Rockland Jewish Community Center members and widows of two slain Israeli Olympians continued to pressure the  International Olympic Committee to approve a minute of silence in honor of the 11 Israelis murdered by terrorists at the 1972 Munich games.

A JCC contingent and the widows held a news conference in London seeking to ratchet up the pressure on  IOC President Jacque Rogge, who has rejected the latest calls for a special observance at the opening ceremonies on Friday.

Rogge acknowledged the 1972 murders on the 40th anniversary with an impromptu tribute on Monday during an event in the Olympic Village.

Advocates were not satisfied.

The JCC members were joined by two leading advocates -  Ankie Spitzer and Ilana Romano, widows of two of the slain Israelis. The two women have been seeking a tribute at the Olympics for close to 40 years. The JCC contingent in London includes the movement president Steve  Gold, JCC-CEO David Kirschtel, and members Micki Leader and Joe Allen.

The JCC members, Spitzer and Romano also were armed with a petition carrying more than 107,000 signatures seeking a minute of silence on Friday, as well as support from President Barack Obama and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

Rockland Congress members -  Reps. Eliot Engel and Nita Lowey – also added their voices again.  Their resolution has passed the House Foreign Affairs Committee and awaits the Republican Majority placing it on the agenda for a full House vote.

Engel and Lowey released the following statement:

“With the Olympic Games beginning this week, the IOC has a chance to honor the memories of their fallen heroes and mark the 40^th anniversary of the murder of 11 Israeli athletes and coaches.  This is not a political issue, but a matter of human decency.  The Munich 11 were part of the Olympic family, and IOC’s rejection thus far of a minute of silence is unacceptable.  The list of those who agree that a minute of silence is the right thing to do continues to grow – President Barack Obama added his voice to the chorus of world leaders who have supported this cause. Even the voice of the Olympic coverage, Bob Costas, has called for the IOC to change their minds.  While the IOC held a moment of silence at a private speech in front of 30-40 people this week, we believe that this message must be delivered before billions, not dozens. 

“We applaud the efforts of JCC Rockland who have traveled to London and joined with the Israeli Ambassador to Great Britain and the families of the victims to personally urge the IOC to change their mind.  The Olympics provide a unique opportunity to send a message that reaches billions of people from every corner of the globe. The clock is ticking on the IOC to do the right thing, and we remain hopeful that they will.”

Back in 1972, the murders and live telecast of the standoff at the airport shocked the world.  The Palestinian terrorist group “Black September” – tied to PLO chief Yasser Arafat – took nine hostages after killing two Israelis in the initial attack at the Olympic village.

All but three of the Palestinians were killed with their Israeli hostages during the German attack on the airplane. Three PLO survivors were released by the West German government on October 29, 1972, in exchange for a hijacked Lufthansa jet. Two of the three were later hunted down and assassinated by Israel’s Mossad.

The International Olympic Committee hardly slowed down the 1972 games, even as Israelis buried their dead Olympians back home. Avery Brundage, then the International Olympic Committee president, declared that “the games must go on,” 24 hours afters after a memorial ceremony in Olympic stadium.

The families of the Munich 11 have been asking the IOC to commemorate the deaths of their loved ones since the attack nearly 40 years ago, first seeking recognition at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal.

The IOC and its president have  claimed holding a minute if silence would bring politics into the Olympic games. Gold said the IOC fears the Arab nations would boycott the Olympics if the Israelis were honored.

Politics has been a stable of the Olympics.

During the 1936 Berlin Olympics, American Jewish Olympians were told not to participate because it might offend the Nazi government and Chancellor Adolf Hitler. Brundage led the U.S Olympic Committee in 1936.

The 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles were boycotted by the Soviet Union and 13 communist-supported nations. The protest came four years after the United States boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

Gold said the JCC would continue its advocacy for a minute of silence at the 2016 games in Brazil.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Former Rockland District Attorney Michael Bongiorno is making a come-back.

