevated risk for domestic abuse survivors; there is isolation from friends, family and support services.” As a result, at-risk individuals are not able to retain the same access to in-person support services and call hotlines. “We have to establish a lifeline for these folks – it is an extremely dangerous time for many people, aside from what is happening with the pandemic.”

Another consequence of the virus outbreak and resulting quarantine is the impact on the murder/suicide rates in the country both before and during the pandemic. Pelosi states that there are generally 11 murder/suicides by guns every week. However, between the dates of March 22 and April 2, there were at least 19 murder/suicide deaths during the stay at home order. “This is something that doesn’t get a lot of attention and is being amplified by the fact that many people are being forced to stay in their homes and not have access to support services.”

The burden that the coronavirus has placed on people socially and economically is clearly evident. However, the exponential rise in gun sales in relation to COVID-19 is becoming more acute. Pelosi passionately explains, “People need to care about this issue and they need to own it and not just rely on elected officials to keep us safe. We have got to make a change in this country so we can reduce gun deaths and gun injuries.”

Gun Violence, Redistricting Challenge and More Driving Chappaqua’s Kristen Browde in her Bid for State Assembly

March 22, 2020 by Grace Bennett

PHOTO BY CAROLYN SIMPSON, DOUBLEVISION PHOTOGRAPHERS

When Kristen Browde’s son Theo came home from Horace Greeley, where he’s a sophomore, and told her about a second mandatory lockdown drill, Browde said her decision was made up to run for state assembly in New York’s 93rd district. “This generation has grown up with the fear that their school could be next.”

Browde, who has sat on the Chappaqua School Board’s financial advisory committee for almost ten years, said one of the things the committee often has talked about is how to “harden” our schools, but her contention is that security measures inside schools are not nearly enough.

“It remains easier in New York, in spite of our SAFE Act and red flag laws and all the progress we have made, to buy a high powered weapon–a military style weapon–and ammunition, than it is to buy a pack of Sudafed–and that is just wrong.”

A former TV broadcaster, Browde cited experience that includes decades of effective lobbying in Albany as a national and local officer for and on behalf of The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (now SAG-AFTRA). She worked on legislation to ban the use of non-compete contracts that kept industry salaries low or stagnating.

“When I worked at Channel Five and Channel Four, the broadcast companies would put a non-compete clause into our contracts. This would say ‘even after you leave my station, you cannot go to work for anybody else in this market for a certain amount of time.’ The result of that was that the employee’s bargaining power was substantially reduced because you would have to sit out six months or even a year without a salary–and that is how they kept you where you were at a lower salary, too. “It took seven years to get it passed. Back then, the Republicans were controlling the state legislature.” Browde proudly stated that she finally helped pass the Broadcast Employees Freedom to Work Act.

“And now that the State Senate (a last bastion of the Republicans), has flipped, all of a sudden, bills that had been bottled up for years… were finally able to be brought to the floor and enacted into laws signed by Governor Cuomo.

“In recent years I have had the opportunity to build relationships with people like the Governor and with the leaders of both houses, in the course of working on these issues. I know who they are and who we need to work with to make changes happen.”

Gun violence prevention will be her top priority. “Every parent who puts their kid on a school bus in the morning wants one thing–to get that kid back at the end of the day. It is not just the kids that are growing up with this fear, parents are as well. We are having to spend huge sums of money on school security… But if we can protect just a little bit more and at no cost, we ought to be doing that… Do the background checks and do the positive identification. You don’t stop with the weapons; it’s about the ammunition too. Moms Demand Action has a tremendous legislative program, so does the Brady Campaign. Both have absolutely solid things that this legislation should be working on in the next session.”

Browde cited another critically important legislative task ahead: redistricting.

“We are going to have a census. It is almost certain that New York is going to lose a Congressional seat… Nita Lowey’s seat is a pretty safe Democratic seat. Sean Patrick Maloney’s is not. There are lines that are almost certainly going to be redrawn… We will need to protect the sanctity one person, one vote, rather than protect the sanctity of an individual politician. We have seen that in places like North Carolina what happens when you have tremendously gerrymandered districts that pack all the Democrats into one tiny little area: the Republicans, even though they are only 50% of the state, control 75-80% of the Congressional seats. We can’t let that happen anymore.”

