Hatzoloh's Brave Volunteers Rush Into Ground Zero

This marks the 24th anniversary of September 11th. In the chaos and in the utter destruction of and madness, sheer madness of the day. It was Hatsah's finest hour. None of your business, Oshi. None of your business, Michael. It's the None of Your Business podcast hosted by Michael and Oshi. >> Welcome back everybody to another amazing episode of the None of Your Business Podcast. I'm your host, Michael Greenfield. Joined with me is our co-host, Ushi Schwarz. And we are here with a very special guest and a special episode. But before we get to that, thank you to all our subscribers, our listeners, all the comments. We're taking them seriously. We're loving the growth. We appreciate Prime Source Production team and of course our newest sponsor, Twillery Twillery Twillery, which has about two new stores now all around New York, I think in Lakewood and in the five towns. And they are making noise. So, good luck to them on their endeavors. and uh we hope to see everybody with the twillery suit and shirt soon. With us today is Katco Bennett. Katask, welcome to the program. >> Pleasure to be here. >> We appreciate having you here. Uh today's a very special day for us because normally we don't um ear the same episode like two days before and we're going to do that this week because this marks the 24th anniversary of September 11th. And I was on a hunt to find someone that was a first responder, someone that I would uh be able to discuss the moments that happened and what led to uh the world that we have today. Um so much to cover, so much to talk about. We have a little thing that we like to call here. Chat PT said what about you? So first I will shut off my phone. I'm just curious when you're going to learn like >> by the way this is Ellie Lando. We just got engaged last night. Like we have to say Maz. >> We can say Maz later. We're a little bit busy right now. >> You're saying I shouldn't pick up. >> I'm like 90 episodes in. 180. At what point are you going to turn your phone on? >> It's never on ringer. That's the funny thing. I come here on No. My phone in general is not on ring. >> Only the last 40 times. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Only when I come in. I'm like I want to bother us. So I turn it on. We have this little thing we like to call chat said. What? Have you ever chat yourself? >> Never. Not myself. No. >> Oh, okay. All right. You use it though. You're familiar. >> I I'm just learning how to use it. >> Katcoll Bennett doesn't just remember 911. He lived it. stood in the middle of the chaos and turned crisis into leadership. That is the number one thing it starts off with. >> That's true. That's what it says. >> Yeah. >> You tell us. Does that make sense? >> That's what Jack GBT says. >> Yeah. >> Fascinating. >> Yeah. It says more. Hold on tight. Uh >> oh. >> While most people talk about community, he's been quietly building them brick by brick, policy by policy, family by family. >> I like this guy. >> What does that mean? Uh policy by policy. Are you like an insurance business or something? What does that mean? All state, you're in good hands. >> Politics, Oshi, politics, policies. >> Oh, okay. Yeah, listen. Policy can very easily be family by family. Policy by policy. I hear insurance. I don't know. >> Okay. It's a good marketing stick, I guess, for insurance people. >> Florida real estate agents will tell you about palm trees. Katka will tell you about Torah, schools, shels, and survival. The real blueprint behind the migration. >> Wow. That's going to be an interesting topic by the way because there's something happening potentially in New York and it's something worthwhile of a conversation. I really want to get into it because I'm curious your thoughts. >> It's worthy of a podcast time all on its own conversation. Absolutely. >> Yeah. And and I want to get into that in a minute. He's the guy politicians call when they need advice and the guy parents call when they need answers. >> Wow. That's a lot of pressure. >> That's pretty amazing. Actually, >> tell my wife. Uh bottom line, Katzkll is living proof that leadership isn't just a title, it's a test and he's been passing it for decades. >> Fascinating. Okay. I'm humbled and uh not sure I could uh add to that right now. >> I mean, listen, you know, I there's so much I want to start off with. >> Michael, could we could we talk a little bit about um September 11th over here because I know that he has a lot of experience from my understanding, right? It's my understanding he was there when when this all went down. So, I would love to hear a little bit about that. Um, >> you know, we we all know somebody that will remember where they were when JFK was assassinated, right? You know, uh, I remember when I was when OJ Simpson's trial came to an end and he was acquitted, you know, like there's certain things that we remember in our life was that >> the white bronco. >> Exactly. But the the one thing that stands out that I think that is far beyond all that. Of course, we have October 7th, which doesn't compare to any of these things, but se September 11th, I think. Also, if you ask people where were you that day, >> I don't think people remember where they were the day before. It's because like it's just such a blur to me. I'm curious before we jump into September 11th. What was your life like before September 11th? September 10th. >> And before I lived in Flatbush, living my daily life, going to work, building a business as a young guy 24 years ago. So uh regular guy going to b going to work every day member trying to do some good things in my life trying to give back but certainly not as involved as I am you know today and uh again it was a you know September 11th was a beautiful I can I still picture the the beautiful beautiful it was primary day I think so I think it was primary right is that possible it's possible we have Stephan who will check primary day >> yes take take us through that experience So >> um I >> it was a nice morning. I do remember >> it was actually erashana a couple weeks before shashana or maybe a week before. We were saying I that I do remember. So I was draw I draw I >> was primary election from New York state. Yes. >> Busy day. >> Yeah. But you know I remember Freddy Ferrer versus Mike Bloomberg. I think Bloomberg had that in the bag. Um sorry common used to work for Freddy. Um joke about it now. 24 years later. Hard to hard to wrap your head around it. So, I I've talked about this publicly many many times. I've been asked I've spoken to crowds literally everywhere in the world on this on this topic. our grandparents, their defining day of their lives if they were in America or for the world was um Pearl Harbor, the day that the American got, you know, United States of America was sucked into World War II officially. Um for our parents, I believe a defining moment, as I've heard, was the day that President Kennedy was assassinated. Again, a defining moment for our generation, unless someone has a better day, which I would challenge for us. A defining moment was September 11th for so many reasons. So, I we we can go into my personal experience or we can go into why that is. It's up to you guys. >> I'd love to hear your personal experience first. Just take us to where you were that morning. I uh I dive in. I I ded in Rab Sher uh in on Norand Avenue for many many many years 30 years. Um second minion have dy before the minion. We said the day ran late because it was um during those days I used to learn with my father Mishna Bura in the car. My office was in Williamsburg, my warehouse. Again, I was building a business and I would drive down Flatbush Avenue and get to Williamsburg every day same way. That morning, because it was a friend of mine, uh his name is Yasuritz, he subsequently passed away, uh asked for a ride. He worked not far from me and I would drop him off sometimes invariably at at his little uh place. I'm learning with my father, Mr. Bura, and I'm driving down Flappish Avenue and I always was able to see the Twin Towers straight ahead. My solar radio is on. I'm talking to my dad. We're learning. My father's a doctor, so I got to like get 10 minutes into his schedule. And I hear on the hot solar radio that a plane, some one of the members, a friend of mine, Aaron Rothman, F97, he called in a call and I heard him sort of muff. It was like choppy, but I heard him. He thinks a plane hit the top of the Twin Towers, one of them. I think they dispatched an ambulance there, and I don't remember the specifics of of the conversation. I sort of ignored it. I'm not in Manhattan. I'm not heading to Manhattan. Not my call, but I hear it. Okay. Still driving. Few minutes later. I don't know what's the difference. Steph will tell us how far apart were the two planes. One and >> 10 minutes. I think 10 minutes something. >> So >> 12 minutes. I'm just guessing. >> I Steph will tell >> it was very short. It was very short. >> We'll find out in a minute. And um I'm still learning with my dad and I hear a second plane. Now it's all hands on deck and I now know it's not a random situation. >> Were you listening to the radio at the time? Did another >> At this point I told my father what's going on. Now you have to know my dad. Shut off your radio. Let's learn. You should never ignore your father. Always listen to your father. I said, "Dad, I got to go. I have to finish. I have to I have to hang up." I hung up. I started heading. They called for everybody. That's all they called for everybody. >> All hands on deck. >> Everybody. >> How do they call for everyone? What does that >> What does that sound like? >> I'll send you the recording. >> All members who is possible to go away from the scene. the tackle building is about to go down. >> Uh it was top actually the best dispatcher that Hatalah has the most professional and the most well-known someone who is a seasoned seasoned professional who uh Yodel Dutch W19 the recording is now it's going into the Hall of Fame. It's such a I've heard the recordings many many times basically sending resources ambulances from different neighborhoods. We now know we're dealing with something very, very, very unprecedented, unusual. Okay, I'm heading towards the city now. I turn on my lights and sirens heading towards the city. I come to the Manhattan Bridge, standing still traffic on going towards the bridge. But like as I'm coming onto the bridge, one of the big ESU NYPD trucks flies by me full throttle, sees booking, and he goes into the opposite lane. >> The oncoming, he goes into the opposite lane. I go right behind him. So where you