He’s returning to the courtroom, announcing in an e-mail to friends and supporters that he’s starting a private law practice – the Law Office of Michael E. Bongiorno.

Bongiorno, a Republican,  served as district attorney from 1995 until November 2007, when he lost  close race to Democrat Thomas Zugibe.

Bongiorno, a career prosecutor working in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, tried one case during his tenure – the prosecution of an illegal immigrant who murdered a New City mother of two young children. He worked with his chief assistant at the time, Louis Valvo.

Bongiorno, who is married with two sons, had been appointed Rockland’s top prosecutor by then-Republican Gov. George Pataki upon the resignation of Kenneth Gribetz  following his two federal convictions. Bongiorno targeted violent criminals, repeat felons, and drug dealers as prosecutor, as Rockland’s reported crime rate decreased.

After losing to Zugibe, Bongiorno spent several years working for the state Attorney’s General’s Office Organized Crime Task Force in White Plains. Andrew Cuomo, now governor, was attorney general at the time.

As a defense attorney, Bongiorno can pick and choose his cases, unless he’s appointed to represent a defendant by a judge.

One potential irony that could develop: He and Gribetz could have co-defendents and go to trial together. Two former district attorneys for the defense.

Below is Bongiorno’s announcement sent out Monday.

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Over the past decade I have appreciated your help and friendship.  It has now become a time for change in my life.  It may be hard to believe, but after 30 years of public service I am opening a private law practice, the Law Office of Michael E. Bongiorno.  The attached announcement contains additional information.  Please do not hesitate to contact me if you think I can be of assistance.

I wish everyone a safe and happy summer.

Mike

Law Office of Michael E. Bongiorno
455 Route 304
Bardonia, NY 10954

Office:  (845) 521-3104

Fax:  (845) 215-9587
mbongiorno@gmail.com

 

UPPER RIGHT: Michael Bongiorno

The good news is Spring Valley will get $135,500 in state funds toward crime-fighting.

The bad news is Spring Valley is one of 17 jurisdictions across the state that qualifies for Operation IMPACT money based upon a level of drug dealing and violent crime.

The program,created in 2004, is a partnership among the primary police department and the District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Office and Probation Department in each county, as well as state and federal agencies, including Parole, the New York State Police, and the United States Marshals.

And making matters worse is Spring Valley’s share has decreased abouty $20,000 annually for the past five years, Police Chief Paul Modica said.

Modica said the village’s reported crime rate can’t compete with the large cities also seeking a cut of the $13 million in state funding. Spring Valley is about 2-square-miles

“We’re competing with bigger jurisdictions like Syracuse and Buffalo,”  Modica said. “We get 50 robberies  but that doesn’t compare to 450 robberies the larger cities are getting. We don’t stack up to them. We’ve been getting less money, though ours needs are just as high.”

Overall, Rockland got $185,900 in funding, with the largest secondary shares going to the Rockland District Attorney’s Office with $45,000 and Probation Department with $9,000.

The grants, which are administered by the state Division of Criminal Justice Services, fund personnel and technology that allow the IMPACT partners to fight, reduce and prevent crime through the analysis of data and trends, development and sharing of intelligence and targeted enforcement efforts.

The state has awarded $13 million to 17 jurisdictions that report 80 percent of the crime outside New York City. State and local officials claim Operation IMPACT has lower the crime rates 3.8 percent in those areas. Funding has been decreasing over the the years.

Below is the news releases on Operation IMPACT funding

GOVERNOR CUOMO ANNOUNCES $13 MILLION IN CRIME FIGHTING GRANTS

17 counties receive funding through Operation IMPACT to target violent and gun crime, and domestic violence

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that nearly $13 million has been awarded under Operation IMPACT to 17 counties to target violent and gun crime and domestic violence. The IMPACT jurisdictions receiving funding today report 80 percent of the crime in the state outside of New York City.