The conversation veered into today’s antisemitism which hits close to home for Browde. “My father’s family fled Germany on Kristallnacht and his dad, my grandfather, didn’t get out, but his mom did.”

“Whether it is, anti-Jewish, anti-Black, anti-Hispanic, we have to use every single resource that is humanly possible to bring to bear to battle hate… That’s a conversation that we in New York can start. Frankly, we in New York have the biggest problem with it right now.

At this juncture, Peter Moses, Browde’s campaign advisor and a longtime journalist himself, pointed to Browde being “incisive, direct, and a listener” as key strengths during her media career. It’s that same skill set, he said, that helped her pass legislation in Albany.

“It is why (Westchester County Executive) George Latimer has her on a couple of committees. The fact that she’s really bright may have influenced him, but what keeps her there, what she keeps bringing to the table with all the new roles she takes on, is her ability to communicate and listen.”

Melding Career Strengths Toward Key Consensus Building

“I’ve gone from reporter to divorce lawyer, which I used to describe as combining the two least respected professions in America into one stellar career, Now I’m adding politician, so it’s a trifecta,” Browde chimed in with a smile.

“As a divorce lawyer, you are dealing with people who at one point said they love each other and now can’t see eye to eye about anything and you are trying to bring them together to a settlement that they can both live with. When you are doing a job of a legislator, or let’s say, someone who is trying to persuade other legislators to come over to your side, you are doing the same thing. People who want the same thin–which is the best for the people of the state of New York.”

“I’m also trying to figure out what the other person really needs, because frankly, while I don’t agree with the policy positions espoused by most Republicans, the fact is I don’t think they are bad people. I just think they have a different view of what is best…there are common points and if we can get together on those common points, then that is fine.

Browde reminded me too that “the sticking point right now is not the Republicans. In Albany today, Democrats control all three houses, the two houses of the legislature and the Governor’s mansion, which are the three critical points of power in Albany. The problem is that the Democrats in the Assembly often can’t reach an agreement. I’m pretty good at getting Democrats together… and have worked with people across the party, from the extreme left to the more conservative members of the party… and we got bills through and we got bills signed.”

“It is less about policy differences than effectiveness,” said Browde. “What I have shown is that first off, I don’t stop. I don’t stop. I am good at bringing people together who don’t start agreeing… the only effective way to work in a legislative setting is to build coalitions.”

Browde shared her optimism in the challenge to win the seat with “approximately 90,000 registered voters stretched out from Harrison and White Plains up to the Connecticut line.”

“I am not Michael Bloomberg, I am not self-financing, so we are doing the same thing that everybody else is which is raising money through various Democratic Party channels: “People get fired up about my campaign–they’re visiting us at KristenForNY93.com. People are energized about the political process in general right now. The June 23rd primary is the focus right this minute, and then it is off to November!”

10 Takeaways from a Conversation with our State Assemblyman David Buchwald on his Candidacy for Congress

December 1, 2019 by Grace Bennett

David and Lara Buchwald
Photo By Sarah Merians Boutique Photography, courtesy of David Buchwald

In keeping with our Top Ten theme, here are ten key takeaways gleaned from my interview with David Buchwald, shortly after our 41 year-old legislator (Assembly District 93) announced his candidacy in October for the 17th Congressional district held by Nita Lowey for the last 31 years. After he was among the first to enter the race*: the interview took place over a 45-minute session seated at his dining room table in White Plains.

1. He is very enthusiastic about his candidacy and enjoys multiple corners of support. “I’m feeling excited because a lot of people approached me and said I’d be the right person to succeed Nita Lowey! Moving forward, it will be a pleasure to be able to fight for Westchester and Rockland Counties. We need a government in Washington that’s much more effective than it has been the last few years. That’s an important task that I’m up for.”

Upon deciding, David made his first call to his wife Lara, an attorney/litigator on the board for the Legal Aid Society. “She was very supportive. I couldn’t be in this line of work without a good support network.”

Outside his family, there’s no shortage of support or perception that Buchwald has earned this candidacy. Prior to his stint in the State Assembly, Buchwald served in local government, as a member of the White Plains Common Council, where he represented the entire city population of 57,000. He has also worked in support of municipalities throughout the State as a member of the Local Governments Committee of the New York State Assembly.