couldn't get into Manhattan from the other side, I was on the bridge and over the bridge in a minute. I pull into lower Manhattan. I follow him all the way as close as I could get. Never in a million years thinking to myself what's going to come. Um I first recollection come out of my car. My friend Yasa Yuritz has stolen the car. So I said, "Help me." I took all my equipment out of the car, my trauma bag, my oxygen bag, whatever else I had. >> Where did you pull over your car? I found a spot that I thought would be reasonably >> How far from the scene itself? >> Uh, a block and a half away from the wall. >> So, very close. >> Two blocks away. Yes. >> Okay. >> My first recollection got out of my car. I see on the floor. Fascinating. I to think about is I see a thousand pair of shoes. Shoes. Really? Really? People ditch their shoes. Shoes. I just see shoes everywhere. It's the strangest thing. Later, it dawned on me. People were so terrified. People were so afraid, so unsure of what was going on. These are all executives. The men are wearing leather shoes. The women are wearing heels. You can't run. >> Yeah. >> In those shoes. And people were running for their lives. They ditched their shoes and just ran. Ran for dear life. So that was my first recollection. I gather myself. I see my distance. I'm cognizant that I don't want to get too close to the World Trade Center itself. And as I'm being cognizant of it, I see smoky debris on the floor around me, like a little bit further in, like parts of planes smoking. So now if you know, you don't want to get too close. If parts of airplanes are falling down again, I didn't know what size airplane this was. How could you possibly know? We had reports of two airplanes going into the World Trade Center. Okay, that's enough for me. I'm convinced. So now what does Hatal member do? I put on my green vest like transform from citizen to to to hatal man. Okay. Somehow someway I I believe it was the corner of Church and Trinity if I remember correctly. Again, it's been 24 years. People seem to be gravitating towards this area because it's a little bit away. There's a huge amount of steps going up to the actual whether it's a church or I'm assuming it's a church like an old style church with like 200 steps and people are sitting there and I just look around and people are just dazed glass bloody gasping for air multiple patients with multiple different issues. Some people are cut. Other people are are having trouble breathing. Other people are just terrified. And what does that member do? Hats member just jumps in, >> start tending to people. >> And a few of my solo members were there for whatever reason. And we sort of like unofficially but collectively came together and just started treating patients. And I remembered something so so un and I see the pictures. I remember I was cognizant let's say it this way of the fact that I'm wearing a yarmaka a green vesta vest and my titus. I just I was cognizant of it >> even in this incredible upheaval, turmoil, >> chaos, >> chaos. Absolutely. >> I so desperately wanted to make a kesh and we were successful in that. There's no question about it. >> Anyone who we treated, anyone that we interacted with. Now, my friend Yasuritz was just hanging with me. >> Not a hot guy. >> Not a hot guy, >> right? Wanted to get to his office. >> Yeah. Well, that wasn't happening, >> right? What did he do >> in the back of my car? I don't remember why I had kept Remember the old disposable cameras? >> I have a disposable camera. I'm not tall. Remember, I come on to crazy things. I'm not the greatest photographer in the world, nor am I interested in it. He grabbed the the camera and he just started snapping pictures. >> Wow. Wow. >> And some of the pictures that are today well-known pictures of 9/11 burning building us treating these patients is pictures of this >> of this day of this moment. Otherwise, it'd be just in my memory in my in my mind. He actually took pictures of Okay, we moved from this area to a different area. The cops moved us off of the the steps for whatever reason and we moved to uh Broadway right around the corner and we moved to a tree we we created a triage area where ambulances were starting to come down Broadway towards downtown and we set up in front of a bunch of stores. It was Broadway corner John Street and we were treating patients and there are pictures of this. We were literally people were bringing cops were bringing us people. Again, all these you have to remember the World Trade Center has thousands of people who work in the towers and and surrounding buildings. Thousands thousands. Wall Street area, World Trade Center area. You're talking about tens of thousands of people just working in this area. >> So, they're nowhere to go. They're they're flipping out. And we again started to treat patients. We heard from the police, from some of the law enforcement that the Pentagon was hit. We heard that another plane was coming. We heard a lot of different misinformation. So basically to warn us, this is ongoing. This is an ongoing situation. What's now may not be and what's going to be. >> Five or 10 minutes into this entire situation, >> I heard a whoosh. To me, it sounded like an incoming plane. Like a plane is landing on our head. I had no idea what it was, but something was happening. >> This was a subway train coming into a station, a thousand of them at one time. That's how loud it was. Terrifying whoosh. >> Subsequently, oh, let's keep going. This whoosh transformed itself into what you now know if you ever see the video, that black smoke coming towards us. The whoosh was the building pancaking, coming down. The second I heard this whoosh, I knew we had to get out of this area. Now, the police had set up a do not enter with yellow tape. this caution tape like yeah crime scene barricade >> you know they baricated us in so we could work and not >> I had my solar radio on my belt >> I turned I heard this whoosh saw the smoke started to run my hot solar radio got caught on the tape and I'm and I can't get out I'm stuck but I'm a pretty strong guy so I give was like a huge like like nothing's going to hold me back. I'm going to I'm running for my life. And I run and my accelerator flips off my belt. This is relevant for later in this conversation. And I lose it and I keep running. I'm running. Smoke is chasing me. At the very last second, I run up John Street, number 11 John Street. I still remember the address. And the door sort of opens like the front door or the lobby door of this office building. And at the last second, I jump in. I take a deep breath. I have no idea like this is the most unbelievable traumatic experience of my life. I look around the floor, the lobby. What's what's in this lobby? I see about 30 to 50 people huddling and shaking. on the lobby floor like this. I I I'm still not sure who they are, what they are, where am I. Okay, I get my grips. I get my bearings. I go to the front door now. I want to see what's going on outside of this lobby door. Picture. I'm in the lobby. There's lights. There are people. >> The lobby glass door because every building has a glass door. I look at it, it's pitch black. I open up the door like to peek outside blackness. Total darkness. All I hear in the distance, nothing except car alarms. Remember the old car alarms? >> Sure. >> That's all I hear. I had no idea what it was. No idea what happened. As if the world ended. the apocalypse. >> Yes. Without knowing that it's the apocalypse. I thought that at this point I recognized that a building fell down. One of the tall buildings fell down. One of the World Trade Center buildings, Twin Towers, fell. I had no way to know that it fell this way. I thought it fell that way. Why wouldn't I? >> Mhm. building was actually created to go down this way, not this way. I thought that the building that I'm in, the building fell right on top. And the only reason why we weren't crushed was because it fell on top of the building that we're in because everything around me is black. I look up and I say the following words. I say, "Hashem, I'm in trouble. Please help me. I go back deeper into the lobby. You have to remember I'm no longer Joe citizen, regular guy. I'm Halle Man. People are depending on you. >> I'm wearing a green vest as if the green vest prepares me to know what to do. And they're all looking at me. What do we do? >> You're an official. Yeah. >> Right. The problem was we couldn't stay in the lobby because the smoke, if you remember, the black smoke was seeping into the lobby and it made the breathing very difficult. So, we had to move. One of the 50 people in the lobby was an undercover narcotics cop. And the only way that I knew that he was a cop cuz he was wearing a windbreaker that said NYPD on it. He was wearing shorts. September. It was hot. It was nice day. He looks at me. I look at him and we have to devise a plan now to take care of these 30 to 50 people. I don't remember the exact number. We're in charge now. These are our charges. We got to figure out how to take them to safety. So, forget about the fact. Let's go back. I have no solar radio. I have absolutely no idea what's going on. There was no more cell phone service, which I had my cell phone because if you remember, the cell phone antennas are on top of the building that just came down. So, I am completely in the dark physically, metaphorically, and communicatively. I have nobody to talk to. I am by myself. We scout this go up to the next floor. Next floor in the by steps. Who takes the steps in in a Manhattan office building. The second floor was nothing. It was just like equipment. But the third floor began the offices. Can't use an elevator. I wouldn't dare use an elevator. First of all, I have 30, 40 people here. I have no idea what I can't scout up. He and I see an office that's untouched. It's locked. Remember, it's 9:00 in the morning. They didn't open up for business yet. The door is locked. We can't get the door open. Force the door. Force the door. Force the door. Can't get it open. In these uh office buildings, you take the fire extinguisher. It's not a fire extinguisher. It's not an oldfashioned fire extinguisher. They have this hose, this long hose. I take the long hose in the back of the hose. I try to smash the door open. I can't get the door open. This narcotics officer says to me, "Stand back." Scene out of a movie. Stand back. Takes out his gun. Two shots. Makes a hole in the door. We stick our hand through the shots. Turn the door. We get in the door. Walk in the office. Clean, big, good air, air conditioning, running water, working telephones. We