Latest news with #Tischler
CBS News
24-03-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
NYC Council special election in Brooklyn could be decided by a slim margin
Voters will cast their ballots Tuesday in Brooklyn in a special election to fill a vacant New York City Council seat. Conservative Democratic State Senator Simcha Felder and pro-Trump businessman Heshy Tischler are running to fill the seat in the 44th district, which includes parts of Borough Park, Sunset Park, Gravesend and Midwood. The seat has been vacant since former Councilman Kalman Yeger stepped into his new seat in the New York State Assembly at the beginning of the year. Tischler sat down with Brooklyn reporter Hannah Kliger to discuss his reasons for running for public office. He's been unsuccessfully vying to get elected to the council since 2017. When asked why he's confident he may be successful this time, Tischler said, "I think that I'm competent, I'm a professional. I know budgeting. I know the city red tape. I know how to help people." As CBS News New York reported earlier this month, a lack of representation in the district has been a sore spot for neighbors rallying against a controversial homeless shelter slated for Borough Park. "We finally built the neighborhood, got the drug dealers out. We built schools in the neighborhoods, synagogues, churches. It's a beautiful community. You bringing us a homeless shelter," he said. Felder's office declined multiple requests for interviews. A representative from his office said he also opposes the project. Another concern is in Gravesend, where a green energy developer is planning a lithium battery energy storage system along McDonald Avenue. It's an industrial zone that is steps from residential streets. Though council members don't impact projects like this, they often play a role in informing and advocating for the community. Felder's office issued a statement saying he has "serious concerns about the safety of this facility." Tischler said he plans to fight against it. "You think they can do this in six months or a year? Unacceptable. There's no way they can pass. Again, this is my forte. This is my specialty, and I will have them shut down," he said. Whoever wins Tuesday's election will serve until the end of the year. They will have to run again in the June primaries and win the general election to serve a full four-year term. Tischler, who is hoping to benefit from President Trump's success in the district, has managed to raise more money than his opponent. Felder, hoping for name recognition, has served in public office since 2002 and has represented the same district in the past. Since this is a special election in an off-year, voter turnout is expected to be low. Early voting ended March 23 and the Board of Elections said there have been 686 ballots cast so far , which means it could be a tight race. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday. Click here to find your polling place. Have a story idea or tip in Brooklyn? Email Hannah by CLICKING HERE .
Associated Press
17-03-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
AMERANT APPOINTS JEFFREY K. TISCHLER AS SEVP AND CHIEF CREDIT OFFICER
MIAMI, FL, March 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Amerant Bank, Florida's bank of choice with a growing presence across South Florida, is pleased to announce the appointment of Jeffrey K. Tischler as SEVP, Chief Credit Officer. In this role, Tischler will oversee the bank's Credit Services, Portfolio Management, and Credit Risk functions, ensuring strong credit quality, regulatory compliance, and strategic risk management. He will also serve as a key member of Amerant's Executive Management Committee. 'We are excited to welcome Jeff to Amerant Bank as his addition to our team will strengthen our credit and risk management capabilities, said Jerry Plush, Chairman and CEO of Amerant Bank. 'His extensive expertise in credit and portfolio management will be instrumental in our achieving our strategic growth agenda in a prudent and profitable manner.' Tischler brings over 20 years of experience in banking and credit risk management. Prior to joining Amerant, he served as the Chief Credit Officer at City National Bank in Los Angeles, CA, where he led credit oversight and credit risk management functions. He has also held senior leadership roles at Fifth Third Bank, including Credit Risk Executive, Head of Wholesale Excellence, and relationship management functions, including Senior Commercial Banker – Detroit Region. In addition to his Banking roles, Tischler has also held positions in investment management and consulting. His expertise spans credit adjudication, portfolio oversight, and commercial banking strategy. 'I am honored to join Amerant and contribute to the bank's strong tradition of prudent credit management and client-focused banking,' said Tischler. 'I look forward to working with the talented team at Amerant to drive strategic growth while maintaining the highest standards of credit quality and risk management.' Tischler earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Eastern Michigan University. He has also been actively involved in the community, serving on the Board of Trustees for Camp Tamarack and Jewish Vocational Services in Detroit. Amerant Bank Amerant Investments and Amerant Mortgage. Rooted in the communities it serves, Amerant supports numerous non-profit and community organizations. In 2022, 2023 and 2024, the Company was certified as a Most Loved Workplace® by Best Practice Institute. For news and updates, visit the Amerant Newsroom.