Since announcing, grassroots activists have already begun rallying on his behalf, and numerous and enthusiastic endorsements have been forthcoming including those from White Plains Mayor Tom Roach, North Castle Town Mayor Michael Michael Schiliro, Mount Kisco Mayor Gina Picinich, Rye Town Supervisor Gary Zuckerman, and New Castle Town Supervisor-Elect Ivy Pool.

Said Schiliro: “Throughout his career, Assemblyman Buchwald has been a responsive and trusted ally, as we’ve worked together to save taxpayers money, improve our libraries, and serve the people of North Castle I know he will be ready to undo the damage done at the federal level. David will be a leader we can count on in Congress.”

Pool expressed her pride in endorsing Buchwald commenting to me that “David is a tireless advocate on local issues, while also championing our shared values. He is smart, creative, and industrious, and I know he will continue to work hard on behalf of his constituents as our Congressman. David is a worthy successor to Congresswoman Nita Lowey who has been a friend to New Castle, and an inspiration to so many.”

David Buchwald with Amelia and Anna
PHOTO BY Grace Bennett/InsidePress

2. His two adorable preschoolers, together with Lara, too, are the lights of his life; plus, they make him cognizant of enhancing quality of life for all of his constituents. At the time of the interview, Anna, 4, and Amelia, 2 were outside playing with the family nanny. Post our conversation, I fell hard for their infectious smiles and unsolicited hugs.

“I love seeing life through their eyes… Also, If you are trying to create a brighter future for them, it means a brighter future for everyone. There may be things Lara and I can do individually for them, but there are things–like climate change–that we need to do together for everyone…

“Hopefully every child who grows up here in the Hudson Valley has access to all the amazing things in this area. One of the big challenges for any representative in this area is maintaining affordability for families. He hopes to see their children “stick around and come back after college.

Robust employers are looking to relocate where young professionals live, he noted, adding that he would promote the county’s transit system to attract those employers. “I used to live two blocks from White Plains train station. There’s not many places outside New York City that you can live without a car!”

He called Lara his “Number 1 advisor. She makes sure I stay level-headed. I like to think I don’t get too full of myself; she’s someone I draw inspiration from–an accomplished professional in her own right, and a passionate advocate for legal representation.”

3. He plans to hit the ground running and keep his door open. As he nears a 10-year anniversary of public service, Buchwald encourages residents to look closely at his record. “No issue is too small. My door is always open–if a constituent wants to connect with me, we always try to make that happen quickly.”

He said that he believes his constituents have viewed him as “always present, always paying attention…. I think that’s crucial to establish for this congressional race. Traffic willing, part of my goal in the campaign is to be everywhere my schedule allows.”

4. He expressed a commitment to building on the work and skills he has already brought to the table. “We will continue to fight for the environment, for a woman’s right to choose, and will make sure we bring resources to help those who are struggling to make ends meet…. I will put forward my vantage point as a tax attorney by trade to try to significantly improve and do right by those undermined by a Republican Congress and Trump’s SALT reduction. He said adjustments need to be made in recognition that the cost of living here is higher.

5. He will continue to wage battle against the gun violence epidemic. “It’s one of my main issues and what I ran on. I will try to bring my record of success in New York State to bear at the Federal level. The first vote I cast as a State Assemblyman was for the New York SAFE Act* which I co-sponsored. I have no doubt it has saved lives in New York.

He said he backed it up by a series of measures including expanding background checks and preventing “ghost guns…” “Common sense safety measures have been stymied despite that most Americans support them. We’re getting to the point where New York State can only control so much because so much is tied to out of state…”

6. He aims to make it harder for any top government official in New York, including Trump, to hide their tax returns. Buchwald noted that he gained particular notoriety for a successful push, he explained, to adopt a law allowing the sharing of the New York State tax returns of top government officials, a law which Donald Trump is now suing to block.

He elaborated: “The law says New York State has a copy of tax returns of every filer in the state and that Trump as a New York state resident files his income tax returns. We already share those returns with the IRS, with tax departments in dozens of other states, so we said: “Let’s have that same sort of cooperation with our federal counterparts in Congress. So we passed my bill, and it’s now law, and Trump is suing to overturn that law. A New York motion to dismiss the case is pending…. I’ve always believed that open transparent government can make for better decision making.”

