Dov Hikind

Dov Hikind (born June 30, 1950) is an American politician, activist, and radio talk show host in the state of New York.

Dov Hikind
Dov Hikind
Member of the New York State Assembly
from the 48th district
In office
January 5, 1983 – December 31, 2018
Preceded bySamuel Hirsch
Succeeded bySimcha Eichenstein
Personal details
Born (1950-06-30) June 30, 1950
Brooklyn, New York City
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Shoshana Hikind
ChildrenDeena, Yoni, Shmuel
ResidenceBrooklyn, New York City
Alma materQueens College (BA)
Brooklyn College (MA)
OccupationFormer assemblyman, politician, activist, radio show host

Hikind is a former Democratic New York State Assemblyman representing Brooklyn's Assembly district 48, having held this position for 35 years, from January 1983 until December 2018.[1]

Background and family

Hikind grew up in a Jewish family in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, his father being a devout follower of the Vizhnitz Hasidic dynasty.[2] He has a BA from Queens College and a MA from Brooklyn College.[3]

Hikind is married and has three children: Yoni, Shmuel, and Deena. Yoni and Shmuel both work as social workers in the Jewish community in Brooklyn.

Politics

Hikind endorsed Michael Bloomberg the first two times he ran for mayor of New York City, then switched his endorsement to the challenger Bill Thompson in the 2009 election.[4] Hikind had broken ranks with his party before, most notably in his endorsement of Republican candidates George Pataki for governor in 1994, George W. Bush, John McCain, Mitt Romney, and Donald Trump for president.

Described by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency and The New York Times as a conservative Democrat,[5][6] Hikind believes that the national party has moved too far to the left, particularly on social issues, for the liking of many of his constituents.[6] His district had long been one of the most conservative districts in New York City. For instance, it gave Donald Trump 69 percent of the vote in 2016, his second-best showing in the entire state; only the Staten Island-based 62nd Assembly District gave him a higher percentage of the vote. In 2012, it gave Romney 75 percent of the vote, his best showing in the state.[7]

Hikind expressed interest in the special election for the New York's 9th congressional district seat vacated by Anthony Weiner; Hikind did not expect the Democrats to nominate him and considered running as a Republican.[8]

In 2017, Hikind's son Yoni ran for the City Council in District 44 against Kalman Yeger, David Greenfield's handpicked successor who was on the Democratic party line; in order to avoid a primary, the younger Hikind collected petitions to run on his own party line called “Our Neighborhood.”[9]

In 2018, Hikind announced his upcoming retirement from the New York State Assembly, proclaiming support for his successor Simcha Eichenstein.[10]

Views on issues

Israel

Hikind is a pro-Israel activist.[11] In 2001, he argued that the Madame Tussauds New York wax museum should remove its wax statue of the Palestinian leader Yassir Arafat, claiming that he was a terrorist whose image should not be in New York.[12]

Profiling

Hikind has advocated for the profiling of Muslims of Middle Eastern and South Asian background as a response to terrorism.[13] In 2005 he sponsored a bill to allow police to focus on Middle-Eastern men in subway bag searches.[14][15] At a news conference, holding up photos of Muslim men, he said, "The individuals involved [in terrorism] basically look like this. Why must police think twice before examining people of a particular group?"[16] He has described this as "terrorist profiling".[17] Civil rights groups opposed Hikind's proposal, and the New York City Police Department released a statement against it, saying that "Racial profiling is illegal, of doubtful effectiveness, and against department policy".[18]

Following the attempted bombing of Northwest Airlines Flight 253 in December 2009, Hikind introduced a similar bill that would allow law enforcement agencies to consider race and ethnicity as "one of many factors" in selecting persons for anti-terrorism stops and searches.[14]

Subway security

Hikind was instrumental in arranging for the allocation of $1.2 million in a project that helped to install 120 closed-circuit television security cameras in nine South Brooklyn subway stations that are located in Jewish neighborhoods such as Borough Park, Midwood, Kensington, and Parkville. He stated that the project was prompted by "concerns that the Jewish community would be targeted" by terrorists.[19] Hikind encouraged politicians to do the same in other subway stations, which now lag behind those of his community. A New York Times article revealed that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority had granted close to $600 million in funds for security to stations in New York City in late 2002; however, only a small fraction of it had been used productively by 2005.[20]