New York Times
18-02-2025
- New York Times
Florida Man Blames Mental Health Crisis for Shooting of Israeli Tourists
A man in Florida charged with attempted murder in the shooting of two tourists in Miami Beach on Saturday — he told the police he had thought they were Palestinian — is attributing the violence to a 'severe' mental health episode. The man, Mordechai Brafman, 27, was driving when he stopped his truck and got out to shoot at two people according to a police report. He told the police that he had killed them. The victims turned out to be Israeli Jewish tourists, neither of whom was seriously wounded, and Mr. Brafman, who is also Jewish, now faces charges on two counts of second-degree attempted murder. Identity-related violence targeting Muslims and Arabs, as well as Jews, has surged since the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and Israel's subsequent decimation of the Gaza Strip, according to advocacy groups. Dustin Tischler, Mr. Brafman's lawyer, said that his client appeared before a judge on Tuesday morning and was being held in jail, with his next hearing set for Friday. He was denied bond on Monday. Mr. Tischler said that his client had 'no prior history of violent or hateful behavior' and that he was cooperating with law enforcement. His client acknowledged the seriousness of the charges, he said, but had not been able to control his actions. 'At the time of the incident, Mr. Brafman was experiencing a severe mental health crisis which caused him to be in fear for his life,' the lawyer said in a text message to The New York Times. 'It is believed that his ability to make sound judgments was significantly compromised.' Mr. Tischler said he and his client were 'committed to working with medical professionals to ensure Mr. Brafman receives appropriate and necessary treatment.' Local media reported that the victims of the shooting were a father and son who identified themselves as Yaron and Ari Rabi and said they were in Florida for vacation. They told a Miami television station that Mr. Brafman had shot at them multiple times and continued shooting while they drove away to seek help at a nearby condominium building. The son was shot in the shoulder and the father was grazed by a bullet on his forearm. Antisemitic and Islamophobic speech proliferated across the internet after the conflict between Israel and Hamas broke out, and violence related to the war has become relatively common around the world. In Illinois, a Palestinian American woman was injured and her son was killed by their landlord about 10 days into the fighting in Gaza. Just weeks later, in Vermont, three Palestinian Americans were shot. In the final months of 2023 in New York, several people were charged with hate crimes, including a woman who threw her cellphone and hot coffee at a man in Brooklyn while making anti-Islamic statements, teenagers who attacked people in a Brooklyn synagogue and a man who stalked and harassed five men wearing skullcaps while making antisemitic statements. The violence continued into the next year. In February 2024, a Palestinian American man was stabbed in Texas. Months later in the same state, a 3-year-old Palestinian American girl survived an attempted drowning that was apparently related to her identity. An argument over the war that broke out between a pro-Israel protester and a passerby in Massachusetts in September escalated into a physical struggle that ended with both men charged with crimes. The Council on American-Islamic Relations said that discrimination and attacks against Muslims and Palestinians surged after the war began in 2023 and rose by about 70 percent in the first half of 2024 amid heightened tensions stemming from the conflict. The Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations on Sunday called on the state and federal authorities to charge Mr. Brafman with a hate crime, which increases the potential penalties for an offense, based on his stated intentions. The fact that his victims were not of Palestinian descent does not change the nature of the attack, the group said. 'It is the alleged shooter's reportedly bias-motivated actions, not the actual ethnicity of the victims, that should be the determining factor for charges in this disturbing case,' the council said. The Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Local news media reported on Tuesday that prosecutors had said they would charge Mr. Brafman with a hate crime. Mr. Tischler did not respond to a request for comment on the hate-crime element of the case. He did, however, express deep relief on the part of Mr. Brafman that the victims were out of the hospital and seemed to be recovering.
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Yahoo
Israeli Tourists Shot By Man Who Believed They Were Palestinian, Police Say
A Florida man was charged on Monday and accused of attempting to kill two Israeli men who he allegedly believed were Palestinian in a shooting that took place over the weekend. Mordechai Brafman, 27, was taken into custody by Miami Beach police on Saturday and charged with two felony counts of second-degree attempted murder in an attack police described as 'unprovoked,' according to a criminal complaint obtained by HuffPost. Both victims, who were driving at the time of the shooting, survived, but they sustained injuries. Surveillance footage cited in the complaint showed Brafman's car traveling down a Miami Beach road before making a U-turn and stopping in front of the other vehicle. Brafman then came out of his vehicle and fired 17 rounds at the car as the men drove past him, the complaint said. Police said Brafman then drove less than a mile away from the scene where a responding officer took him into custody, according to the complaint. One victim sustained a gunshot wound to the left shoulder while the other sustained one to the left forearm. The victims were not named in the complaint, but police told CNN they were tourists visiting Florida from Israel. ABC affiliate WPLG identified the two as Ari Rabi and his father. 'It was a truck passing next to (us),' Rabi said in Hebrew, with his cousin translating for the outlet. ''Boom, boom, boom,' and he randomly started shooting.' During his interview with police, Brafman 'spontaneously stated that while he was driving his truck, he saw two Palestinians and shot and killed both,' police noted in an unredacted version of the complaint cited by WPLG. Brafman was previously interviewed by local news outlet WSVN in December 2023, when a bagel shop in Miami Beach displaying Israel's flag was vandalized. At the time, Brafman called the incident 'absolutely abhorrent.' 'I'd love to see some unity and people coming together and fighting less and being together more, ' Brafman told the outlet. Attorney Dustin Tischler, who is representing Brafman, told HuffPost on Tuesday his client is a father of two with no prior history of violent or hateful behavior. 'At the time of the incident, Mr. Brafman was experiencing a severe mental health crisis which caused him to be in fear for his life,' Tischler said. 'It is believed that his ability to make sound judgments was significantly compromised.' Tischler said he and his client are fully cooperating with law enforcement and committed to working with medical professionals to ensure Brafman receives appropriate and necessary treatment. 'Most importantly, we are deeply relieved that the victims are out of the hospital and recovering,' Tischler said. The Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations addressed the incident in a press release on Monday, calling for Brafman to be charged with a federal hate crime. Homeowner Pleads Guilty To Shooting Black Teen Who Rang Wrong Doorbell Former Disney Channel Star Shot In The Eye During Clay Pigeon Shooting Luigi Mangione Extradited To New York In UnitedHealthcare CEO Shooting
