__________________ Nassau _________________
CoMMUNITy UPDATE Infections as of May 31
7,665
Infections as of May 24 7,655
$1.00
HERALD All the news of the Five Towns
Pete Sobol’s life is celebrated
Commemorating Memorial Day
Teaching kids how to ‘CARE’
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Pages 5, 18
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Vol. 98 No. 23
JUNE 3 - 9, 2021
Standing united against anti-Semitism By JEFFREy BESSEN jbessen@liherald.com
Jeffrey Bessen/Herald
WHETHER WAVINg ISRAElI flags or holding pro-Jewish signs, the crowd at a rally on May 27 in Cedarhurst Park was vocal in its opposition to anti-Semitism.
On the heels of 11 days of fighting between Israel and Hamas, which is considered a terrorist organization by the United States and Israel, an estimated 3,500 to 4,000 people rallied in Andrew J. Parise Park in Cedarhurst to show support for Israel and Jewish people around the world. The May 27 rally followed a recent surge in anti-Semitic violence in the New York metropolitan area and beyond. Officials said the crowd was the largest ever at the park. Organizations ranging from the American Jewish Committee to the Anti-Defamation League, Hadassah, the Jewish Federations of North America, the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America and others partnered to declare May 27 a Day of Action Against Anti-Semitism. Many other local groups were involved as well, ranging Continued on page 4
Aiming to halt unnecessary stop signs in the Five Towns By MATTHEW FERREMI mferremi@liherald.com
The installation of a stop sign at an intersection in Woodmere has left resident Michael Mann perplexed as to why it was requested by a non-Five Towns resident. Mann, 37, said that he has lived on Midfield Road since 2014. In October 2020, the Town of Hempstead installed a stop sign at the intersection of Midfield and Grant Avenue. Mann said he believed the sign was unnecessary. “I’m a longtime resident of this neighborhood, and there has never, to my knowledge, been an accident on this
corner,” he said. “Midfield Road is all of five houses long and is a very minor street, and Grant Avenue isn’t much longer. ” After submitting a Freedom of Information request to the town, Mann learned that the request to add the stop sign at the intersection had been made by Ben Dubin, who lives in Douglaston, Queens. It wasn’t the only stop sign request Dubin made in the Five Towns, according to Mann. “After multiple conversations with town officials, I found out that Mr. Dubin has requested about 50 additional stop signs in the Five Towns area,” Mann
I
t would seem that anyone, town resident or not, could request a stop sign anywhere in the town and have that request be granted. MICHAEl MANN Woodmere
said. “While it’s unclear exactly why he did this, it appears from his Twitter feed, @warpedbd, and YouTube channel that he
has a strong interest in traffic enforcement.” Dubin could not be reached for comment by press time. Mann said that Dubin is having an impact on traffic in the Five Towns without living there. “I don’t know Mr. Dubin personally and have never spoken with him,” Mann added. “It seems he has a sincere interest in public
safety in the town although he lives nowhere near here. Viewed less charitably, he is holding the town hostage and he intends to sue if any of his stop sign requests are not filled, putting town taxpayers on the hook.” “All stop sign requests, submitted by residents or non-residents, are subject to a rigorous Continued on page 8