Thursday, June 13, 2013

Oldest Jewish Person Dies in Kensington Brooklyn

Evelyn Kozak
Evelyn (Chava Rivkah) Kozak was mourned by family and friends after passing away this past Tuesday morning in the Maimonides Medical Center. She was just short of 114 years old, making her the oldest Jewish person, and the seventh oldest person in the world.

Mrs. Kozak had a long life full of blessings, said her granddaughter Sarah Polon. Evelyn was born on the Lower East Side on August 14, 1899 to a wealthy family from Russia. She spent her childhood on Farragut Road in Flatbush, which was a time when there were no Jewish home owners in the area. She moved to Florida, and ran a boardinghouse in Miami until she was 90 years old. She was a big fan of NY Times Scrabble and played until she was 95. In the winter of 2010 Evelyn suffered a stroke and moved back to Brooklyn, to the Kensington neighborhood, where she lived with her granddaughter and eight great-grandchildren.

“People came over for blessings knowing how effective her brochos (blessings) would be,” Sarah Polon, her granddaughter said. “People asked her what her secret is. A good conscience, she used to respond.”

“She gave everything from herself, even her best clothing,” her grandson said during his eulogy at the funeral.
Mrs. Kozak may hold the record for living a long life, her family would prefer if she were remembered for her good deeds and acts of kindness.

“She cared for every person no matter race or color, type of Jew, affiliation or level of frumkeit, (religiosity). She cared about the human being. She cared about the good,” Ms. Polon said.

Monday, June 3, 2013

Brooklyn DA Hynes Honors Twenty of New York’s Finest

DA Charles Hynes Honoring New York's Finest Finest
District Attorney Charles Hynes of Kings County named today the twenty recipients of the 23rd annual Law Enforcement Appreciation Awards. The award honors those members of the law enforcement community who have gone beyond the call of duty to protect residents of Brooklyn.

The announcement, which was made at the Brooklyn Law School, mentioned members of the New York Police Department, New York Fire Department, Kings County District Attorney’s Office, New York City Department of Correction, New York State Unified Court System, and the Bridge and Tunnel Officers Benevolent Association. The twenty were honored for their bravery, diligence, dedication to their jobs and concern and involvement in the community.

"The officers recognized at today’s ceremony are extraordinary men and women who represent the best law enforcement officers in the country," Hynes said. "They play a significant role in keeping Brooklyn safe, sometimes risking their own lives in the process. I am proud to honor these outstanding officers.”

Three of the officers honored were Lieutenant Joseph Smith, Sergeant Phillip Berfond and Police Officer Dale Stone. All three are from Transit District 34 of the NYPD Transit Bureau. During Hurricane Sandy on October 29, 2012 the three hurried to Coney Island to assist three colleagues whose patrol van was stuck in the rapidly rising water flooding all around them. The rescuers broke the passenger window of the van and placed the officers in a rowboat. As the six were leaving the scene they came across six other people with a dog trapped on top of a number of cars. One of those people was rescued on the spot, while the officers waited with the rest of the people until help arrived from their Transit District. Stone, Berfond and Smith all went to Maimonides Hospital to be treated for hypothermia. They made a rapid recovery and were soon released.