The Passion of the Christ

In 2003, Hikind and a group of supporters protested Mel Gibson's film The Passion of the Christ. He led about 50 Jewish leaders and supporters to the Fox News offices in Manhattan in a demonstration, chanting "The Passion is a lethal weapon against Jews."[21] Hikind was vocal in his anger against the movie, stating: "It will result in anti-Semitism and bigotry. It really takes us back to the Dark Ages ... the Inquisition, the Crusades, all for the so-called sin of the Crucifixion of Jesus."'[22] Hikind has commented about "The Passion of the Christ" that "This is unhealthy for Jews all over the world."[23]

United Nations

Hikind is part of a group of New York state legislators that has consistently attempted to block plans to renovate the headquarters of the United Nations, calling the UN anti-American and anti-Israel.[24]

Hikind criticized President Barack Obama for abstaining on UN Security Council Resolution 2234, which criticized Israeli settlement activity in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, calling the UN a "cesspool".[25]

Same-sex marriage

After voting against a same-sex marriage bill in the New York State Assembly, Hikind claimed that same-sex marriage can lead to the acceptance of incest, maintaining that, "If we authorize gay marriage in the state of New York, those who want to live and love incestuously will be five steps closer to achieving their goals as well."[26] On June 15, 2011, after the New York State Assembly passed a bill to legalize gay marriage, Hikind said gay marriage is wrong in the eyes of God.[27]

David Irving letter

On October 20, 2009, at the insistence of Hikind and twelve other New York State and City officeholders in a letter to American Express CEO Kenneth Chenault, the company rescinded its Merchants Agreement with prominent Holocaust denier David Irving.[28]

Holocaust high school assignment

In response to what he deemed a "stab in the back to Holocaust survivors," Hikind called for the resignation of New York State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia on April 3, 2017 for her support of an Oswego High School assignment that asked students to put themselves in Adolf Hitler's shoes to argue for or against the Final Solution. Elia had defended the assignment as one that fostered "critical thinking."[29]

Incidents involving Hikind

Corruption allegations

In 1997, Hikind was indicted by the U.S. Attorney for allegedly receiving $40,000 in funding from the Council of Jewish Organizations of Borough Park (COJO) in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars in state grant money. Hikind was acquitted, while his co-defendant, an official of the organization, Rabbi Elimelech Naiman, was found guilty. The former operations director of COJO, Paul Chernick, pled guilty in a plea agreement.[30]

In 2013, Hikind was alleged to have routinely failed to disclose payments he received from Maimonides Hospital for advertising on his syndicated show.[31] The payments were subsequently investigated by Governor Andrew Cuomo's aborted Moreland Commission.

Hikind was accused of arranging jobs in government for friends and family members. In response, Hikind told the New York Daily News that "I help strangers and I certainly don’t discriminate against members of my family."[32]

Blackface

Hikind wore blackface during the 2013 Purim celebration.[33] He initially defended his costume decision but eventually apologized.[34]

Lawsuit against Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Hikind filed a lawsuit against U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for blocking him on Twitter. On November 4, 2019, it was announced that they settled the lawsuit with Ocasio-Cortez issuing a statement apologizing for the block.[35][36]

Other activities

Hikind hosts a weekly radio talk show in New York City, a role he began while still in elected office.[37]

