Glassy project will kick Buks to the curb

From QNS:

An entire block in Rego Park will be transformed into a 100,000-square-foot retail and medical office building by RJ Capital Holdings.

Located at 98-81 Queens Blvd., the building will take over Ohr Natan Synagogue, the site of the former Trylon Theater. After the theater closed down in 1999, preservationists tried to petition synagogue owners to retain some of the theater’s architectural features. The building was renovated in 2005, removing many of the historical features, according to a blog post by a local historian.

Ohr Natan Synagogue’s lease expires in February 2017 and Rabbi Nahum Kaziev said that talks between him and RJ Capital Holdings have dissolved, according to the Commercial Observer. The synagogue also acts as a community center for the large Bukharian Jewish community that resides in Rego Park and Forest Hills.

The moral of the story is that karma is a bitch.

UPDATE: Maybe they'll stay, but they probably won't.

Buks claim Forest Hills arsons are hate crimes

From the Times Ledger:

The Bukharian Jewish Center of Forest Hills is calling a series of fires throughout Forest Hills a hate crime and is offering $50,000 reward for tips after the latest suspected arson hit the home of a rabbi early Sunday morning.

A police spokeswoman said the investigation was ongoing and that the NYPD could not confirm whether the arsons are a hate crime yet.

The house burned in the most recent incident belongs to Rabbi Valman Zvulunov, the director of the Bukharian Jewish Center’s Yeshiva, who lives in Maspeth.

At an emergency meeting convened by an ad hoc committee of leaders from the Bukharian Jewish Center Sunday morning, Zvulunov received a call about his house being burned at about 2 a.m., he said, noting that in the last incident, someone set a small fire to a doorway and the Fire Department had put it out.

Rafael Nektalov, editor and publisher of the Bukharian Times, a weekly newspaper, said every victim is a member of the Bukharian community, noting that if the incident had occurred in Russia or France, “there would have been headlines about fires in the Jewish quarter.”

Aron Borukhov, a lawyer who spoke on behalf of the ad hoc committee, who is also part of the committee, suggested that cops put a patrol at every construction site and 360-degree-view cameras at every intersection.

He explained that because there is a permit posted at construction sites showing who the owner is, the arsonist knows who owns the houses.

“It (fires) has been only the Jewish community,” he said. “Nobody else. We can only make conclusions from what we have seen.”

These sites most likely are targets because they are unguarded at night. An arsonist is not going to light an occupied house on fire. A posted permit generally lists the name of the contractor that applied for it, not the owner of the house. And if you can afford to build a mansion, you should be able to afford a night watchman to protect it.

UPDATE: The biker has been ruled out as a suspect.

Is there a blade of grass that the Buks won't pave over?

Hi Crappy,

I wrote to you some time ago about the trash problem in KGH, now I have this. This "construction" work started last week in the side yard of a semi attached in KGH. This beautiful work is being done by none other than....you guessed it, Bukharians. Other than that this probably illegal 2-family house stays up all night being loud and smoking cigarettes, but this work is beyond anything. Can this be legal? I thought the city put an end to this heinous look. The address is 137-10 70 Road. I haven't seen any construction signs anywhere.

Signed,
Pissed in KGH.

Well, if this is actually being used as a 2-family house, then it would be an illegal conversion, as DOB has it listed as a 1-family. The last complaint about that issue was closed in 1997. And paving over your front yard has been illegal since 2007, but as this appears to be a side yard, it's likely okay as per the zoning code.

I'll just sit back now and wait for one of the Buks to nastily write about how jealous we all are of them for beautifying the neighborhood and raising everyone else's property values.

Jamaica Estates not what it used to be

From the Wall Street Journal:

Long a prestigious pocket in east-central Queens, Jamaica Estates continues to command premium prices from those seeking to make the leafy enclave home.

