Last Tuesday afternoon, Councilwoman Sara M. Gonzalez, accompanied by respected community activist and journalist Yosef Rapaport, took a walking tour through Borough Park, visiting prominent community organizations, businesses and landmarks throughout the neighborhood. The Councilwoman, who is running for re-election this year, is poised to represent a much larger segment of Borough Park as a consequence of redistricting.
The tour started at Brizzi Playground, on 10th Avenue and 42nd Street, where the Councilwoman spoke to several families about their concerns with the playground, other outdoor spaces, and the surrounding community. “I have allocated funding to this playground because it provides much needed recreational space for families and children in this crowded and growing community,” said the Councilwoman. “It was great to meet with the families who use this playground on a regular basis to see what we can do to make it an even stronger asset for the community. Safe, clean playgrounds for our families and children are not luxuries, they’re necessities.”
The next stop on the tour was West End Gardens, a senior housing complex and senior center run by Southern Brooklyn Community Organization, a division of Agudath Israel of America. Councilwoman Gonzalez spoke with Chaim Israel, the facility’s director, and a prominent community leader, about the Senior Center’s funding, which has been eliminated by the City’s Department for the Aging. “West End Gardens is a beautiful, warm facility, providing crucial services to seniors in Borough Park. Mr. Israel is doing a fantastic job, but the city must do more to support the programs West End Gardens is providing.”
Councilwoman Gonzalez stopped outside the Satmar Shul on 10th Avenue, and the Satmar Yeshiva on 49th Street between 9th and 10th Avenues, before visiting the Bais Simcha pre-school on 59th Street. There, Councilwoman Gonzalez met with Rabbi Aaron Glick and his wife, discussing the children and families the school serves and how the city can be helpful. “The Glicks are incredible and humble people. The work they’re doing is truly outstanding, taking young children with learning disabilities and putting them on the track to be successful in mainstream schools. They are inspiring. The City can, and should be doing more to support their work.”
The tour was a success, helping Councilwoman Gonzalez strengthen her ties to the neighborhood she will represent next year. “Councilwoman Gonzalez was incredibly well received by everyone she met with,” said Yosef Rapaport who led the tour. “Sara is a fighter for our families, with a track record of delivering for southwest Brooklyn. I’m delighted she’ll be representing a greater portion of Borough Park in the Council next year, and I urge everyone in the community to support her re-election campaign.”
“The Councilwoman has always been helpful and supportive of the organizations that serve Borough Park, including the Borough Park Jewish Community Council, Masbia, and the Metropolitan Council on Jewish poverty,” said Alexander Rapaport, who joined the Councilwoman on the tour. “I look forward to continuing to work with her over the next four years, and am delighted that I will have the opportunity to vote for her in September.”
“The families of Borough Park share many of the same concerns as the families of Sunset Park, Red Hook, and other parts of my district,” said Councilwoman Gonzalez. “We all want safe, affordable places to live, great schools for our children, and caring services for our parents and grandparents. I look forward to continuing to work with Yosef Rapaport and all of the wonderful people I’ve met today to make our neighborhoods even stronger.”
{Andy Heller-Matzav.com Newscenter}
