DE
DECORATOR WOOD & LAMINATES, LTD.
World
Have To Cost A Fortune...Only Look Like It!
Change In
Leadership
New York Jewish community has
warm feelings for Spitzer successor.
Ben Harris
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
PP*
Complete kitchen and bathroom remodeling as well as furniture
design and installations including granite, wood and other materials.
Lois Harm) Allied Member MID 248-851-6989
137364
living and work space • reinvented
IT
richard m. hyman
BUILDERS, INC.
Residential renovation
and restoration
Commercial construction
Retail
Restaurant
Medical
Celebrating 25 years of
exemplary service, exceptional
quality and an extraordinary
passion for perfection.
90(1 /woe arivved
(Avithout having to leave home
248.788.0100
)
640() Farmington Rd, Suite 114 West Bloomfield, MI 48322 I hymanbuilders@aol.com
&GM
Family-owned since 1959
3055 E. West Maple Rd.
(248) 624-0400
Commerce Township www.dwyerandsons.com
A32
March 20 • 2008
trait of David's life is a beautiful and
inspiring sight to behold. He's just a
very genuine, decent kind person."
Albany
Paterson has a long record of
involvement in issues of concern to
arely two days after news
the Jewish community and in helping
broke that Eliot Spitzer had
to improve black-Jewish relations, say
consorted with a prosti-
Jewish leaders who have worked with
tute in a Washington hotel room in
him.
February and before the New York
The Harlem Democrat is part of
governor had even announced his res- the Black-Jewish Alliance, a coalition
ignation, Jewish leaders already were
of elected officials Hikind created to
kvelling over his successor, Lt. Gov.
combat racism and anti-Semitism.
David Paterson.
Jewish leaders refer to
"He's great:' said New
Paterson as a "friend" of
York Assemblyman
the Jewish community.
Dov Hikind, who rep-
Paterson addressed
resents predominantly
the annual conven-
Orthodox Jewish areas
tion of Hadassah,
in Brooklyn.
the Women's Zionist
Hikind told JTA he
Organization of
considers Paterson his
America, in New York
closest friend in Albany.
City in July.
"You know what I
In October, he vis-
would call him? The
ited Israel for the first
ultimate mentsh;'
time on a trip orga-
Hikind said. "And I
nized through Project
Gov. David Pa terson
don't use that phrase
Interchange, a program
very often:'
sponsored by the
Paterson became the first black gov- American Jewish Committee to bring
ernor of New York and the first legally
American leaders to Israel. The trip,
blind governor in the country when he which focused on energy issues, also
took over Monday. He is said to be the
afforded Paterson a private audience
polar opposite of Spitzer, who resigned with Israeli President Shimon Peres.
on March 12 in the aftermath of the
In a subsequent interview, Paterson
sex scandal.
described how he had a "fascina-
Spitzer was known as a pugnacious
tion" with Israel since childhood and
and often ruthless politician. Paterson
described the trip as the most "amaz-
is described as easygoing and amiable. ing and enlightening" he had taken
"He will bring such a different
that year.
atmosphere up here Hikind said.
"I think the thing that struck me
Rabbi Marc Schneier has known
the most, and I was a history major at
Paterson for 18 years and shared the
Columbia, is I did not connect World
stage with him at Al Sharpton's annual War II and the Holocaust to the birth
Martin Luther King Jr. commemora-
of the State of Israel as much as I did
tion in Harlem.
when I actually was in Israel;' Paterson
Schneier said Paterson has dubbed
said.
him "the white Sharpton" in recogni-
"Because I realized that this was the
tion of his work in bridging the black
way a lot of Jewish people gathered
and Jewish communities.
from around the world under the ban-
"I think in terms of who he is, and
ner of a new state, knowing that Jews
the fact that he is visually impaired,
all around the world will be assisted if
he was able to convert that adver-
there's ever any kind of pogrom, inevi-
sity into triumph:' said Schneier, the
table Holocaust attempt as there was
president of the Foundation for Ethnic
at that particular time." ❑
Understanding. "I believe that the por-
B