Operation IMPACT consists of a partnership among the primary police department and the District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Office and Probation Department in each county, as well as state and federal agencies, including Parole, the New York State Police, and the United States Marshals. The grants, which are administered by the state Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), fund personnel and technology that allow the IMPACT partners to fight, reduce and prevent crime through the analysis of data and trends, development and sharing of intelligence and targeted enforcement efforts.

“We must do all we can to ensure that New York State is a safe place to live, raise a family and do business,” Governor Cuomo said. “This funding through Operation IMPACT will provide much-needed resources so that local law enforcement partners can develop community-specific strategies designed to prevent and reduce crime. By working together and encouraging collaboration across all levels of government, we will be able to make communities across New York a safer place for all.”

New York’s Deputy Secretary for Public Safety Elizabeth Glazer said, “Local governments must constantly do more with less. Funding available through Operation IMPACT provides agencies in the state’s urban centers – some of which have been hit harder by the financial crisis – with additional resources to fight violent crime that destroys families and communities.”

DCJS Executive Deputy Commissioner Michael C. Green said, “As a former District Attorney, I know first-hand the importance of Operation IMPACT. The program is effective because partners work together, using intelligence-driven policing, data and technology to address persistent and emerging crime through strategies designed to both prevent crime and hold those who commit crimes accountable.”

The following jurisdictions and counties received funding through the program:

• ·Albany Police Department/Albany County: $873,400
  · Binghamton Police Department/ Broome County: $377,700
  · Jamestown Police Department/Chautauqua County: $226,100
  · Poughkeepsie Police Department/Dutchess County: $339,375
  · Buffalo Police Department/Erie County: $1,494,500
  · Rochester Police Department/Monroe County: $1,723,300
  · Nassau County Police Department/Nassau County: $971,400
  · Niagara Falls Police Department/Niagara County: $611,900
  · Utica Police Department/Oneida County: $436,300
  · Syracuse Police Department/Onondaga County: $1,093,300
  · City of Newburgh Police Department/Orange County: $676,850
  · Troy Police Department/Rensselaer County: $488,700
  · Spring Valley Police Department/ Rockland County: $185,900
  · Schenectady Police Department/Schenectady County: $721,900
  · Suffolk County Police Department/Suffolk County: $1,170,580
  · Kingston Police Department/Ulster County: $249,300
  · Yonkers Police Department/Westchester County: $1,347,450

Three counties have a secondary police department involved in the initiative, which also receive funding: Hempstead Police in Nassau County, Middletown Police in Orange County and Mount Vernon Police in Westchester County.

The grants are awarded competitively, with priority given to those jurisdictions with the highest volume of crime. Nine counties received an increase in funding over last year’s awards: Erie, Monroe, Niagara, Oneida, Onondaga, Rensselaer, Schenectady, Ulster and Westchester. The total amount available for the program this year was about 1 percent less than last year’s figure of $13.06 million.

In 2011, the total number of index crimes reported by the 17 primary police departments that participate in Operation IMPACT – 109,233 – was at its lowest in 10 years. Seven index crimes are used by the state and FBI to monitor overall crime trends and give law enforcement a tool to gauge their effectiveness and drive decision-making about staffing and day-to-day agency operations. Four index crimes are classified as violent: murder, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault, and three are classified as property: burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft. The percentage of firearm-related violent crime peaked in 2006, at 26.2 percent; last year, 23.6 percent of violent crimes involved a firearm.

Last year, IMPACT jurisdictions experienced a 3.8 percent reduction in crime, with decreases reported in every crime category except burglary, when compared to 2010. Violent crime was down 6 percent, and property crime down 4 percent.

The New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services is a multi-function criminal justice support agency with a variety of responsibilities, including collection and analysis of statewide crime data; operation of the DNA databank and criminal fingerprint files; administration of federal and state criminal justice funds; support of criminal justice-related agencies across the state; and administration of the state’s Sex Offender Registry and a toll-free telephone number (1-800-262-3257) that allows anyone to research the status of an offender.