Hebrew Home report was biased

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To the editor,

Your editorial titled “MIH? ZQA? No Way!” (Nov. 5) makes it quite clear what your position is regarding the zoning changes proposed by the Department of City Planning. That is certainly your right. But I strongly object to your attempt to subtly influence public opinion to your point of view — specifically regarding the Hebrew Home — through your insidious use of negatively-based news story headlines and subheadlines.

Your front-page story on this issue is headlined “Made to Order Rules for Hebrew Home Draw Angry Reaction.” Later sub-headlines refer to a “Back-Door Deal,” “Expensive Lobbying” and “Done With Malice.” All these expressions are meant to imply shady dealings and are not only journalistically improper, but unfair to the Hebrew Home.

This letter to the editor will not only address your biased reporting, but also the (intentionally?) erroneous claim in your editorial that the Hebrew Home would be plunking apartment towers “in the midst of” single family homes. A claim that is demonstrably untrue.

The expression “in the midst of” implies that the HHAR (the Hebrew Home for the Aged at Riverdale) is surrounded on all sides by homes. Absolutely false! HHAR is bounded on the west by the Hudson River; on the north by the College of Mount Saint Vincent and to its south by a private home. It is only to its east, on the other side of Palisade Avenue, that is has a number of private homes as its neighbors. It is these people, whose view of the Hudson might be obstructed, who are strenuously objecting to HHAR’s expansion. This is strictly a case of “NIMBY,” not in my backyard.

Where the phrase “in the midst of” actually did apply was about a year or two ago when Montefiore Hospital wanted to build an 11-story, 93,000 square foot outpatient facility (as of right) at Riverdale Avenue and West 238th Street, right in the middle of central Riverdale. But this never happened. Why?

Because, speaking of actual (not alleged) “made to order rules,” I refer you to a story in the Bronx Times (April 3, 2014) titled “Senator Klein’s Measure Kills Montefiore Medical Center’s Riverdale Project.” It reads, “Bronx State Senator Jeffrey Klein swiped a measure into the state budget that will halt any construction.” It goes on the say “Klein’s legislation requires planned healthcare complexes within Bronx County that are over three stories and over 30,000 square feet, to jump through a series of bureaucratic hoops.” It continues to say, “the Montefiore Riverdale Project falls within the law’s crosshairs.”  Community Board 8 Land Use Committee Chairman Charles Moerdler referred to this as “a surgically applied piece of legislation.”

The Riverdale Press used the phrase “specifically written” in its editorial as a pejorative against the Hebrew Home. But it certainly didn’t feel the same way regarding the Montefiore situation. That is pure hypocrisy on the part of this newspaper!  

As for the subheadline, “Expensive Lobbying,” this paper knows that lobbies are a way of life with many organizations, spending not thousands, like HHAR, but millions of dollars to promote their clients’ interests. These include the UFT, the Trial Lawyers Association, the various real estate and business groups, the taxi lobby, etc. I don’t recall you ever using the adjective “expensive” to refer to these expenditures. Why not?

To conclude: the kind of sleazy journalism shown by your attempted hatchet job on the Hebrew Home is disgraceful and unworthy of your newspaper. I certainly hope it is not repeated.  If I want to read biased reporting, there’s always The New York Times.

Alvin Gordon

MIH, ZQA, rezoning, Hebrew Home, Alvin Gordon

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