go back down. take this entire group and shepherd them to safety. What safety? Safety is the third floor of this building in this office. And for the next half an hour, the world calmed down. I called my wife, told her I'm alive, begged me to come home. I said I can't. I called my mother, told her I'm alive. She begged me to come home. I told her I can't and I hung up. I ended up after half an hour they were all fine. At that point, daylight returned to downtown or daylight, smoky daylight, but at least daylight. Have to remember this huge black smoke that everybody now knows famously started to dissipate. I ended up hitching a ride on a passing ambulance and took this ambulance to Beth Israel Hospital. I figure I could help out in the hospital just figure out a safe spot which is about 20 blocks down. Beth Israel is like was like 18 or 19 East 18th or East 19th if I remember correctly. I don't remember. Pull up with this ambulance. It was a metropolitan ambulance to Beth Israel Hospital. The entire hospital was outside of the hospital with a hundred stretchers waiting. That's what hospitals do in an emergency. Waiting. No patience. Everybody's dead. The sheer enormity of absorbing this scene. Doctors, nurses, gurnies, a hospital waiting to help, waiting to heal for patients that never came. >> Wow. Either everybody was dead or they made it out and they were fine. They didn't >> I don't know if they were fine, but they were not coming by ambulance. The Beth Israel Hospital. They didn't know that. >> I don't know if anybody was fine because they were all over the place. People were by the pier. Now subsequently we know they were going to on a boat to New Jersey. They were going everywhere. Crazy. >> But that was my experience. >> Yeah. >> Of course, because I can't sit still >> and I have what to offer and I'm here. >> I hitch another ambulance, go right back downtown again. Wow. I ended up transporting three or four firefighters to the hospital and then I went back again. So I remember one of the names of firefighters, whatever it was. Um, at this point jet fighters are flying over lower Manhattan. You know, the America's at war. It's a war zone right now. >> Absolute war zone. >> War zone. Um, >> are the streets like loud and you hear people crying all over the place? Like it just like your your mind's not completely crazy. This is again people they were advising you know buildings are not secure. Everything's shaky now. Everything you have to recognize we we're New Yorkers so we're accustomed to a skyline. We're accustomed to the buildings. They're here. All of a sudden something has disrupted like an earthquake. Yeah, >> literally like an earthquake, a man-made earthquake. >> And so, you don't know what's coming next. We already have two fallen towers. They said other buildings were not stable. Ultimately, end of the day, other towers did come down or were taken down. >> I remember the Willworth build. I mean, there were a lot of buildings in the area that were suspect >> and so they warned us to be careful. Don't make sure that you know, again, make sure you know where you are. At this point, >> it was midday, mid-afternoon already. I I I was exhausted. Um I did as as much as I could do that day. I also was cognizant of the fact that the air was not clean. >> Yeah. You can't beat the >> I remember that the air was not clean. This plays a role years later with 9/11 disease with 9/11 respiratory disease. I was cognizant of it that day and I wondered to myself, wow, this air is really not clean. Just one more thought. I ended up getting back home. I lost touch with Yasayowitz. I did not know if he was alive or dead. He didn't know if I was alive or dead. It was pretty frightening. At a certain point, he made it out and he came to my house. I didn't see him. I I was probably in the shower. He dropped off the one one out of the two bags that he had been charged with. He dropped it off, looked at my wife and said, "Here." He told me not to lose it. >> Turned around and went home. I never went back. And I did not go back to the area for a couple of years. I couldn't. for me personally changed my worldview, changed how my view on terrorism, changed my view on the world, um impacted me significant way. Thunder scared me for a long time. Low flying planes terrified me for a long time. Two weeks later, there was a plane crash in Bell Harbor. Look it up, Steph. which all the solar members ran to this plane crash. I did not and had a very significant impact on me in a mental way. Um didn't change how I looked, how I operated, but it changed me. It's not just where were you the day before, who were you the day before, and who were you after. So for every single younger American who doesn't think that 9/11 has anything to do with them and it's a blurp in history, I have some news for you. Every single time you fly on an airplane and you got to take off your belt and you have to take the liquids out of your bag and you get randomly searched and the whole exercise and I travel a lot. I fly a lot and this entire TSA what we know today exercise of waiting online going through security and blah blah blah. They can thank the perpetrators of 911 because that didn't exist in the United States of America before 911. That's first of all. Second of all, America was at war for 20 years in Afghanistan and Iraq and the outgrowth. This the politics. I don't want to get into it. But America was at war. And we lost tens of thousands of soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq because of 9/11. Let's be honest about that. A rough day. Crazy, man. You know, I always see September 11th um on TV in the history books, right? I'm hearing it now for the first time I think from anybody that described it to me that was there and it's just it hits home differently. It hits it feels more real. Um I feel very connected to it. Like as you're talking about it, I'm envisioning myself walking the street at that moment and seeing what you're depicting and what you saw. It's surreal and it's not that long ago. I know 25 years sounds like a long time, but it feels like it was yesterday. Um I remember exactly where I was in September. I remember exactly the moment and who told me what was going on. I I I remember it all. >> But there are thousands of people that share your experience >> and that have some type of story to tell about that. Do we know how many from Jews there were at the towers when this happened and how many from Jews perished? Unfortunately, >> I don't have the number. I do remember at least a couple of names. Bealisen mealizen who I knew. um uh I forgot his first name. Alanowitz. There were a couple of famous stories of people who of of of from families that that that suffered. There was there was Aguna questions and there were just just Shiva questions. >> But it wasn't like hundreds, right? It was >> I don't think it was hundreds, but definitely we were impacted in significant way. And I would just I would be remiss if I would not say that in the chaos and in the utter destruction of and madness sheer madness of the day. It was Hatsah's finest hour. >> Absolutely the f their finest hour. Hundreds of members selflessly without fear or care for themsel jumped into action to save others. And it wasn't to save necessarily fellow Jews. >> Sure. >> It was to save their fellow man. >> Yep. >> On behalf of those of us that don't wear vests, thank you to all of you members. I'm so curious. I've been thinking about this the entire time. How did anyone get stopped from going in? I'm curious. A hat guy that comes to 9/11, comes to the buildings. Don't Didn't they have Didn't a lot of you have a feeling of wanting to even go further in? >> Yes. There's a famous story. I I recognized the danger. As I told you earlier, I didn't get too close to the building. I had no interest in getting too close to the building. I had plenty of work to do what I was doing where I was. But there were others more senior than me and people who you know had their own reasoning for doing whatever they they went up to the building and they tried to get into the building. And there are stories famous stories famous stories of people who tried to get into the building and were stopped by the fire department and police department from getting into the building. They just said, "No, we don't want you to go. We don't want you to go into the building. Don't go into the building." So they moved from this entrance to another entrance and they were stopped again. In retrospect, these were malim literally malim sent to safeguard these members from going into the building. What would have become of them? The buildings collapsed both of them. They literally tried to get in and they were denied access and could not get in. That's story one. Story two. Hatsah had set up a command post right next to the fire department and then they were told to move to a different location. The location that they originally had set up the command post was wiped out. The area that they were sent to, they survived. Yes, they had the the debris and everything else that fell down, but all in all, incredible miracles beyond belief, beyond understanding, without a doubt. and stories. Each story of heroism and courage and and creativity and just fine emergency response. I will say I wanted to go back to one more thing. out of the outgrowth of that day. For as long as I could remember, weeks and weeks and weeks, maybe months, every day was a funeral for firefighters and police officers. Every day the city was in mourning. The traffic was chaotic. You couldn't get into lower Manhattan. It it turned New York City and the and the entire country upside down. >> It was so impactful in a way hard to to to fathom to go back to that kind of chaos. So, you know, if they wanted to disrupt us, they certainly did. They most certainly did. And you talked about it for a moment. Similarly, October 7th for this generation which I'm a part of, I never thought in my life anything would come close anywhere near 9/11. But I can't possibly fathom that there isn't one person who's a thinking person, old or young, who doesn't recognize that for our time in our generation and the world that we currently live in, October 7th is right up there with days that will never be forgotten, times in our life that will never be forgotten. this very second as you and I sit here to record this podcast whenever it's going to be replayed, we know what just transpired this morning in Qatar, in Qatar. Okay? There's only one reason why they're doing that. Because Israel has decided that it's game over and they're going after the hostages. We