7. He will fight to protect a woman’s right to choose. “No matter what happens at the Supreme Court level, women in our region can have confidence that their rights will be protected. But, at the Federal level: there is an ongoing battle over basic principles that we’ve assumed for decades won’t have government interference–that we won’t make access to healthcare dependent on financial wherewithal. It’s very disheartening to think that means equates with health care; it’s antithetical to the right of a woman to consult with a doctor and make up her own mind.”

8. He will speak out against racism, hate and anti-Semitism. “I think Trump has tried to govern by division and the great thing about the United States is that we are a country that at our best brings people together from so many different backgrounds, and that creates a society that is stronger than any one group of individuals can create on their own. We have a lot of work to do to bring the country together.” He said he’d like to see a government “that does not use the Justice Department to undermine freedoms, or the Department of Homeland Security to tear homes apart. We need to ensure we have leaders who lead by example.”

“My role as an elected official now, and hopefully in the future, is to bring people together. We have great towns and cities with shared experiences that can be built on. If you try to pit one part of a community against another, that turns very dangerous very quickly. We’re seeing that with racism, with anti-Semitism… So, that’s part of why I’ve spoken up at any opportunity to denounce hatred and say that a threat to any one individual or community is a threat to all.”

9. As has been Nita Lowey’s long established commitment, he too will support Israel. “I’m a strong supporter of Israel and a progressive. To me, those things go hand in hand. We have to support our friends around the world who stand for those values we support as Americans. That includes democracy and basic notions of tolerance. Israel is a country that welcomes refugees. It used to be that America was also known for that. My wife and I serve on a refugee committee at our synagogue to help sponsor a family where the father/husband served as an interpreter for our troops overseas. A legal immigrant is what a refugee is: admitted under the law. To see Trump cutting back on legal immigration strikes me as going against the core of what our country should be about.

“It’s important for the United States to push for peace and stability in the Middle East and support the ability of Israel and Palestinians and other Arab neighbors to work through long established issues. Those who would seek to have the United States abandon their best ally in the region undermine the best aspects of Progressivism which recognizes the innate worth of people being able to make self-determining decisions.”

10. His Judaism shapes his general outlook and encourages him to fight against corruption. “I am cognizant that my religion teaches me to be humble in light of the fact that there are things in this world we can’t control. And that’s certainly true of campaigns. But if you put your best foot forward and determine you’re in it for the right reasons, there are people who will back you up. I find that very gratifying. I couldn’t have gone to Albany and affected change there without having people who have my back. I had to fight people who wanted to maintain the status quo and was lucky to have constituents who sent me there precisely to shake things up, namely, to strip corrupt officials of their pensions.* They said it couldn’t be done, and now it’s the law of the land. You can only engage when you have a sense that there’s a purpose. I like to think my religion supports that. My grandfather was a rabbi. I like to think he’d be proud of that.”

*Editor’s Note: This article conveys highlights of a conversation with our hometown legislator. Buchwald is a single candidate in the race with a number of new candidates vying for the spot too since the time of this writing. For additional information about any of Buchwald’s legislation mentioned here, or about his new campaign, from his perspective too, please visit DavidBuchwaldforCongress.com.

Gun Violence Victims: “Too Many to Count, Too Many to Discuss, Too Many to Name”

June 8, 2019 by Grace Bennett

Wearing Orange in New Castle and Lamenting America’s Continuing Epidemic of Gun-Related Violence

Story and Photos By Grace Bennett

June 7, 2019–A group of public and school officials representing New Castle, gun violence prevention activists, clergy and dozens of residents gathered wearing orange for National Gun Violence Awareness Day inside the Chappaqua gazebo with a shared purpose: to report that America’s epidemic of gun violence persists and the toll on American lives has worsened since the horrific 2012 Sandy Hook murders, to lament the lack of action by federal government, and to remind everyone that gun violence can happen anywhere, and to urge everyone to keep rallying, that change is still possible. Public officials also took the occasion to remind that in New York State, while there has been significant progress at the state level here, it is not enough. The ease of access to guns across state lines remains a massive problem.

(L-R) State Assemblyman David Buchwald, Town of New Castle Board Members Lisa Katz and Ivy Pool, Leah Barth, New Castle United for Youth, New Castle Town Supervisor Robert Greenstein and New Castle Town Board member Jeremy Saland.

Sheryl Manasse speaking on behalf of Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester. Manasse also belongs to Moms Demand Action.