References
  1. Kim, CeFaan (25 April 2018). "Longtime lawmaker Dov Hikind not running for re-election". ABC7 New York. Disney.
  2. Ami Magazine (100): 57. December 26, 2012. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. https://www.sdjewishworld.com/2018/12/10/hikind-reflects-on-long-controversial-career/
  4. McIntire, Mike. "Mayor's Campaign Follows Jewish Voters to the Catskills". New York Times, August 1, 2005; p. B4
  5. "One of New York's most outspoken Orthodox politicians is retiring". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. April 25, 2018.
  6. Neuman, William (November 10, 2016). "In Democratic Stronghold of New York City, Trump Finds Support Among Orthodox Jews". The New York Times.
  7. Daily Kos database of election data
  8. Benjamin, Elizabeth (2011-06-20). Extras Archived March 29, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. State of Politics. Retrieved 2011-06-20.
  9. Jorgensen, Jillian (December 3, 2017). "Assemblyman Dov Hikind's son, Yoni, jumps in race for City Councilman David Greenfield's seat". New York Daily News.
  10. Donn, Yochonon (April 26, 2018) "Simcha Eichenstein Declares Candidacy for Brooklyn Assembly Seat", Hamodia. "Speaking at Hamodia's office, [Eichenstein], the 34-year-old veteran of the de Blasio administration said in an interview that he will run in the Democratic primary this September to replace Mr. Hikind, a longtime lawmaker who announced this week that he will no longer run. Mr. Hikind is supporting Mr. Eichenstein's candidacy and intends to campaign with him.
  11. Fearnow, Benjamin (February 11, 2020) "Former Democratic Assemblyman Removed From Rashida Tlaib Event for Asking 'What About Your Anti-Semitism?', Newsweek. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  12. Haberman, Clyde. "Offense Taken To Extremes On Our Behalf." The New York Times (May 19, 2001), p. B1
  13. Vielkind, Jimmy (December 29, 2009). "Hikind Renews Call for Terror Suspect Profiling". Observer. New York.
  14. Omi, Michael; Winant, Howard (2012). "Conclusion". In HoSang, Daniel; et al. (eds.). Racial Formation in the Twenty-First Century. University of California Press. p. 314. ISBN 978-0-52-027343-6.
  15. Epstein, Edward (August 10, 2005). "Calls for racial, ethnic profiling renewed after transit attacks / Critics say it unfairly singles out minorities". San Francisco Chronicle.
  16. Getlin, Josh (August 14, 2005). "Complaints on NYC subway searches grow". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
  17. Kaufmann, Mareile (2010). Ethnic Profiling and Counter-terrorism: Examples of European Practice and Possible Repercussions. LIT Verlag Münster. p. 44. ISBN 978-3-64-310447-2.
  18. "Pol: Use Racial Profiling on Subways". Fox News. October 6, 2005.
  19. Chan, Sewell. "Metro Briefing New York: Brooklyn: Security Cameras In Stations." New York Times. Jun 2, 2005. pg. B.8
  20. Chan, Sewell; Fahim, Kareem. "M.T.A. Slow to Spend Money on Transit Security" New York Times. Jul 9, 2005. pg. A.1
  21. Trotta, Liz. "Jewish leaders condemn film: Call Gibson's movie on Christ's crucifixion anti-Semitic.", Washington Times; p. A14 (August 29, 2003)
  22. "Fox passes on Gibson's The Passion". Los Angeles Times. 2004-10-22. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
  23. "Fox passes on Gibson's The Passion". Los Angeles Times. 2004-10-22. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
  24. "UN Takes A Beating", The Jewish Week, December 17, 2004
  25. "Assemblyman Hikind: Obama is a hero to the terrorists". Arutz Sheva. December 30, 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  26. Paybarah, Azi (2007-06-22). "Hikind Responds: Why Not Incest?". The New York Observer. Archived from the original on 2008-10-11. Retrieved 2008-11-22.
  27. "NY Assembly passes gay marriage as expected". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Associated Press. 2011-06-15.
  28. Siemaszko, Corky. "American Express says Holocaust denier David Irving's no 'merchant', thanks to Assemblyman Hikind". Archived October 24, 2009, at the Wayback Machine New York Daily News. October 21, 2009; retrieved 2009-11-24.
  29. Elizalde, Elizabeth (April 3, 2017) "Assemblyman Dov Hikind Condemns 'pro-Nazi' Homework at New York School", New York Daily News. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  30. Fried, Joseph P. (July 14, 1998). "Jury Acquits Assemblyman Hikind of Corruption Charges". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  31. "Dov Hikind's radio silence". Crain's New York Business. 2013-07-21. Retrieved 2019-11-04.
  32. Blau, Reuven. "All in the family: Assemblyman Hikind's kids and pals snag political gigs". nydailynews.com. Retrieved 2019-11-04.
  33. "Dov Hikind Parties Down for Purim in 'Black Basketball Player' Costume". Observer. 2013-02-25. Retrieved 2019-11-04.
  34. Blain, Erin Durkin, Glenn. "Brooklyn Assemblyman Dov Hikind goes on apology campaign after photo of him wearing blackface surfaces". nydailynews.com. Retrieved 2019-11-04.
  35. Bowden, John (November 4, 2019). "Ocasio-Cortez apologizes for blocking ex-politician on Twitter, settles lawsuit". The Hill. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  36. Gershman, Jacob; Morris, Betsy (November 4, 2019). "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Apologizes for Blocking Twitter Critic". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  37. Goldmacher, Shane (July 31, 2017) "Bitter Feud Divides New York's Orthodox Jewish Politicians", The New York Times. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
New York State Assembly
Preceded by
Samuel Hirsch		 New York State Assembly
48th District
1983–2018		 Succeeded by
Simcha Eichenstein
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