A local family recounted to Assemblyman Hikind a shocking instance of anti-Semitism they experienced this past summer in upstate New York. Rafael and Devorah Streicher, accompanied by three of their children, checked into the Catskill Days Inn for the weekend, arranging for payment with their credit card. The next day, when they complained to the management of seeing a rat in the hallway, they were told, “You don’t belong here. You belong in a different hotel where your kind stay.”

Shortly afterward, the motel manager appeared at their room and demanded additional payment in cash or they would have to leave. The Streichers explained that it was their Sabbath and they were prohibited from conducting any business transactions or from driving. Their request that the matter be resolved later was refused, and the State Police were called in. Under their supervision, motel employees removed the Streichers’ personal belongings from their room and drove their car off the grounds. In sweltering 95-degree heat, the Streichers were forced to trudge behind their automobile to a hotel up the road where, according to the Days Inn manager, reservations had been made for them. However, when they arrived, there were no vacancies, and they had to spend the rest of the day on the hotel lawn.

A similar incident occurred earlier in the year to a single mother and her two young children at the same Days Inn on Passover night, after they had checked in for the three-day holiday. State Troopers, called to the inn, informed the woman that she and her children were trespassing, and they were evicted in the dead of night and forced to relocate to a hotel “where lots of Orthodox people stay.”

Assemblyman Hikind called on Attorney General Eliot Spitzer to conduct an investigation into the matter. He also urged State Police Superintendent James McMahon to look into the practices of State Troopers who have functioned more like private police for the Days Inn than officers of the law. In the meantime, the Days Inn corporation has removed its franchise agreement and ended its affiliation with the motel, and attorneys are filing multi-million dollar lawsuits on behalf of the victims.

“Federal and state statutes prohibit these discriminatory practices, and institutions incur legal liability and penalties if they flout the law.” Assemblyman Hikind said. “We must be vigilant in exposing discrimination and bias. Our civil rights cannot and will not be violated at will.”

“I urge others who have been victims of religious discrimination to contact my office at 718-853-9616. We will advocate on your behalf and help you pursue the legal remedies available under the law.”

Assemblyman Hikind joined a gathering of state legislators at Maimonides Medical Center to witness Governor George Pataki sign the landmark Fertility Bill. Under the provisions of this law, New York State health insurance companies are now required to provide insurance coverage for prescription drugs, diagnosis, and procedures to treat infertility. Standing with the Governor are (L-R) Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver; Assemblyman James Brennan; Assemblyman Hikind; and Assemblywoman Adele Cohen.

	Assemblyman Hikind holds a copy of his School Safety Survey at a press conference calling for increased school protection. Among the public officials joining him were (L-R) Senator Carl Kruger; Councilman (now State Senator-elect) Martin Golden; Jonathan Greenspun, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Community Assistance Unit; Assemblyman William Colton; Senator Seymour Lachman; and Councilman Bill DeBlasio.

In an interview on the “60 Minutes” television program, one of the co-conspirators of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing revealed that the bombers originally planned to blow up sites in Jewish neighborhoods before deciding to attack the Trade Center. In the wake of this disturbing revelation, Assemblyman Hikind called for city and state funding to provide protective measures for yeshiva, private and parochial schools, on a par with the Division of School Safety, which provides security for public schools.

An informal survey conducted by Hikind’s office of 74 private schools in Brooklyn disclosed serious security lapses. “How can we justify providing security for public schools exclusively while leaving others vulnerable?” the Assemblyman asked. “The overwhelming concern of every parent is the safety of their children. We cannot leave nearly 80,000 yeshiva students and 150,000 Catholic school students defenseless.”

The approach of the cold weather brings with it increased heating costs. The good news is that there are programs available to help low-income families cope with their energy bills. The Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) offers a one-time award to eligible homeowners or tenants toward their heating or electric bills. The Neighborhood Heating Fund, administered by HeartShare Human Services and KeySpan Energy, is limited to owners and tenants of one and two family homes who pay for their own heat. Applications for both the HEAP and Heartshare programs are available at Assemblyman Hikind’s district office.

As a guest on Assemblyman Hikind’s weekly radio program, Rabbi Moshe Goldsmith of the West Bank settlement of Itamar identifies various intersections where terrorists stake out the movements of the settlement’s residents, intent on killing its Jewish inhabitants. In the last 12 months, Itamar has lost 13 souls, most of them children. In response to these vicious attacks, Itamar has initiated a campaign to purchase a highly sophisticated video surveillance system to protect its families. The Assemblyman helped raise thousands of dollars to help them toward their goal. “This is a war that is being fought in bedrooms and kitchens and on basketball courts, where innocent children, yeshiva students and mothers are being targeted,” Hikind noted. “We must do all that we can to help protect Itamar’s children.”