The conversation inside the brightly lit gazebo often veered back to Sandy Hook, when 26 people, including 20 children between six and seven years old, and six adult staff members, were murdered, and the spike of gun-related violence in virtually every life arena since: “Too many to count, to many to discuss, too many to name,” said Chappaqua Sheryl Manasse, speaking on behalf of Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester and of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, after she read an excruciating list of specific sites and the murder count at each-about 100 Americans a day. “What do they all have in common? Access to guns. Access makes a difference. We need to be clear, consistent and active.”

During the early evening event, officials also warmly acknowledged attendee Erin Fuller Brian, a survivor of the Las Vegas shooting, and Kelly Marx of Pleasantville, who was commended for having organized last year’s 9,000 person strong rally against gun violence which took place in White Plains.

Westchester County Executive George Latimer opened the forum pointing out that despite naysayers, an individual “who doesn’t have access to a gun in the first place can’t create as much havoc and mayhem. Rational people understand that,” he said, adding that town and regional governments do have some authority to make a difference. “I banned the gun show on the second day of my job,” Latimer stated to applause. But yet, the danger remains. “It’s a short hop to another state. You can hop to another state like Virginia, and in a few hours, have a trunk full of weaponry legally purchased. Anybody warped can get their hands on something that does carnage to someone else… In the meantime, we meet to remind ourselves that we are not alone.”

Westchester County Executive George Latimer said that the ease of gun access across state lines is a continuing challenge.

State Assemblyman David Buchwald reminded that yesterday’s gathering was taking place the day after the 75th anniversary of D-Day. He said he hoped to see a day in which “commemorations like these are to think about it as something that happened in the past, and to get to a point when gun violence is few and far between.” He said “we can take some pride that in New York State has not been a source of many of these tragedies.” Buchwald pointed out that his first legislative vote as a State Assemblyman was for a measure he co-sponsored, the SAFE Act, passed in the wake of the Newtown school shooting. The SAFE Act has been described as the strongest gun safety legislation in the country. “Even with that law,” he said last night, “we have to do more.”*

New Castle Town Supervisor Robert Greenstein recalled Sandy Hook too and “the 20 helpless beautiful children gunned down.” He asked that everyone gathered “close their eyes and take ten seconds to think about Sandy Hook,”… and pointed out that for the parents of Sandy Hook, the pain never ends. “We need our eyes wide open to see the travesty happening all around us in churches, colleges, high schools, newsrooms, synagogues, music festivals, restaurants, and banks. Since Sandy Hook, nothing has changed at the federal level… Americans, he noted, are 25 times more likely to be killed by by guns than in other high income countries.”

(L-R, speaking): Brandon and Sasha Litwin. Back row (L-R): Naomi Marrow of Moms Demand Action, Jeremy Saland, Lisa Katz and Reverend Martha Jacobson. Sasha spoke in memory of Alex Schachter who was murdered in the Parkland massacre.

Right, Mike Weinberg together with his son Joshua representing state Senator Peter Harckham.

Rand Manasse, Ivy Pool, Lisa Katz, and Sheryl Manasse

Two Greeley students and siblings, Sasha Litwin and Brandon Litwin, also spoke, Sasha in memory of Alex Schachter, who at age 14 was a Parkland victim, “an innocent young boy tragically killed at the expense of our soft gun laws,” she said. “I’m enraged that 100 Americans are killed with guns every day. I fear as a 16-year-old that my school will be affected by gun violence. We must push our legislators to make concrete changes in our gun laws… this constant cycle of pain, fear and suffering has to end… I wear Alex’s name on my wrist to keep Alex’s name alive.” Brandon followed, stating that we must “not be afraid o make change, shy away or run. Our current gun laws should be run over and trampled… 40,000 people deceased in 2018; that’s the highest number in the last five decades… this is info that can not be put aside. Wear your orange with pride.”

Chappaqua Central School District Superintendent Christine Ackerman (third from right), here with Chappaqua friends including Victoria Alzapiedi, first on the left. Chappaqua school board members Jane Shepardson and Warren Mesner were also thanked for attending during the evening as was Francesca Hogadus of the Mount Pleasant Town Board.

