The real housewives of Bnei Brak

It truly was only a matter of time before ultra-Orthodox Jews made their way into the world of reality TV. The new series "Brak Girls" was released on Monday on the Israeli TV network HOT, featuring five Haredi women from the predominantly ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak, offering a glimpse into their world for all those curious seculars to see.

The women, representing a minority of the Haredi sector in their appearance and behavior, stand out from most Haredi women who are normally dressed in a conservative manner. While they take pride in their relatively advanced economic independence and social media skills, they are subject to harsh criticism from within their own religious community.

Nina Halperin, one of the five women, is a blogger who goes on jogs along the neighborhood's promenade and possesses a smart phone; Ofra Shimoni is a businesswoman, entrepreneur, and owner of an architecture and design magazine; Simi Hershkop manages the "Dos Celeb" online platform, which covers the world of entertainment from the ultra-Orthodox perspective and focuses mainly on secular celebrities who have an affinity for religion; Estee Sokoloveski defines herself a strong and independent woman who chose to rebel against the customary religious feminine paths, pursuing a career in make up and has her own car; Yael Zilberman is the owner of a wig manufacturing business, and holds left-wing political views.

They all hope to expose the "beautiful sides of the religion."

Some critics called the show a pathetic attempt to show secular people just how beautiful religion is. Others don't even agree to categorize the women as Haredi, claiming they completely disregard the religious values and adopt totally secular lifestyle. In their opinion, gossip, social media, the internet, and fashion are tools used to swank the female body.

Critics said it's difficult to buy into the story that these five characters are the strong and independent Haredi women who portray a beautiful picture of their religion, given they are brutally marginalized by the men of the community they belong to. This narrative is not a convincing one, especially after the footage emerged, showing being hit or cursed at in the streets of their own neighborhoods.

"Portraying women that drive alone in a car or upkeep a business as groundbreaking may seem a bit insulting to some, and rightfully so," said one critic. "These women, in many ways, are still fighting for basic rights that most women were granted last century, yet they claim to be more than content with the present situation.

"All in all, this show can not claim to anthropologically present the life of an average Haredi woman. Rather, its content - like most of reality TV - creates a parody of these women's lifestyle. Instead of showing the beautiful sides of religion, the talks of cholent and wigs only make it seem shallow and unprogressive."

 

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WILEN et al v. FORTIS PROPERTY GROUP, L.L.C. et al, No. 2:2009cv06325

https://cases.justia.com/federal/district-courts/new-jersey/njdce/2:2009cv06325/236290/12/0.pdf?ts=1411677234

Fortis blames contractor Pizzarotti for leaning Seaport tower

Fortis Property Group is firing back against Pizzarotti, blaming the construction company for a series of delays and a “misalignment condition” at its luxury Seaport condominium project.

The developer filed counterclaims against Pizzarotti in New York Supreme Court on Friday, alleging that the company didn’t properly survey the project at 161 Maiden Lane, resulting in a “slight misalignment” of the building on its north side. The issue was exacerbated by a series of delays at the project, which Fortis says were the result of inadequate staffing and safety issues — the latter of which resulted in 13 stop-work orders on the site. The countersuit also claims that Pizzarotti’s “failure to follow proper safety protocol” resulted in the death of a worker in September 2017.

“Our counterclaim lays bare the astounding breadth of failures by Pizzarotti, which is why we terminated the company from the project last month,” a spokesperson for Fortis said in a statement. “We look forward to completing construction and starting the delivery of this world-class building to buyers by the end of the year.”

Representatives for Pizzarotti couldn’t immediately comment on the allegations.

The claims were in response to a lawsuit filed against Fortis in March. Pizzarotti accused Fortis of using a cost-cutting method on the building’s foundation, which caused the tower to lean three inches to the north. Pizzarotti had filed a motion to halt construction on the site, arguing that it couldn’t continue “without putting persons and property at grave risk of harm.” In its complaint, Fortis notes that this motion was denied.

In an affidavit in support of Pizzarotti’s motion, Elisabeth Malsch, a senior principal with engineering firm Thornton Tomasetti, notes that while the building doesn’t currently pose a safety concern to the public, the tower continues to move and further construction could prove dangerous.

