Clergy, elected leaders join forces to prevent further hate crimes
Victim Is Well-Respected Leader Who ‘Builds Bridges Among People’
Brooklyn’s clergy joined NYC and state-elected officials at Borough Hall on Tuesday to support a faith leader who was physically attacked on Oct. 7 while attending a basketball game at Barclays Center. The group of rabbis, pastors and government leaders also stated that hate crimes will not be tolerated in a city acclaimed for its diversity.
The outpouring of support was for Leonard Petlakh, executive director of the Kings Bay YMHA, which has branches throughout Brooklyn. Petlakh is widely known for his interfaith work in bridge-building between cultures.
For the past two years, he has been instrumental in sponsoring Jewish-Muslim events with the Turkish Cultural Center, the Kings Bay Y, Congregation Beth Elohim, Congregation Mount Sinai and other faith and community organizations.
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams called for the press conference a week after Petlakh had been physically assaulted at the Barclays Center by a protest group claiming to represent the rights of all Palestinians.