People Who Make A Difference In Our Community In The Spotlight: Avraham Pinkhasov

In The Spotlight features interviews of community members who making a difference in their neighborhoods and the Jewish community at large. To nominate a candidate for this column, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with your submission and why they deserve to shine In The Spotlight.

---

 

Coordinator, Queens Borough Safety Patrol Shmira, and NYPD liaison to the 112th police precinct serving Forest Hills, and Rego Park.

BJL: What is your involvement with Shmira?

Avraham Pinkhasov: I have been associated with Queens Borough Safety Patrol – Shmira organization for seven years since its inception. I began as a member and was promoted to liaison for the organization to the 112^th police precinct serving the Forest Hills, and Rego Park. For the past 12 months, I have also been a Shmira coordinator.

BJL: How did Shmira get started?

AP: Originally, the organization was comprised of two different groups, one was in Forest Hills –the one I was a part of – and the other in Kew Gardens Hills. My chapter originated in 2015 when arson fires struck the community. A group of about 15 of us were consistently patrolling the neighborhood, including night patrol, in hopes of catching the person(s) behind the attacks. At that point, the founding members of the Forest Hills group, Elior Talmasov, and Hiski Mierov, reached out to Rav Ilan Meirov, Director of Chazaq, with a desire to grow the organization. Rav Ilan directed them to the Kew Gardens Hills chapter also interested in expanding operations. We joined forces and so Shmira was born modeling the organization after CWSP (Citywide Safety Patrol) Shmira of Brooklyn and was officially incorporated in 2015.

BJL: What inspired you to join?

AP: In 2015, several months after I had gotten married, I received a call from Talmasov, who had asked if I would be interested in doing a night patrol shift in the Cord Meyer section of Forest Hills, as his group searched for the arsonist(s) targeting our area. I agreed and thought that this would be a short-term assignment. We then realized that there was a need in the community for such a unit that would be responsible for patrolling and other tasks. In essence, we were another set of eyes and ears for the dedicated police department. That experience turned on a little light bulb as I realized that this was a perfect way for me to give back to the community where I was raised and where I continue to live, now for 27 years. My wife and I intend on staying and raising our children right here in Forest Hills.

BJL: How many volunteers are part of the Shmira organization?

AP: As of today, we have 25 devoted Queens-based volunteers. Every member participates in a required minimum three-hour patrol shift, which they cover overnight during the week. Additionally, the members take a number of incoming hotline calls and cover specified communal events monthly.

BJL: What do you tell people, especially non-Jews, who ask you why there is a need for Shmira?

AP: Quite simply, we exist to be an extra set of eyes and ears for law enforcement. We are not here to be cops. Nonetheless, we aim to assist the NYPD and FDNY as much as possible. Sometimes people are not sure whether their issue warrants a call to the police. Such a family will phone our local dispatch center at (718) 329-4444 and seek guidance. Our team acts to bridge the gap between the Jewish community and the NYPD. 

BJL: What are some of the challenges in your volunteer work with Shmira?

AP: One of the main challenges Shmira has faced is communication with the broader community. Certain times people feel it would be better to discuss safety issues on a community chat as opposed to calling Shmira’s 24/7/365 hotline directly, or even dialing 911. They opt to discuss their situation with neighbors that often are not necessarily able to provide sustainable action. Discussing public safety issues on any of the various social media platforms is often like speaking into an empty room. As a community, we all have the same concerns but must voice them to the right people to tackle each appropriately. In recent months, after we launched our recruitment campaign and in the aftermath of several antisemitic incidents, our organization received some publicity, and people started learning more about our capabilities as an organization. But I emphasize, the only way we can become efficient, day-to-day, is consistent communication. The community should view Shmira as their liaison to law enforcement, so we can take the concerns to the proper authorities. Another challenge has been the willingness of community members to get involved with Shmira’s efforts. As a result, we started the previously mentioned recruitment drive to encourage more of our friends and neighbors to take on an actively role. 

BJL: How do you juggle family life with Shmira obligations?

AP: At times it can be hard to juggle family duties and community service, especially when there is an event-heavy month. When the organization is covering family-friendly events, like a Hachnosat Sefer Torah, I bring along my children, even though I am serving as a Shmira coordinator. Thankfully, my family is supportive of my volunteerism. When my kids and relatives see me responding to a call, for example a missing person, they take pride knowing their dad is part of a group that is going to bring a little boy or girl, parent, or grandparent back home. There are also times when my colleagues will step up and cover programming when I have familial responsibilities.

BJL: Can you share a Shmira success story?

AP: Locally, there are roughly 70 successful recoveries of missing persons including many where I was directly involved. However, I will highlight Queens Shmira’s involvement in one special case that crossed borders. In 2021, there was a young boy who went missing in the Marine Park section of Brooklyn. It was in the dead of the summer on a particularly stormy day. Many organizations were involved in helping to locate the youth, who was missing for several hours after separating from his summer camp group. The Queens division of Shmira was able to successfully arrange for 9 members of our team to join other volunteers in Marine Park and assist with the rescue mission. While headed to the area intending to cover an overnight shift, I received the remarkable news that the child was brought to safety from a marsh, just 25 feet away from the ocean, where he had been trapped and unable to walk. As it turned out, one of our local members was part of the very unit that had brought the youngster out of this harrowing situation. It was amazing to see the unity of all the organizations working as a solitary force in this painstaking effort. Stories like this serve as a testament to the need for organizations like Queens Shmira.

 Those wishing to join Shmira’s work in Queens are encouraged to
call the Queens Shmira hotline
at (718) 329-4444.