Reb Norman Rosenbaum, z”l, a lawyer in Melbourne, Australia, who became known for his struggle for justice for the murder of his brother Yankel, Hy”d, during the Crown Heights riots in 1991, passed away on Shabbos at the age of 63.
DIN: These is especially hard on me as I was a close friend of his for the last 30 years, and knew his brother, Yankel, well......
On August 19, 1991, hundreds of black men began rioting in Crown Heights. As the NYPD stood down – ordered by New York City Mayor David Dinkins to allow the gangs to “vent” – mobs began vandalizing Jewish homes, businesses and cars. Late that night, a bloodthirsty mob of 30 black men found what they were looking for: a Jewish man, walking down the street. Yankel Rosenbaum, a 29-year-old Lubavitcher chassid from Melbourne, Australia, was turning the corner of Union Street and New York Ave. when he encountered the violent gang. Rosenbaum tried fleeing toward Lubavitch headquarters on 770 Eastern Parkway, but he never made it. On the corner of President Street and Brooklyn Ave., in front of the St. Marks School, the gang caught him and attacked him. One of the youths, 16-year-old Lemrick Nelson, Jr., stabbed Rosenbaum.
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The murder of Yankel Rosenbaum was the most shocking and tragic incident that occurred during the Crown Heights riots in August 1991.
Shockingly, Nelson was acquitted at his criminal trial. None of the other attackers were even brought to trial.
In subsequent years, Nelson continued to live a criminal life. From 1994-1996 he was arrested, and in some cases convicted and jailed on various charges, ranging from weapons and aggravated assault to second-degree assault, disorderly conduct and criminal trespass.
During these years, Yankel’s brother Norman, who had become the spokesman for the Rosenbaum family and the fight for justice, refused to give up. He, along with a team of askanim, lawyers, and elected officials, led an ultimately successful fight to have Nelson tried once again, in 1997, this time for violating Yankel’s civil rights by attacking him because he was a Jew. Nelson was ultimately convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison; he was released in 2004.
Norman was a vocal leader and participant at many protests for justice for the Crown Heights community and his brother, calling Mayor David Dinkins, who was said to have told the NYPD to stand down and allow the angry mob to vent responsible for the murder.
A state report criticized Mayor Dinkins and the police for their lack of action during the riots—a claim that helped Rudolph Giuliani defeat Dinkins in the next mayoral election.
In 2016, at the 25th anniversary of the riots and the murder of his brother which was commemorated with a memorial at the site of the stabbing, Norman Rosenbaum told Hamodia, “Obviously, I miss my brother. There is not a day that goes by when I, my mother, and our whole family do not think about him. I’m a zeidy now, and as time goes on and there are more simchos in the family, he is missed even more. It is not just the feeling that we are celebrating and he is not here, but a feeling of the loss of how much he would have added to the simchah.”
He is survived by his children Ari, Yoel, Yoni and Michal, and grandchildren.
He was predeceased by his wife Ettie in 2014.
The levayah was held in Melbourne on Sunday.
Yehi zichro baruch.
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THANKS SO MUCH, IT MEANS A LOT ESPECIALLY IN THESE DIFFICULT TIMES!
I remember Norman Rosenbaum, and I even met him once. He was a true mensh. I few comments might be in order here.
ReplyDeleteAfter his brother's murder, R' Norman led a campaign seeking justice for brother, the slogan being, "Jewish blood is not cheap". Yes, and thousands of Jews took to the streets, destroyed federal property, set fire to police cars. All through the country Jews were attacking black people and looting black owned stores, killing and maiming scores of innocent people.
Except,......except, that never happened. Jews did not riot. Jews did not engage in violence and Jews did not call for war against black people. The clarion call, "Jewish blood is not cheap", did nor cause the death of any Jewish person. There is a way to legitimate protest and Norman Rosenbaum shows us the way.
DIN, I was was not aware that R' Norman was your friend. Which is why I am puzzled by your strident call for the State of Israel to immediately extradite the evil Malka Leifer to face justice in Australia. Norman Rosenbaum assisted the Beis Yaakov in Melbourne in whisking away Malka Leifer to Israel at the first revelation of her crimes. This was absolutely the right thing to do. Having Leifer face justice is indeed a noble goal, but the price that the Jewish community on Melbourne and a number of innocent victimized Jewish girls would have to pay would be unacceptable.
First, the Beis Yaakov itself would be forced to close and all its assets confiscated. The judicial climate is such is that institutions are guilty until proven innocent. Can the school prove that there were programs in place that could prevent this from happening? Who could even devise such a program and ensure that it would not completely overwhelm the resources of the school. How could the faculty prove that no-one had any contemporaneous knowledge of the extend of Leifer's misdeeds? The Board of Directors would also be held culpable.
And what about the victims? Any public trial of Malka Leifer would necessitate the testimony of those that Malka Leifer abused. Willingly or not, they would be compelled to recite in open court and in exquisite detail each and every act that were forced to participate in. The media would have a field day. Every victim's name and extent of degradation would be exposed to the prurient delight of the readers and viewers. It it worth it? I think not, and neither did Norman Rosenbaum. He was a dedicated public servant who did his best to further the interests of the Jewish community of Melbourne as a whole and also the best interest of each Jew.
I think that Malka Leifer will get what is coming to her, if not in this world, then in the next. But we must be careful when we dispense justice that the cost of doing so should not come at the expense of ruining innocent lives.
Bde, what was he niftar from?
ReplyDeleteHe was niftar from a heart attack.
ReplyDeleteBtw I used to ask him if he's behind Dusiznais (he told me of this/your blog)
because you sound just like him sometimes/manytimes!
May he have alias Neshama and be an advocate for all on high as he was in his lifetime.
He is sorely missed.