The final speaker was Reverend Martha Jacobson of Chappaqua’s First Congregational Church who said she bristled at the suggestion by someone who told her that gun violence was God’s fault. “We ourselves make that choice; we are not puppets. Thoughts and prayers are not enough; God does not do prayers, we do prayers. God does not stand up against injustice. God requires that we stand up to injustice. No matter what you call God, or who you call God or even if you don’t believe in God, we as human beings are required to stand up… to exercise our responsibility to love our neighbors as ourselves. It is incumbent upon us to stand with those who are actively working to make a difference.” Rev. Jacobson also led those attending in singing Amazing Grace, after which she pointedly added: “And may our lawmakers in Washington finally come to see.”

*Both Latimer and Buchwald said a wide variety of legislation pertaining to gun violence prevention has been either passed or is being heard in Albany. Buchwald has helped pass common sense gun measures that would ban bump stocks (A.9958), keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers and clearly identified dangerous individuals (A.5025, (A.8976-B and (A.9978) and establish longer waiting periods to ensure thorough background checks (A.2406). Buchwald is also a co-sponsor of legislation (A.563-A) to expand statewide Westchester County’s successful safe firearm storage law.
“The Assembly has taken meaningful action to address many of the causes of gun violence in our communities,” Buchwald stated in an earlier release. “We must keep guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals and those convicted of domestic violence crimes.”

From Congresswoman Nita Lowey’s Office:

“Barely 150 days into 2019, there have already been 150 mass shootings, most recently in Virginia Beach. Today is National Gun Violence Awareness Day, and while we’ve made some progress, we have a long way to go. In any given year, more than 120,000 Americans are shot and 17,000 children are injured or killed. Thirty-four people in America are murdered in acts of gun violence every single day. We are in the middle of a public health crisis, and Congress has a responsibility to act. That is why House Democrats passed H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019. This bill would expand background checks universally to make our communities stronger and safer. Now the Senate must pass this important, commonsense gun safety legislation. I will continue fighting for sensible gun violence prevention legislation, on National Gun Violence Awareness Day and every day, to keep our children and families safe.”

Today, Governor Andrew Cuomo directed that iconic buildings and structures across New York State be illuminated orange this evening to mark National Gun Violence Awareness Day.

In The Aftermath of the Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting

December 2, 2018 by Stacey Pfeffer

My Perspective on Elisha Wiesel’s Speech at the Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center Annual Benefit and a Community-wide Interfaith Candelight Vigil at Temple Beth El

HHREC Keynote Speaker Elisha Wiesel
PHOTO COURTESY OF HHREC

On Thursday evening October 25th, Elisha Wiesel, the only child of the deceased Nobel Prize winning author, humanitarian and Holocaust educator Elie Wiesel was the keynote speaker at the Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center’s (HHREC’s) annual benefit. It was a packed house of more than 250 attendees including 16 Holocaust survivors and one liberator. Honorees for the evening included Joseph E. Nyre, Ph.D., the President of Iona College and Mitchell Wm. Ostrove, the CEO of The Ostrove Group, a comprehensive planning organization for businesses, families and high net worth individuals. Additionally Valerie O’Keeffe received a special award recognizing her years of volunteer work as a former chairperson at the HHREC.

Elisha Wiesel currently serves as the Chief Information Officer at Goldman Sachs and occasionally speaks about human rights issues and his upbringing. Wiesel described his father as a “relentless optimist” despite all he experienced as a Holocaust survivor. He questioned the audience and asked what his father would think of this country today and lamented the state of extremism on both the left and alt-right and how these perspectives contribute to anti-Semitism.

Less than 48 hours later on Saturday morning October 27th, 11 Jews at the Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh, PA, were murdered by an anti-Semitic gunman and several others were injured including first responders during the massacre. It was one of the deadliest attacks on American Jewry in recent decades. To think that this event took place during services when joyous life cycle events such as Bar Mitzvahs and baby namings were taking place in the synagogue should make everyone of us shudder, no matter what faith one practices.

When this magazine’s publisher Grace Bennett asked if I would cover the HHREC event this year, I unequivocally said yes. Bennett is deeply involved with the organization. As many of our readers know, her father is a Holocaust survivor and she is passionate about Holocaust education.

I have been fortunate enough to cover the HHREC and attend their Human Rights Institute event in which local high students are encouraged to become “upstanders” when they see hate or bigotry. From time to time, Grace and I have discussed whether or not our magazine is too saturated with Holocaust news. As a third-generation survivor of the Holocaust (my maternal grandparents were survivors), I am admittedly biased when it comes to Holocaust news as well. I always believe we should cover topics about the Holocaust so that future generations can learn the lessons that history has taught us.

