Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch reconnected with an old friend, Bunny Kaplan of East Brunswick, during the Solomon Schechter Day School of Raritan Valley fund-raiser. During her youth, Kaplan and her friends spent a summer hanging out with Koch and his friends on a New York beach. Her photos from that time were on display at the event.
Photos by Debra Rubin
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March 31, 2009
Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch was as outspoken as ever as he addressed those gathered at a March 25 fund-raiser for the Solomon Schechter Day School of Raritan Valley.
He talked about his support for both former President George Bush and current President Barack Obama, both praised and criticized Israel, and gave blunt assessments about Jewish relations with Muslims and Christians.
The evening, the East Brunswick school’s main fund-raiser for the year, brought in more than $100,000, according to Will Schafer, the school’s vice president of fund-raising.
President Mickey Kaufman announced the school would be holding tuition increases next year to three percent while offering more than $300,000 in tuition assistance.
Koch, 84, started the evening at the East Brunswick Jewish Center by talking about the “common-sense approach” he took as mayor in 1978 to rescue the city from bankruptcy.
“I didn’t want New York City to become another Detroit,” said Koch.
He called the city’s current mayor “marvelous,” but reminded the crowd that Michael Bloomberg, a Republican, was really a Democrat who switched parties when he decided to run for office.
Koch said he supported Bush for president because of his stand against Muslim terrorists, adding that on that issue alone the former president deserved far more Jewish support than he received.
“I didn’t agree with a single thing in his domestic agenda, which I told him directly,” said Koch.
The former mayor was applauded when he said Bush’s greatest achievement was keeping the country safe after the 9/11 attacks. Koch also lauded Bush for his staunch support of Israel.
He said he supported Obama because “when the chips are down, I believe he will stand up for the Jews against the rest of the world.”
Turning to the recent election in Israel, which resulted in the right-wing Benjamin Netanyahu’s being asked to form a government, Koch said, “Israelis have a right to vote for their leaders but I believe they made a mistake.”
He said Netanyahu was not the best candidate to bring about a two-state solution, and, he emphasized, “there has to be a two-state solution.”
Gail Burnett, a staffer at the Solomon Schechter Day School of Raritan Valley, was honored with a plaque by head of school Dr. Howard Rosenblatt for her 18 years of service.
He urged Jews to strengthen bonds with Christians, particularly Catholics, who are natural allies in the fight against Muslim extremism.
He criticized the Orthodox position of not entering a church even when a service is in celebration of a national leader.
He cited the recent uproar within the Orthodox movement after Rabbi Haskel Lookstein, a religious leader of Kehilath Jeshurun in New York City, attended a prayer service at the National Cathedral on the morning after Obama’s inauguration. Lookstein’s attendance violated rules of the Orthodox Rabbinic Council of America.
“I called Rabbi Lookstein up and said to him, ‘Rabbi, you are my hero for what you did. I want to thank you on behalf of the Jewish people.’”
The Schechter event honored Shelly and Steve Talmud of Congregation B’nai Tikvah in North Brunswick; Steve is a six-year member of the school’s board, and Shelly has served in numerous volunteer capacities.
Also honored were Robert Lipson and Sharon Rosenzweig Lipson; he is the executive vice president of the East Brunswick Jewish Center and a former member of the Schechter board; she is in her fifth year on the board.
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