“There is insufficient information to assure that the building will remain safe if work advances because the building continues to settle and there is no evidence that the curtain wall has been properly re-designed to take the movement into account,” she states. Malsch also asserts that the building’s movement isn’t a product of how Pizzarotti poured the concrete floors but rather how the building’s foundation has settled. A representative for Fortis said the new general contractor on the site has already adopted a new plan for installing the tower’s curtain wall.

The two complaints also disagree as to why Pizzarotti no longer works at the tower. Fortis asserts that it fired the construction company on April 2, 2019, but Pizzarotti maintains that it gave notice that it would end its contract on March 1. Pizzarotti claims it’s owed $32 million for its role on the project. Fortis is seeking $95 million from Pizzarotti and another $78.5 million from the companies that issued performance and payment bonds on the project, Fidelity and Deposit Company of Maryland and Zurich American Insurance Company.

Brooklyn Dems Celebrate At Their Annual Gala

Brooklyn and the city and state’s top Democrats filled the house with optimism and politicking at last week’s 2019 Kings County Democratic Party Gala.

Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair Frank Seddio and the party’s attorney Frank Carone acted as emcees for the packed annual event held at El Caribe Country Club, 5945 Strickland Avenue in Mill Basin. Over 300 politicians, operatives, consultants and major non-profits attended the affair.

Kings County Democratic Party Executive Director Jeff Feldman and Assemblyman Peter Abbate Jr. share a laugh. Photo from Kings County Politics.

This year’s honorees were George Gresham – President, 1199 SEIU, United Healthcare Workers East, longtime Assemblyman Peter J. Abbate (D-Bensonhurst, Sunset Park) – Chair of the Assembly Governmental Employees Committee, Meera Joshi– Former Chairwoman New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission, G. Jack Spatola– Chairman of the Board, The Federation of Italian American Organizations of Brooklyn and the Hon. Howard Golden– Former Borough President of Brooklyn, Chairman of the executive committee of the Kings County Democratic County Committee

Among the statewide elected who attended the gala was Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who related well with the working-class Brooklyn style as she spoke about having similar roots coming from a working-class Irish family from Buffalo.

Kings County Democratic Party Chair Frank Seddio with district leaders from around the borough. Photo from Kings County Politics.

The order of the day was for everyone to solidify and come together to help defeat President Trump in the upcoming 2020 presidential election.

As usual, the food and drinks were flowing and conversation from table to table included conversation about the upcoming judicial races, district leader seats and progressives versus mainstream Democrats.

The Importance of Judge Elena Baron’s Campaign – Defeating the Political Party Bosses and Unencumbered Justice

Community and political leaders were astounded when in 2017 Elena Baron beat Brooklyn’s political bosses and won her election to become a Civil Court Judge.  Elena ran a grassroots judicial campaign winning by an overwhelming majority against three opponents in the 6th municipal court district, all backed by politicians.  Voters understood the importance of Baron’s independence from entrenched political insiders, who according to the NY Times pick almost all the judges in Brooklyn.  This year, Baron, who is running for Surrogate Court, is clearly the front runner in the race. Voters do not want to see lawyers connected to the Democratic Party looting the estates of widows, seniors and orphans in the Brooklyn Surrogate Court.  

Judge Elena Baron

In Brooklyn Heights Anne got out of her car to tell Baron, who was campaigning, how courageous she was to take on the Brooklyn Democratic Party Bosses and to run independent for judge.  In an era where the so-called progressives and reformers look the other way as the political bosses pick judges and use our courts for patronage, Baron is the leader that Brooklyn needs. 

Ann was familiar with how the Surrogate court operates because her close friend fell into a serious life-long depression after the estate of her mother was drained by administrators appointed by a Surrogate Court Judge. One of Elena’s best friends compared her campaign against the political bosses to the movie Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, where an outsider takes on the entrenched establishment to serve the people. 

Judge Elena Baron has spent over a decade working in five NYC Courthouses with a wide variety of issues and matters that come before the civil and supreme courts.  Elena has worked with families going through guardianships, dealt with myriads of issues pertaining to residential and commercial real estate, small claims, receiverships and refereeships, as well as matters concerning credit card debt and personal injury cases.   “Judge Baron’s independence and her well-diversified experience working in NYC Courts for over a decade will make her a very effective Surrogate, able to create personalized solutions to many individual family situations that come before the Surrogate Court,”said Yana Saffian, an attorney who practices before the Surrogate Court.  Elena has a track record of being independent from the Democratic party bosses, having been elected grass roots as a Civil Court Judge.    