Little did I know when I covered October’s HHREC event that the tragedy in Pittsburgh would unfold in less than two days. I know that anti-Semitism is on the rise (the Anti-Defamation League reported the largest single-year increase–a 57 percent increase) in anti-Semitic incidents last year) and that xenophobia is plaguing this nation but I didn’t realize that these feelings of hate could actually propel someone to commit such a heinous crime on American soil in the year 2018.

Perhaps I was in denial. One of the organizations that the murderer vilified in his hateful rhetoric on www.gab.com was the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), an organization that assists refugees of all faiths and backgrounds. My grandparents and mother came to America in 1950 with the help of HIAS who was resettling Holocaust survivors from the deportation (DP) camps in Germany. To be honest, I had never really given much thought about how crucial this organization was and still is for so many refugees seeking a new life in America.

Interfaith candlelight vigil at Temple Beth El
PHOTO COURTESY OF TEMPLE BETH EL

Wiesel also participated in a Q&A session following his speech at the HHREC event and one audience member asked him what he thought his father would say if he had the opportunity to meet the President today. Wiesel first asked “Do you think my father could have gotten a word in?” resulting in several laughs from the audience. He then continued to tell a story about his father who was hit by a taxi in New York City during the 1950s while on a journalist visa and was forced to wear a full body cast for several months. When he nervously went to the Customs Office to renew his expired visa, the officer said to him “You know you can become a citizen.” Wiesel paused and asked the audience, “Imagine that.” Growing up he said his father would always get misty eyed whenever they landed at JFK and were welcomed by US Customs.

Wiesel described his father as “patriotic and someone who loved this country deeply.” When Elisha was a liberal arts student in college he recalls there was a large debate underway about burning the American flag. His father told him, “If you knew what the flag meant to me when we saw it when we were liberated by the US army, you would never burn it.” Wiesel said he believes that his father would want to talk to President Trump about “how we treat people coming to our shores because it is something he felt so personally as a beneficiary. My father could never forgive FDR for closing the doors to Jews in the 1930s and he would very much take up this issue with our President if he met him today.”

Within five days of hearing Wiesel speak, I found myself in the crowded pews at Temple Beth El in Chappaqua with my ten-year-old son for an interfaith candlelight vigil for the victims of the Tree of Life shooting. In attendance were: Reverend Martha Jacobs, First Congregational Church of Chappaqua; Reverend Tenku Ruff, Soto Zen Buddhist Association; Friar Hugh Burns, Holy Innocents Catholic Church; Reverend Merle McJunkin, Antioch Baptist Church; Reverend Alan Dennis, Saint Mary the Virgin Episcopal Church; Kristina Szibinga, Chappaqua Friends Society; Dilkash Ashraf, Upper Westchester Muslim Society; and Robert Greenstein, Town Supervisor of New Castle. The service led by Temple Beth El’s Rabbi Jonathan Jaffe included communal singing led by Cantor Elizabeth Sternlieb and a speech from Rabbi Maura Linzer, who has strong ties to the Squirrel Hill tightknit Jewish community having grown up in Pittsburgh not that far from a Tree of Life synagogue.

Admittedly I was a bit wary of attending the service with my ten-year-old son but I am not one to shy away from tough topics with my kids especially as they relate to anti-Semitism and/or the Holocaust. My five-year old daughter knows who Hitler is and that he hated Jews. I don’t go into vivid details yet but I use it as a discussion point with my kids to talk about bigotry. I see the world through a Jewish lens as a third-generation survivor so I see it as my obligation to start telling my children about their family’s legacy in basic terms they can understand.

Wiesel concluded his HHREC speech with a question he posed to the audience. “My father lived with despair and managed to see the light. What of us who live in the light like few generations ever have in this country in this time of plenty? Can we squint in the light and can we see the darkness among us? Can we see the saddest among us and once we see that darkness, can we look past it and see the good in everyone’s soul to champion them in their time of need?”

I’d like to say that we are living in the light, as Wiesel suggests. My grandmother’s favorite saying was “this too shall pass” whenever I encountered a difficult circumstance. Now I’m not so sure.