During the recent Great Neck mayoral election, there was a rash of unfortunate, ugly comments made against one of Great Neck’s finest residents, Steve Markowitz.
For decades, Mr. Markowitz, has been a leader of Jewish causes on the North Shore of Long Island: he is a longtime board member and past president of Temple Israel in Great Neck; he is an active board member of the Jewish Community Relations Council and an outspoken leader in the fight against BDS; he has served on the board of the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center for the last 15 years and as chairman for the past seven; and he worked closely with Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Judi Bosworth on the “Not In Our Town” program to fight intolerance.
The negative attacks against Mr. Markowitz were not about issues, the election, or partisan politics. Rather, they were baseless, slanderous attacks on someone who has devoted his personal and professional life to fighting intolerance and the use of hate and fear for political ends.
While this may have become acceptable on a national level, there is absolutely no room for it locally, pitting neighbor against neighbor. I have known Steve Markowitz for many years, and he is a mensch.
Adam Haber
Great Neck