To enter the Surrogate Court is to stumble upon Ponce de Leon’s own spring, an eternal source of easy money for the politically wired.  The Surrogate Court Judges appoint guardians to estates who make handsome fees of those residents who die without wills.  Robert Kennedy called the “The Surrogate Court A Political Toll Booth Exacting Tribute from Widows and Orphans.”  The Democratic Party bosses tell the Surrogate Court Judges they elect to hire party supporters, a patronage operation that strengthens organization by make money for their troops. 

Surrogate Court races are more about who and whose money is behind the candidates then the person running for office.  That is because the people behind the candidates get the benefits of the office, being appointed as administrators and guardians.  Elena Baron is the only candidate in this race who is not backed by the political bosses and the money and political support they bring to their candidates’ campaigns.  In her first race Elena Baron was a grassroots candidate who was challenged by the political bosses and she won overwhelmingly, because the voters want independent judges.

Growing up in the Soviet Union Elena witnessed many injustices that effected people around her and her immediate family.  One family member was sexually harassed and had to quit her job, another family member was being pressured into diverting funds going into the organization to a real estate development project, which she refused, and her private business venture was destroyed by thugs threatening to murder family members.  These and other experiences made Elena Baron love and respect justice and the law and to become a lawyer.  Elena would be the first immigrant to be elected to the Surrogate Court. 

The current surrogate, Margarita Lopez Torres, who is backed by bosses Seddio, Carone and the party machine this year, several times appointed Adam Kalish, who works out of Brooklyn County Boss Frank Seddio’s Canarsie home and office as a guardian.   Lopez Torres is running for a second 14 years term, although she is unable to serve it, since she must retire in 2 years at 70, the mandatory retirement age for a Surrogate Court Judge.  There is also talk, despite her denials, that Torres will take a Supreme Court position after the primary which will allow her to serve until she is 76 and allow party boss Seddio to back-fill one of his hacks as a replacement for a full 14-year term. 

Judge Jacobson, Brooklyn, The Judicial Screening Panel and the Attorneys in Kings County – Lawsuit and Allegations

Federal judge did not disclose connection to player in lawsuit, records show

A Brooklyn federal judge did not disclose she was colleagues with a lawyer in a politically-charged civil lawsuit over which she presided — raising potential ethics concerns.

Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall handled a suit filed by former Brooklyn Civil Court Judge Laura Jacobson against the Brooklyn Democratic Party, its leader Frank Seddio and its judicial screening committee.

Jacobson alleges she was railroaded out of her judicial seat and defamed by the party and its screening committee — in part because she ruled against the Kings County Democratic Committee’s chief lawyer Frank Carone in a 2014 case.

Hall and Carone served together on the city Taxi and Limousine Commission beginning in 2011, their online bios show. Judge Hall did not disclose that connection during the Jacobson legal proceedings, which began in 2016. Carone was not a defendant in Jacobson’s lawsuit.

“They would normally at least raise the issue,” Ronald Minkoff, a legal ethics professor at Columbia Law School, said of judges in such situations. “Is it something in a perfect world you would disclose? Yes. Is it something that matters? I don’t know.”

Minkoff said situations where relatives or close friends show up in lawsuits would be clear grounds for disclosure or recusal. A situation like Hall’s is more of a gray area, but Minkoff said judges often leave such situations for lawyers to decide.

Jacobson’s attorney Ravi Batra said it’s “too early to say” whether he would pursue an ethics complaint through the federal court system.

“While I’m more comfortable with it, my client is not,” Batra said of Hall presiding over the case. “I just wish there had been fuller disclosure so this would not even be an issue.”

Ravi Batra speaks on the City Hall steps. (Hagen, Kevin Freelance NYDN)

Hall dismissed Jacobson’s lawsuit last September. Batra filed a notice of appeal the following month.

The complaint alleges that the Brooklyn Democratic Party’s judicial screening committee found Jacobson “not qualified” in order to push her from the bench over court decisions she made, including the one involving Carone.

Batra noted that this is not the first time ethics issues have arisen around Carone, a Brooklyn lawyer and a donor and friend to Mayor de Blasio.

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