Earlier today, Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein hosted NYS Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie for a day in his district, in an effort to highlight the significant issues affecting the local Midwood and Boro Park communities. The two spent the day visiting with local residents and community leaders. Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein invited the Speaker to sample the vibrant culture of the neighborhood and its many charitable organizations.

Speaker Heastie and Assemblyman Eichenstein first visited Imagine Academy, where they saw firsthand the dedication and commitment of the staff who work with special education students, specifically students with autism. Speaker Heastie was inspired by the warmth and caring of those who work with autistic children. They also discussed and highlighted their efforts to address the difficulties that parents face while navigating the bureaucracy of reimbursement for educating their special needs child in New York City.

After visiting the school, Assemblyman Eichenstein brought Assembly Speaker Heastie to Central Hatzalah headquarters, where selfless volunteers answer countless calls and save lives on a daily basis. They also discussed Hatzalah’s complex and effective dispatching system which needs improvements to maintain the standards of emergency services in today’s high-tech world. 

A moving segment of Speaker Heastie’s tour was their visit to Nachas Healthnet, a social services organization that assists the elderly. There they met with a group of about two dozen Holocaust survivors who shared their stories. The survivors spoke about the horrors of their youth. One woman rolled up her sleeve to display the numbers tattooed on her arm at Auschwitz. Speaker Heastie spoke about his own visit to Yad Vashem several years ago and how it made a tremendous impact.

“Today’s visit to Brooklyn with my friend and colleague Assemblymember Simcha Eichenstein was both inspiring and deeply moving,” Speaker Heastie said. “From the Imagine Academy working to give students with autism a bright future, to the volunteer first responders at Central Hatzalah ensuring the community has the emergency medical care they need, to meeting with Holocaust survivors at Nachas Healthnet, we were able to talk to residents about their needs and see the resilience and vibrancy of the community.”

“I want to thank Speaker Heastie for taking the time to tour our district and meet with the wonderful people who make this neighborhood great,” said Assemblyman Eichenstein. “Speaker Heastie graciously agreed to spend the day with us, listening with genuine interest to the people who live and work here. I’m confident we can continue working together on solving the issues and overcoming the challenges that need to be addressed.”