have not stopped. We will not stop. I did go to Israel a few times last year and the year before. I served together with a team of paramedics and EMTs in Israel uh down south in the southern envelope. Uh we led a team of of uh Hatsola responders from America. Baram Hatsah has partnered with Mugendiva Dome uh and we went on six or seven teams. You have to remember the paramedics who operate a Mugendiva Dome are also reserveists. And so when there's a national call up of this magnitude, someone has to man the ambulances. And so we have a partnership with Mugan Dome. And I'm extremely proud. One of the proudest things I've ever done in my life um was to go serve uh in Israel in St. uh two weeks after the attack October 20th. I was there 25th. Um that's all members are special. Uh, not me. But Hala members are special. Yeah. >> Did they get any recognition at Salah from the city after September 11? >> I don't know. I don't know. I I don't think I was looking for recognition, but it should be recorded in history of what was done and how it was done. >> They were there. They had a part of it. They were part of the recovery. >> That's your job. That's >> Was your Was your radio ever found? >> No. >> I'm actually I'm actually curious like how did you how did you get communicate with Matella after you lost? There was no communication. Zero. There was no communication. In fact, they did roll call later in the day, >> uh, which I found out about, but I didn't know. And they were going, they were doing going down the roster of all the members that responded, everybody, and they called my name out several times. They were looking for me. >> Must have been a scary moment. >> I didn't know. I wouldn't have my radio. >> I only found out later. Yeah. >> My wife and my mother knew that. >> Were there any serious um, >> a couple of stories from our from our side? We're extremely grateful that uh members uh >> nobody died. No, not not not that day. No. >> Whether or not some of the members got sick or didn't >> the smoke in Malaysian. >> I'm not a doctor. I'm not a statistician. But there's questions about you know >> it's definitely a real thing. You were there. You felt it. No question. I'm on I'm on the registry. >> Yeah. >> I I applied to the registry bar. >> Just like to ask a little bit about you. Who are you when you grow up? I know you went to Camp Monk because the whole world knows he went to Camp Monk, but who are you? >> I'm a a kid from Queens. >> Okay. Who uh Bar Hasham had a phenomenal childhood. Uh grew up in a great community. Q Garden Hills in the early '7s, mid70s. Was a a wonderful place. Uh melting pot. Uh all kinds of Jews. Uh friendly. Everyone knew everyone. I'm assuming you had a similar upbringing. Yeah. >> Um the difference between Queens and Brooklyn so to speak at that time was Queens was obviously a little bit smaller. Um even the the different diverse communities of Queens till today we grew up I went to Shiva Teres Mosha and Q Garden Hills, Forest Hills, Q Gardens, Regal Park, Hillrest, that was the area you went to Mosha. So you had kids from literally every corner of the from quote unquote uh Queens communities. And so my grandparents lived one set in Q Gardens, another set lived in Forest Hills and uh I lived in Q Garden Hills. So we had three dominant neighborhoods covered. So today and 50 years later, you know, from my childhood. We're family. I my I've left Queens. My family is still there. My eye is still on Queens. I care deeply about the community. It's growing. It's changing. today is a big Asphardic Bkarian neighborhood and community, but still a lot of hometown friends. You know, childhood is childhood. It builds a person. Um, many cases for good and others for bad. And you try to, but for me, Barashem, it it catapulted me into many different directions. I believe in relationships. I call upon them all the time. I love to see people. I love to talk to people. I enjoy uh having connections and being able to use them for the betterment of the community and and really from there went to to Adelfi under the great and tr [Music] I never miss an opportunity to talk about. I met him in Camp Monk and uh it's not a conversation about Abdank but his influence is all over me. He was a person who loved Jews. Every Jew, everyone everywhere. make no difference who you are, what you are from, not from absolutely zero difference to him. A Jew was a Jew. He believed in you. He loved you. And that was infectious. And that for us was extremely um influential in our world view and how we deal deal with and how we dealt with people. And so if you had a rebi who sat who sits now in Haba in the Israel wing, those people thebah and the Israel the and those yeden who absolutely unabashedly unapologetically love Jews that has influence and all the talid wherever they are thousands of them from camp monk from Adelfi yes from Arashious Yeshua those talidim are in there They're they're building communities. They're building families. They're good people. Their hearts are in the right place. They're bal whether they have money or they don't. Those are the people that will give their shirt off their back to you. Those are the people that will care about you. Those are the people who are making a difference in Claol. Having a great rebby in your life and even having more than one, but even having one is impactful. And anybody who sits in this chair and is making a difference in Kali Israel, I can guarantee you that somebody in their life was an influence that pushed them in a certain direction. A parent, a rebby, a friend, a mentor, a big brother, a big sister, whoever. Someone was a mentor to that person and pushed them to be great or they could be great. I've written about my Rebi many times. He was the greatest flight instructor in history. He made us all believe that we could fly. >> Wow. >> Wow. I'm sure missing out on life, by the way. I didn't have >> that. I know. >> Perhaps one of the better openings we've had from any guest. First of all, >> definitely >> just asking you to tell us a little bit about yourself. You gave me a nice little flavor about who you are and your passions, your energy, just tremendous. and already gave us a very important life lesson. Michael, usually we save this like in the middle of the podcast. We say, "What's your message to the world?" Well, there you have it. That was a really nice message. Do you know my brother-in-law, Rabbi Yoel Gold? >> Sure. >> Althia boy. >> Yeah, exactly. >> Learned under Abdrank, right? >> And I can guarantee you that Rabo, your brother-in-law that I didn't know, >> will sell will tell you almost an identical description >> of what I of what I just said. I've heard this monologue before >> in his own way. >> Yes, I've heard this speech before and he describes him in exactly the same fashion that you >> our paths did not cross in yeshiva. I'm a little older than him, but it's irrelevant. Rabbd was a rebi for over 50 years and his talidim who today are 80 years old and 70 years old and 60 and 50 and 40 all feel the same. When you have someone in life who loves you with no conditions, it's rare. There's no errors about it. There's no agendas. I love you because you're my Talmud. >> Yeah. >> Care about you cuz you're my Talmud. >> Awesome. >> We live in a world today that's so cold, calculated, and indifferent, apathetic. Who cares about anything? Me, me, me. All about me. And you meet a person who's completely selfless and all about you. you you it's something to hold on to as we navigate life. >> Amazing. >> Sounds like my kind of guy. >> I'd like to continue navigating your life. So, take us through it. So, what what made you who you are today? What do you do today? What was that process like? I'm just I've heard your name so many times, you know, growing up in Brooklyn. I got to be honest with you, in the world of policies and families. um definitely heard your name a lot and uh I'm I'm it's an honor to have you sitting here but I really want to know how you got started like and you know how anyone in your world of leadership and asanes and what happened like take us through that little bit of the of the of that process my father is a doctor Dr. Bennett. Everyone knows him. He's in Q Garden Hills. He's been a doctor for a long time. He's a wonderful person. Is ish is everyone says their father's a sadic, but my father is a sadic. A well-known person. My earliest recollection of my father in his role as doctor, although he had an office in our house, always did was on Shabas. People would come over to the house. they weren't feeling well or they needed guidance or something. I was enamored by the idea that my father was a go-to person for help. People in need went came and come to my father for help. My uncle, my father's brother, Dr. Alan Bennett Zaha, same thing. Always lived near us. the Bennett family, but particularly the Bennett boys, doctor, doctor and doctor, they became doctors for the real reason of becoming a doctor. They actually wanted to help people. They both became oncologists in the 1970s where cancer was ravaging. Still is. But today, this treatments in those days, the treatments that we have today were not yet there. So they became hematologists, oncologists, blood specialists and oncologists. These were dealing with the most severe crises that were affecting everyone and most particularly Jews. And so they joined the medical field. I don't think medicine was going to be my calling. I couldn't probably get through medical school. I just didn't have the zitles. Today we would maybe call it uh other fourletter words. ADHD some I don't know whatever I not self diagnosing >> but you have ADHD you could finish it >> but uh I have two brothers who are doctors >> um my siblings are are driven we're all driven people and so for me personally the idea of being the go-to person and being someone who could help and make a difference to live life and just you know live your life it's wonderful raising a family is amazing the task it's a it's it's an avida to raise a healthy family today in the world that we're living in with good well-rounded children in itself is an enormous accomplishment. And anyone who's watching this and anyone who's living their life and doing well and trying to just navigate making a living, raising your children, having a healthy shalom bay and doing well in your life because a lot of people aren't and people are struggling and so for that alone that's enough. for us that we have to make a difference and and we were raised whether it was in the milk or uh but my parents raised us to care. We care. >> It was in your DNA >> I guess. >> Yeah. >> Because if you look at all my siblings, each one in their own way. I mean, >> what business did you go into? What was >> I went into janitorial supply business. Nobody ever asks me what business I'm in. It's amazing question. My my brother-in-law who runs my company for me from Ephraat, my wife's brother would yell at me and say to me, "Tell them what you do. I sell garbage bags and cleaning supplies to real estate management. Good luck to the real estate industry in New York." It's a completely completely different conversation. >> Let's get into that. That's the conversation I actually want to hear about. >> That's the really the the moving of the neighborhoods. We we're we're on the cusp of a major election in New York City and uh >> well, we we I think we get what's happening. Right. So, so the real estate industry is in the crosshairs. >> What what happens? What's that shift like? >> It's a major shift in in in both in in demographics and both in the feeling of of uh of of fear uh yes and and and uh >> can you break it down for me if you don't mind because I I hear a lot about this New York there's a lot to fear of what might happen but just >> look I'm not a fear-mongerer. I don't like to be a fear mongerer. Yeah, I have a very active Twitter or they call X today. Uh X uh I really try not to be a fear-mongerer. I hate it. And usually it doesn't age well, you know. Oh, this is going to happen, that's going to happen, and then 3 months or 6 months or a year from now doesn't happen. You look like a fool. I mean, you're not avy. So, but at the same time, reality is reality, and you have to be realistic and honest. So, there's a difference between being a fear-mongerer and a truthsayer. Um, and today being a truth saver is not such a popular thing. People are afraid of the truth. So, right now we're dealing with an election that's potentially potentially potentially has the uh potential to change New York City as we know it. This community that we currently enjoy, our lives in New York City that we currently enjoy to a great degree changed under the Rudy Giuliani administration. Before that administration, uh people will remember there was a feeling that the streets were not safe at the end of the Dinkens administration. I was a very young boy, but I do remember you did had the Crown Heights riots. It was there was there was a lot of uneasiness. Again, I was very young. Um, but at the beginning of the Giuliani administration, I got married very young. I was living in Flatbush. And there was this 100% commitment to safety, security, quality of life. >> Yeah. >> And if you know anything about the Giuliani administration, they introduced what they call broken windows policing. Um, which basically is you deal with this. This was a Bill Bratton invention. He was the commissioner of the police department, first commissioner under Rudy Giuliani. And basically all quality of life issues are directly correlated to real crime. If you take care of the pan handlers, if you take care of the small petty theft, the this the small burglaries, the the the bike stealing, um muggings, not not nothing but nothing major. Those are called broken windows. >> Things that um graffiti, >> yeah, >> those kinds of things, if you deal with the small things, they have a direct impact on the big things. And it was extremely successful. They drove down crime to record levels, levels that today we enjoy that Mayor Bloomberg after Giuliani also enjoyed and enhanced. Again, heavy heavy heavy focus on quality of life. sort of moving out of that administration, the cities took a different turn, different policies, Bill Delasio administration. I'm not going to get into the particulars of all these different things, but the focus has sort of changed. I will say now as we're moving forward under Eric Adams, there's been again a recommmitment to safety, but there are still, you know, people don't feel safe and there's a lot of anti-semitism. The protests have a lot to do with it and just the overall atmosphere of wearing gamaka in the street today where this sort of quote unquote an open season feeling where we can potentially be in harm's way. That has an impact on people. That changes people's idea of if I'm not safe, nothing else matters. My children are not safe. Nothing really else matters. I could live in a beautiful home and a beautiful community, but if I have to go to work and I have to take my life in my hands and I can't go on the subway and I can't go on the bus and I can't live my life and go out at night because I'm afraid, that fear, fear for your personal safety transcends everything else. And so now you have an administration that potentially could come into play that is saying all the wrong things. Yeah, they're backtracking now a little bit because it's unpopular. Because who in their right mind doesn't want safety for themselves and their family? But at the end of the day, I think the focus on this woke ide ide ideology that we've come to understand where things that are really not as important as personal safety, you know, we we hear all these stories about people get mugged on the street and god forbid somebody stands up for themselves and pushes back or fights back. Who becomes public enemy? number one, the mugger or the guy who pushed back. We've seen the stories over and over and over again. Whereas the victim becomes the the the perpetrator. We see it in Israel and we see it on the streets of New York. The victim is someone who feels unsafe and is not willing to feel unsafe, so they push back. And so, not to get too deep into the woods, but that's really what we're looking at right now. And it's it's uh certainly eye- raising, eye-catching, and I think everyone should pay attention. And if I fall short in saying it, if there's anyone who lives in New York City that's not registered to vote, you are making a grave mistake. A grave lifealtering mistake. There isn't a person over the age of 18, boy or girl, adult or teenager, older teenager, young adult, that is in New York City and will be for election day that doesn't vote. It is in every word that I could possibly say a tremendous irresponsibility almost, dare I say, a dereliction of duty at this point in our lives in America. if I remember correctly. Um, and by the way, I was with you throughout that entire sequence. And, uh, I'm a little younger than you, so I don't remember all of it. Like even in Giuliani's tenure, I don't remember as much, but I do remember that he introduced stop and frisk, didn't he? I I believe he did. Um, and it was very effective. And you're right, crime really went much it was skyrocketing the years before, and it was one of the worst cities to live in. And they did a very nice job. I think the Mugger incident that you talked about, the best example I can give was with Daniel Penny. Sure. On the train. >> That's what I was That's what I was thinking. >> That's probably what you were thinking. That's probably what most people are thinking is that, you know, he stood up um he was a good Samaritan and uh they they dragged him through the mud for it. They dragged him through the mud. But this is very obvious to the three of us. And as we're both sitting here, I'm totally on board with everything you've said, >> right? >> And I think you said it very eloquently. And there's a lot of people listening that this is a no-brainer. This is simple stuff. This is easy math. What is it that we see a lot of the younger people that are jumping on this bandwagon and they're okay with a lot of this talk about being soft on crime? Um, and you see people that go to jail, they come out, they go back, they come out and it's like we saw the writing on the wall. This person was in jail like four or five times. Why are they still roaming the streets? Like how many times are they going to have to do the same thing until we realize that they're unsafe to be on the streets? We got to get them off. We got to figure something out. But what is it that's appealing um to this other side that people are it's catching fire? You see a lot of the young people, a lot of the voters from 18 till 25, 26, this is talking to them and they're liking this. What what are we missing? What are we miss? How is it getting here? So, excellent question. And I don't I can't say that I have all the answers. I can say the following. First of all, a younger person is idealistic. uh they haven't really uh gone through the hard knocks of life. They're still looking at their future. And to them, someone who's who's speaking about issues that matter to them, equity, affordability, fairness, to them that resonates. They don't see necessarily the bigger picture in terms of well, how you going to get all that the details? If you notice, the details aren't being discussed. It's broad statements. We're going to make this more affordable. We're going to make that more affordable. Everybody's going to have be able to live in New York. And everybody's going to be able to have a place to live. Eric Adams is a good guy. He's a good mayor. Every one of those issues mean something to him. Bill Delasio, whether or not I agree with his politics, was a decent person and certainly wanted affordability and certainly wanted safe streets, as did Mayor Bloomberg, as did Giuliani, as did David Dinkens, and everyone behind them, and everyone in front of them. But when you're speaking to young people and they're not pushing you on the facts, on the actual policies themselves, you're just talking in broad strokes and you're inspiring them and you're talking their language. He's a great communicator, Mamani. He's an excellent communicator. I can vehemently disagree with almost everything he says, but you have to admit he's an articulate communicator >> like Obama. And and when you're an articulate communicator, sometimes you can get away with fudging the facts, with ignoring them, sidestepping them. And so the young people who are listening to all of this, he's speaking their language. He's certainly testing all of these, you know, things he's saying. He has smart advisers and people who are out there who understand the world that we're living in. I'm going to tell you something that is obvious to anyone who's paying attention. the Israeli Palestinian issue that is currently dominating every day across the world. Israel is not winning the hearts and minds of the next generation. We know this, okay? We are ex exceedingly uh pro-Israel in every possible way. We know who the victim is. We know who the perpetrators are. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to recognize that it's 700 plus days and you have hostages still sitting in in Gaza. Okay, let's let's let's let's get past the the obvious. But to the young folks, the young kids, they're not understanding the the context of this fight. They see Israel bombing Gaza, and they see Israel bombing Qatar, which is happening in real time, and they see Israel as the aggressor, >> the bully, >> and that's how the media is casting Israel. And so if Tik Tok and X and Mass Legacy Media and everybody and all the influencers and the Tucker Carlson's on the right and the Rashim anti-semites on the left and maybe Tucker Carlson deserves that same title are all saying the same thing, Israel's the aggressor. So if your M Donnie and you recognize and you believe this anyway, so it's not you're not going out of your comfort zone. You're just speaking out and you're tapping in to what the mood is on the street anyway. Is it any surprise that you're doing well, that the polls are with you? So, we right now I don't even know what the majority is of New Yorkers. I have no idea because it's it keeps changing. People move to Florida. People people are moving to the suburbs. People are living in the five towns. People are living in Muny. People are moving to Tom's River for a lot of reasons. their kids moved, the job moved, affordability, uh better lifestyle, quality of life, all the issues that matter to us. But in our community, there are options. And so, as people move out, both in the Jewish community and others, who's left? Who is now the plurality of voters in New York City? Seems to me that what we think is the plurality of conservative, moderate, normal people in New York City is not as moderate and conservative as you might believe. The same people that voted in Giuliani and Bloomberg are no longer in New York City. They've moved. Who's left behind? middle class, immigrant families, good people, nice people, but they don't share our politics as far as they're concerned, good schools, affordability, housing, major issues for them and they're suffering and they're struggling and Mandani is talking to them. >> Mhm. >> That's my take on the world. >> And what do we do? How do we uh how do we approach this? >> Vote. Well, I like you said, I don't think that we're the majority in there. Is voting going to win? >> Hypothetically, we vote, it doesn't work, then what? >> I'm not a Nvy. >> Not a Nvy. I'm just asking you then what? >> I think I think people have to make decisions that are that are good for themselves and their families. I'm certainly not going to be the one to tell people to move out. That's not na that's not my place to do, >> right? But I'm saying, what else can you do if you're not moving in? >> We have to strengthen our communities. We have to make sure that our elected representatives represent our views. You have to vote. I want to I I don't want to be self-defeist here in any which way, but we currently have with all of what's going on right now, we have six religious I think the number six in the New York State Assembly. Never before with all of the leftists and the wokeism and the socialists and all the other garbage that we're we're confronting, okay, communism and socialism. Right now in the New York State Assembly, we have aid shagai who represents my Aaron Weer Jagger, Sam Kaikenstein, Sam Burgerer. Four guys right now. Plus, you have David Weeper. He's five. I'm I'm sure I'm missing somebody. >> We have Steph. He's going to be looking it up in a minute. >> Five. I'm I'm I'm sure that there's a one more than a handful. >> That's just Orthodox Orthodox religious from representation and many other friends. uh Stacy Fafamato represents Farrae. I mean, she's Jewish and she's very supportive of us and and several others who are very like-minded. So, you have six or seven or eight, maybe 10 even, who are really strong supporters, which we've haven't had in the New York State Assembly in maybe ever. So, why is that? How is that? You have Ari Brown on the other side and on the Republican side, but that's in the state assembly. So you can question how effective a Republican is in the state assembly with a super majority of Democrats. But be that as it may, Carl Hasty recognizes that there's a very strong block of religious Orthodox Jews who are representing their communities with great distinction, I might add, in the face of a lot of adversity and they're doing well. And so how did we get those guys? How did we get these electeds to be in the state assembly? >> We voted them. >> We voted them in. >> Yeah. >> And other neighborhoods in other parts of New York City that have strong religious and moderate voices should make it their business to come out election day. I don't want to say we're going to lose this the mayoral election, but the polls look pretty pretty uh pretty pretty uh dismal right now. We're far out. That doesn't stop an iota of the importance answering your question. We're not going to give up. City council races, state senate races, assembly races, congressional races. What's more important today than having representatives in Congress who are standing up and fighting for what we believe in? >> They're either fighting with us or they're fighting for us. >> It's one or the other. Yeah. >> Either they're pro-Israel or they're against. You better make sure that your member of Congress knows how you feel because right now, specifically on the Democratic side, we need those moderate voices. The Richie Torres's, the Josh Godheimer's, the the the Brad Schneider, there's there's a number Torres is very support of Israel. He has absolutely he's been a staunch advocate of the Jews and the religious Jews. And uh he's been great and he's he's he's a really hardcore Democrat. >> He's a he's absolutely Trumper, you know, all >> no question about it and that's okay. >> But he's moral. He has moral clarity and he sees really right from >> Richie to Richie Torres is the perfect example. You don't have to I don't agree with Richie Torres on a lot of his politics. I just don't. >> Correct. >> But I'm able to look past my disagreements with Richie Torres and appreciate his incredible uh outspoken support and defense not only of Israel but of the Jewish people here in New York. And so, yeah, I know he's not going to vote for certain things that are important to me. He can't and he won't. And that's okay. >> We cannot allow ourselves to become so isolated in our politics that if someone doesn't agree with me 100% of the time, he's no good to me. >> Yeah. >> Because we are going to find ourselves one day with no friends and no allies. Okay. There's no question where the Jewish community stands and who they stand with. But we live in New York City. We live in New York State. So if you live in New York State, recognize it's a blue state. There is a super majority in the Assembly of Democrats. There's a super majority of Democrats in the state senate. There's a super majority of Democrats in the city council. The mayor's a Democrat. The governor's a Democrat. Both senators are Democrats. There's one Republican in the New York City delegation right now out of 12 or 13 seats of congressional members that are sent to Congress. Only one. She represents Staten Island. >> Stefanic. >> Not Stefanic. Stefanic's upstate. >> Oh, >> I forgot her name for a moment. >> New York City. >> New York City. New York City delegation. We'll get back to her. I forgot her name for a moment. >> Stephan, we'll look it up. And you were right. There were six, by the way, Orthodox Jews in terms of uh representatives. You're very passionate about this and I >> I I'm passionate about it because I believe in it. I've experienced it. >> Yes. >> It's not financial for me. I I bar Hashem I'm in a position in my life. I don't take any money from anyone for anything. Hashem provides my parnosa in my business and I've never taken money from my esconis from anyone for anything. You know, when when I meet people that I haven't seen in a while at a wedding or at an event, I usually say them, say, "How was your week?" That's how I open up uh my question when I ask people, "How was your week?" >> Anybody say anything good? >> It's always an interesting answer, you know. Um but you know, then I if I really want to get into it, what do you do during the day? Is you know, how I politely ask somebody. So, I'm curious, what would you answer if I asked you? Forget about how your week was. What do you what is your daily life life like? Are you advocating? Like what are you officially when when does somebody call you? Like when does your phone ring? >> No. No. No day or night in the work we do. >> What is it? >> First of all, I'm a solo member. >> If you had a business card, what would it say on it? >> A firefighter. Chief firefighter. I put out I put out firefight fires. >> Okay. Okay. >> Right. We're problem solvers. >> Right. And you're on course. That's uh still active. >> Big part of my life. Still active. Yeah. In Florida. >> Wow. Okay. Yeah. You live in Florida? >> Uh part time. >> So you're one of those people that moved out and headed out to Florida. I'm still in New York. >> So you have both res here and there. >> I'm back and forth every week. >> Steph, did you find it? Nicole. >> Nicole. Maliotakis. >> Maliotakis. That's the soul republic. >> Okay. I'm sorry, Nicole. I apologize. I'm on a podcast. >> So, what is it exactly that you do? I know you said you had what is your like >> I I >> Who are you? Every >> Who are you? You're not a politician. You're not in office. Are you a lobbyist? Like what what what exactly? >> I I'm a lobbyist is someone who gets paid for lobbying. So I I uh I'm I'm I work on behalf of the Jewish people in government for with government uh with um with other people. I try to I try to uh it's hard to I don't have >> activist. Yes. Yes. Very. >> How long ago did you lay down your financial hat so to speak in terms of working for money and say I'm going to just do this >> I have an existing business. We it runs every day. I keep my eye on it. I'm I'm involved in it. Uh but I basham have a very good support staff led my my brother-in-law and his wife live in Afrat. So we sort of have a uh yeah we have that that back office situation. My wife is my partner. She helps me on on that end. And um it's sort of like the uh the relationship uh so to speak uh with with that Rabika had with his wife that what's mine is yours and what's yours is you know. Um I'm saying but you saying over a decade you're doing this type of work like >> probably more now at this point. Yeah. I just I I I'm able to multitask. >> What is your favorite thing to do in all the work that you're doing? >> People ask