Bounded by Union Turnpike to the north and Hillside Avenue to the south, the area historically drew politicians, diplomats and other dignitaries to its landscape of classic homes amid elm, oak and chestnut trees.

Recent years have seen new arrivals hailing from South Asia as well as a significant number of Bukharian Jews, who are drawn to the religious infrastructure in the neighborhood—including synagogues, kosher restaurants and shops.

Brokers say the draw for many in the Bukharian community are the large lot sizes for the homes in the area. That makes many of the homes candidates for being torn down and replaced with expanded homes to accommodate larger families.

The tear-downs aren't welcomed by everyone.

"The new McMansions are totally out of character, very ostentatious, very ornate," said Julia Shildkret, owner of Julia Shildkret Realty Group, who has been based in the neighborhood for 27 years. "Prices have sustained because of niche demand, but on the other hand the homes of the past are going away and the whole look of the neighborhood is changing."

Hevesi may have a primary challenger

From the Times Ledger:

Forest Hills resident Lilianna Zulunova said she plans to challenge state Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi (D-Forest Hills) in this year’s Democratic primary and is going around the community to spread word about her platform issues that include job creation, affordable housing and education.

Zulunova, 26, has been a familiar face on the borough’s political scene and most recently was the campaign manager for Democratic City Council candidate Albert Cohen. She has also worked as deputy chief of staff for former state Sen. John Sabini, been the campaign coordinator for Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village) and worked for state Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-St. Albans).

“Seven years ago, when I had the opportunity to be an intern at Sen. Sabini’s office, I made the decision that this is what I want, this is how I can be effective and help my community,” said Zulunova, an adjunct communications professor at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City.

Zulunova said she seriously began thinking of running in September’s primary against Hevesi, who has held the seat representing the 28th Assembly District since 2005, while working as the campaign manager for Cohen, who lost to Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz (D-Forest Hills), the first Bukharian to run for Council. Zulunova is also Bukharian.

The 28th District covers Forest Hills, Rego Park, Middle Village and Glendale.

Crap spreading east

Not Forest hills but Manhasset (#2 Combes drive) this was a 2 story Cape ---just slapped with a stop work order.

They couldn’t build a new house so they simply installed a spiral staircase on the outside, killed the lawn and started bricking over the existing house.

From outside, it sounded like everything inside the house was being smashed ---- imported by N Shore LIJ Hospital.

Numbers #1 and #4 could await the same fate.

- Joe

PS: I think N Shore LIJ Hospital may have gotten into the mortgage business.

CB6 passes Cord Meyer rezoning

From the Times Ledger:

The City Council has approved the Cord Meyer rezoning plan for Forest Hills, a move some say will help to curb overdevelopment. But a lawyer representing Bukharian homeowners said the blueprint marks an assault on new immigrants.

Many of the individuals who live in the larger, newer homes in Cord Meyer are Bukharian Jews, a growing population in Forest Hills.

The Council approved the plan July 7 to rezone the 32-block Cord Meyer area.

“It’s a good compromise,” Councilwoman Melinda Katz (D-Forest Hills) said. “The rezoning probably didn’t go far enough for some people and too far for others. You know you’ve probably done the right thing when both sides aren’t happy.”

Albert Cohen's Flag Pin Flap

"Add attorney Albert Cohen to the crowded field of candidates running to replace Melinda Katz in the19th District. The candidacy is a first for the local Bukharian Jewish community.

Like any patriot, Cohen is wearing a US flag pin on his suit. Unfortunately, when he posed for a Bukharian community magazine, something went wrong with the flag. You take a look.

In the second photo, Cohen stands with his rabbi, Emanuel Shimonov, wearing the flag in its correct position.

In my opinion, it's better to not wear a flag pin than to wear it wrong.

If the Crowley & Reich Clubhouse try to knock Cohen off the ballot, the Bukharian community will not go down quietly. At the same time, if more candidates try to run for the same seat, Koslowitz will an easy time returning to power, because of a divided field of newcomers."

-local resident.