me what's my favorite place to be in? >> Okay. >> I say wherever I am at that moment. >> Okay. That's an answer to a question I didn't ask. What's your favorite thing to do in general though when it comes to health >> accomplish? Let me ask it differently. What is an area of expertise that you can say unequivoc calls you and you say I got this right as opposed to sending them to somebody else. >> Right. No, you missed it. You were your question was great up until the end. Please no. Your last line is the answer. I believe my greatest uh attribute is knowing who to call. >> Sure. Okay. >> I'm a great dispatcher. >> Got it. >> That's it. I'm >> the 411 for 911. I I I for whatever weird or odd reason, I hear a problem, I think about it, and I I believe that I I know or or know someone which >> who could help that person with the problem. >> I love that. I really love that answer. And uh what >> my expertise is just self-driven. >> Just say your cell phone number out loud if you don't. Okay. Um you're like hesitating for a second. Maybe I should. If anyone needs anything, they can call us. We'll call you. Now they know. Now we know somebody who knows somebody, right? Right. Um you're dealing with a lot of challenges, right? Can you give me some categories of challenges that people are calling you for? >> The religious people are under under tremendous pressure. Uh >> financial pressure. >> All pressure. Okay. But specifically, I can't help the financial pressure per se. Although the agura just had a very big win which is not going to translate into real money this minute but eventually with the right sataya the school choice win could potentially be a very big win for the Jewish people moving forward not just the New York but >> did I hear you right did you just say that a good did something >> across the country yeah so we're not going to get too deep into that but the good has been working on this school choice bill for a long time >> okay I like a school choice bill >> basically a federal bill that's going to allow money to go to scholarships to yeshivas. >> So private in for the first Yes. >> to help those that can't afford to put private school. >> Correct. Similar to what's happening in Florida, but on on a grand scale uh and in a national scale. Again, there's a lot of caveats to it and I don't want you know I wish them a lot of luck getting them. >> So this this was a very long long labor of of love and effort started many many years ago. I myself was in Washington I would say last year at least five or six times on this issue alone. Um I also another issue of tremendous concern for me is discrimination. For me it doesn't I I cannot allow a Jewish community that wants to grow whether it's to build a shul whether it's to build a yeshiva whether it's to actually move to a neighborhood and be denied the American dream. I I cannot it does just not sit well with me and I will do everything I can in my power to bring it to the attention of those that it needs to be brought to. That's including the United States Department of Justice uh amongst others which I I've been fortunate to make some good relationships now in this past administration. And this to me is an issue as Kalisell grows as the we grow and we spread out. So we are going to be facing and have been facing real discrimination. Now what is discrimination in this setting? It's called land use discrimination. It's stopping the Jewish people from growing, from building, from going to places that they can go to. No other community, black, brown, or otherwise in this country would be subjected to the kind of discrimination, outward open discrimination that the Jewish people are subjected to. And so for me, that's something that I believe the laws on our side. federal law, the our loopa law. >> Can you give me an example? I'm a little bit lost. >> Someone wants to open up a shaw, build a shaw in Tom's River, New Jersey, Jackson, New Jersey, >> and the town saying no. >> The town says no. You have to you need 500 parking spots. You need five m five acres of land for experience in that world. >> That this this is this is really the work that a good that a good store does. This is the real in the trenches work that is being done privately, quietly, which takes quite a bit of time. And it's not one of these things that makes headlines. It's not glamorous. It's not, you know, uh, press news release worthy. But for every community, including Jackson, New Jersey, and Tom's River, New Jersey, and and and in Forestburg, New York, Bloomingberg, uh, Blooming Grove. >> Do you have an opinion on the news situation? >> I don't. >> Okay. You know about it, though? >> I I know of it. I don't I don't square the one mile. I I know about it. I know of it. It hasn't come to my plate. I think it's an internal myy new square issue and it should be dealt with. >> Isn't every issue an internal issue? >> But this is this is an internal issue. >> You're saying internal within our community. Correct. That's what makes the difference. So it's not touching your >> It's I don't have to go to the Department of Justice. >> Right. Right. That's what I'm saying. And tell them that we're being discriminated against by people who hate Jews. >> Right. Okay. And that's that's the thing that >> I believe that that's I mean >> wakes you up. That gets you going. >> God wakes me up. I'm up. I also want to point out to be fair. >> Okay. I'm I'm playing the devil's ad. >> Please do. I know what you're going to say. >> Yeah. So, you already know what I'm saying. >> I know what you're going to say. >> Is sometimes we >> we have an obligation to be good citizens. >> I don't know if that's if that's what I'm saying. Okay. >> No, he's saying that we could it looks bad. Sometimes we come into a community and suddenly they're gain chip bags everywhere and then there's big buildings and the reason why they need 500 parking lots because all of a sudden there's a bar mitzvah. There's a brisa the whole the whole street is lined with cars and the people that were living there for a long time have no idea what's for all of a sudden one day they wake up and it became a commercial city >> I will repeat my line to you >> we have an obligation to be good citizens >> but we don't always do that you said that >> yes >> no he's replying I think what you're trying to say >> I understand the remedy and it's an imperfect world you're right but unfortunately you know uh we can't always control everything goes on all over the place Yamaka, you have a job to make a kid of Shashem. >> Simple. >> That's it. There you go. >> Yeah, that's very easily said. >> I I'm But it doesn't always pan out that way. Of course not. Doesn't always turn out that way. >> Of course not. We're a big community. I want to make it sound like we are indiscriminate when it comes to the land use, the Jews. I I I think that, you know, we're a big part in America. We actually have it pretty good. We have very good. I don't like this talk when I hear anybody whether it's black, brown or Jewish or otherwise that America is systemically racist and it's it's targeting against you know for the most part we have it very good. We really do >> and there are issues of course and there is racism and it's spotty and you can find it and and there's this prejudice and there's anti- there's anti-semitic things that are happening all over the place. I agree. >> When the town makes ordinances specifically designed to keep the Jews out, that doesn't work for me. when laws are being made arbitrarily that are targeting the Jewish community from growing, from building, from creating houses of worship within walking distance of the housing area, and you are making things ownorous and difficult, and you have to jump through hoops, and other communities don't have to do that. You would never get away with saying black people are not welcome here and those laws are saying straight out blatantly Jews are not welcome here. That is illegal. >> Yeah, >> we could have extreme is what you're saying. >> We could have extreme. It's not extreme. I have a word for it. It's called government sponsored discrimination. When the government of a local township or a town council creates a law that is ownorous for the Jewish people and that means that they there are 50 churches and 20 mosques but if I want to build a shul in this city I need things that no other structure in this town needs because they know if we don't have a shul we can't function we can't survive they know to target a home that is currently being used as a shaw, a garage is violating the First Amendment of the United States. >> I know like in Muny, in Pimona, in Brooklyn, in Lakewood, we have a shortage of schools. We have a shortage of schools. We have a shortage of pretty much anything. It looks like things are working out pretty well. I don't want to ring the alarm bell just yet. I don't want to pull the fire drill here. Uh it sounds like you're trying to advocate for things that are rampant. Like these are real problems all over the place. >> Lynon, New Jersey. This is happening today. A huge community of primarily Jews have moved into Lyndon, New Jersey. A lot of opportunity there. And they can tell you firsthand that they are going through hoops and having great difficulty with the leadership of the city. And it's straight up discrimination >> that they're not letting them >> they're not letting them build their shaw. They're bothering them with the codes. They're being difficult with them. Absolutely. Outwardly, Forestburg, New York. A from developer bought the rights to 1300 homes that was approved by the town. prior to the firm developer buying this development. When it was a secular development from a developer in Texas, everything was approved. Magically, when the religious developer brought it, guess what happened? All the permits were rescended and they are now in a three three or fouryear battle with this local town to be able to build the things that they want to build with tremendous hurdles without discrimination. I myself went to testify at a local uh hearing on behalf of the community in Forestburg, New York, which is in Sullivan County. You never heard of it, but just because you never heard of it, and I'm not saying you >> Yeah. >> Just because it doesn't affect the Jews in Brooklyn or doesn't affect the Jews in Muny, but we're growing. >> Yeah. >> And housing is unaffordable as we >> I guess a testament to your point. These are things that are not making headlines. >> Correct. You know why, Michael? Because we have bigger problems. We got real issues. >> We may have bigger problem. But those people that are >> even them, even them, if you look at our history as a people, >> 60 70 years ago, we were literally being slaughtered on the streets. We were being put into gas chambers. I don't want to make the comparison, but I'm saying it sounds like I don't know. I just get the sense like maybe I'm a little dense for saying this and don't jump down my throat. It sounds like we have it pretty good as far as these things you talk about. I understand anti-semitic stuff is coming out now and it's terrible. I went uh just >> which way is it trending? >> It's trending worse. It's trending down. >> So when when do we >> That's I'm not so concerned that they didn't let us open a school this. So first of all, I don't like the comparison to gas chambers and all that stuff. That's scary. I'm a holoc my grandparents were alo survivors. Let's let's be let's be moderate in our in our in the way we describe what we're dealing with. Just >> sure again. >> But I'm just trying to make a point is that we have it really good today. We have it. Amazing. There isn't a Jew that isn't comfortable today. Now, it's getting pretty bad. I I understand all the rhetoric that's going on out there and this is in the last, you know, 10 years or so. And I'm just I just don't think it is like the problems aren't so major. >> The reason why I the reason why I'll disagree with you is because you don't spend that much time going to the city. You don't >> I agree in the city. It's dangerous. >> I get it. But Michael, I was just telling you yesterday I went to Toa, New Jersey. I walked into a random Home Depot, a Staples. It was right next door to Home Depot. I was like thinking twice if I should wear my yam walking into >> And if you live there, >> I was thinking twice. I get it. I understand you. You joged my my memory now about 3 weeks ago on a Wednesday afternoon. I got a panicked phone call from a friend of mine who uh asked me if his son could call me. He just had an incident in uh the PATH station down by the World Trade Center area. I said, "Sure." Calls me up and tells me that he's a young boy, 22, 23 years old, working going to work in Manhattan, lives in New Jersey, and takes the path, takes the train from New Jersey to I think he maybe Tene maybe, and he had an incident wearing a Yamama in the station. He was on the train. He he feared for his life. Someone was was literally stalking and bullying him, challenging him in his face. A tall tall tall tall guy, a intimidating bullying guy. Say pro Palestine. Say pro Palestine. Over the whatever the verbiage was, you know, you and he was terrified. And then the guy, he started to move away from the guy. The guy was chasing him. Luckily for him, he he uh he ran into a couple of cops and and and they actually arrested the guy on the spot. He called me up. He was shaking. >> Yeah. >> 22 20 shaking. >> Is this reasonable? >> No. Is >> this normal? >> So, does it rise to the level of Nazi Germany? No. >> Barrage? No. >> This is a problem. >> But I'm ask but I >> this is a problem. what I was saying land use things that we're Oh, you're talking about land use. That's what I was referring to. That's what I mean by we're comfortable. We have it good. I don't feel like there's a shortage of shs. But I just want to say may Hashem give you and all the members and all the >> Amen. They deserve it. They deserve it. They deserve it and safety for you and all your families. It's amazing the things that you guys do. >> And uh like you said, it doesn't get the press, but uh but we feel it way. >> Yeah. Yeah. But we feel it. the press where it counts >> 100%. And uh very seldom do we stay quiet for so long when someone's talking. >> I have one more I have one more thing I do want to add. I'm sorry. >> I can go for much longer, but we just unfortunately >> I I do have one more thing. >> Yeah. >> That an everlasting impact of that day which I think would be worthy to say to you. >> So this was a earthshaking is actually is a message. This is an earthshaking, lifealtering experience. You can see it. It's 24 years later. I'm emotional just saying it get over. The detail is so vivid. I could I went to a shear. I remember in Lhateau. You remember Lhateau? >> Where was it? >> Avenue P in East Fourth Street. >> Of course. Of course. Of course. Okay. Yeah. huge huge a big public gathering in Flatbush post 911 for the entire community as we want to do after these kinds of events and Ramatio Solomon was there and he spoke he was one of the guest speaker Solomon was Mashkavoa he had just come to America he was a extreme brilliant wonderful Tadic English. So his speech style and his verbiage and his accent was very easy to listen to. Like you feel like you're you're you're you feel like you're in Oxford. You're you're listen royalty. >> You're listening to royalty. I mean that's Salman the way he spoke >> and and he was impacting and talking to us about you know the the trepidation how we feel of the moment. And he said something I'll never forget and I took home with me. He said you feel like you want to make huge changes in your life. Was Rashashana time such an event cannot go unanswered. Not if you're a thinking Jew, not if you're thinking person. And he said, "You want to make big changes in your life, but understand big changes don't last. Find something small to do, take it upon yourself and do it and it will be long lasting." And he gave two examples. The two examples I remember he gave. first example was to bench inside of a sitter. That was his first example. Seemingly not a huge lift for such a big thing. I didn't do it. The second thing he suggested was said, "Don't you think it's time to believe in Hashem? [Music] Every day after take upon yourself to strengthen your imun in start saying an imam after davening every day. And I heard what he said and I took it upon myself. And the one and only cababala that I took on 24 years ago, I still do every single day. And every single day except Shabas, every single day I say an imm. And I think about I think about 911 and I thank Hashem for saving me. >> Wow. Incredible. >> Wow. >> People go lifetimes, generations without experiencing something so traumatizing. And um you are a better person for it at the end of it. You're not bitter. You're not angry. you're not resentful. Um you you you were there to help people. Um you ran into the fire. They always say, you know, there's two kinds of people. Those that are running out of the fire and those that are running towards it. And uh >> my wife my wife would really appreciate me if I would stop running into >> that's also what protects you. So it's which was amazing. >> She gave up. >> Amazing. You know, we always say we we we expect a message in our podcast. We have so many messages. this entire story, this everything that you said, everything that you stand for. First of all, congratulations on everything you've been doing till now and uh we look forward to all the wonderful things that you will be doing regardless of politics and regardless of who's there. We all have our our work to do. >> Politics is a means to an end. If you're in politics for the sheer politics, you won't be successful. >> Now, that's the message. Before we let you go, uh first of all, do you have any questions for us? We always like to >> I enjoy the conversation. Keep doing good stuff. There are a lot of great people out there doing great things. People you don't know about. Find them. There are great people out there. >> Well, that that leads us to our next question. If you were to pick a guest that would fill that seat to to be on the none of your business podcast, who would you recommend? >> A guy named Naftali Miller. >> Well, that was quick. Okay. Who's Naftali Miller? >> Nali Miller happens to work for the Agura, but that's not why I would I would ask you to bring him here. I just spent Sunday in Florida um working with Kaz Le and I all my friends are all Tamid Ravdank Aron Rosenfeld and Sammy Miller and Afali Miller and even those who are not were not Tamid Ravrank but would be Tamilid Devank Nano Gold Schlei Bashitzky the Bashitzky family this Kazde thing is so phenomenally impressive and so amazing and Afali Miller is one of the progeners of it. He's one of the founders of it. Basically, they took the idea of thanking Arabim and our moros to a new level, a level of not saddaka, a level of aura. And there's a fine line between making someone a neb and making someone a hero. And they have done it successfully. Wow. >> They are supporting and putting our rabim and our moros who are responsible for molding our generation and the next generation, the next kasco Bennett and the next podcasters and the next sadikim and special people. Who do you think is creating them and molding them? It's ourim. They're the ones who own the minds of our children for good or for bad. >> So they should be heralded, the good ones. They should be treasured, the good ones. And and this kaz de is such an unbelievable thing what they've done. They're in every major city now. You got to see this. A bunch of yeshiva guys created the most sophisticated holiday distribution in the world. They do it twice. I was there for the month. The month my distribution. The first one we ever had. >> You can't say no to my friend. >> You know about this? >> Yasi Brafeld calls me up. when Yasi calls, that's it. >> Yi, a great guy. >> So, um, and he said, you know, we're doing a thing and, um, I didn't even have to ask him what it was. I just give me the address. >> And what was your And what was your >> And I was there. It blew me away. Like you said, the efficiencies of a bunch of Yeshiva guys. >> It's also such a fresh new concept. >> It's beautiful. Already a few years old. >> Yeah. >> It's massive in Flatbush. I mean, massive. They took over Floyd Bennett Field. I'm talking about a thousand plus. I don't know the numbers. I just did it in Florida. We just delivered 172 packages. We took over an entire park, rented a park, seven tractor trailers. They have 250 tractor trailers in Floyd Bennerfield. And they're doing it in Muny and they're doing it in the five towns. And they're doing it in Baltimore. >> Great concept. Great idea. >> And the whole concept is Thank you. Yeah, >> Revy. >> Perfect. >> Thank you, Reb Katskull. We really appreciate here. Thank you so much to Isaac Newman, the gabi of all gabis for recommending you and bringing you on this program and we appreciate your recommendation Miller. We're definitely going to reach out to him. Thank you again to all of our listeners, our subscribers, Prime Source production team and Twillery. That's a wrap. That's a wrap. [Music] [Applause]