Crown Heights Riots (1991) and the Australian Rosenbaum brothers

The Crown Heights Riots of 1991 came two years after other high-profile racial incidents in New York, including a fatal attack on a young black man in Bensonhurst, and the beating-rape of a white jogger in Central Park.

The 1991 riots began after a rabbinical motorcade struck two black children, sadly killing 7-year-old Gavin Cato and injuring Gavin’s young cousin. Some 3 hours after the Crown Heights riots began, early on 20th Aug 20 1991, police said Charles Price incited the crowd to riot by playing on existing tension between blacks and Jews in the poor neighbourhood, urging angry black men gathering at the accident scene to "Get the Jews!". A group of c20 young black men surrounded Yankel Rosen­baum, a University of Mel­bourne stud­ent who was in the U­SA do­ing research for his doctorate. Killing any Orthodox Jew would have suf­fic­ed. The riot­ers stabbed him four times in the back and frac­­t­ured his skull by beat­ings. Before being taken to the hos­pit­al, Rosenbaum identified a teen (Lemrick Nelson) as his assailant in a pol­ice line-up shown to him. Sadly Rosen­baum died that night.

Crown Heights police on riot control

1991

For three days following the accident, many local African- and Caribbean-Americans, joined by more and more non-residents, cont­inued the riots that widened New York City's racial divide. And the Crown Heights case altered city polit­ics for the next decade.

My late mother’s cousins, Max (d2008) & Fay Rosenbaum & their son Norman, made regular appearances at court hearings in the cases against Yankel’s alleged assailants. Max was a tireless crusader for civil rights who was determined that no other person would ever be sub­jected to the same type of violence because of their race or ethn­icity.

During the 1990s, Lemrick Nelson jnr was charged with murder as an adult; he was ac­quitted at trial. Nelson was acquitted of state murder charges and convicted of federal civil rights charges, a verdict that was over­turned because the judge tamp­ered with the jury’s racial makeup.

Later Nelson said he had indeed stabbed Ros­en­baum and in 2003, after three trials in 12 years, the defence finally admitted Nelson stabbed the 29-year-old Australian. But they said the murder had nothing to do with the fact that the victim was Jewish, a key element needed for a conviction. Nel­son was found guilty by a federal jury of violating the Aust­ral­ian’s civil rights. Ruling on a separate question, the jury found that the acc­us­ed's actions did not result in Rosenbaum's death. Nelson was rel­ieved to face 10 years in prison, rather than a possible life sentence.

Fay and Norman Rosenbaum

with a photo of the late Yankel

Yankel’s brother Norman Rosenbaum, a regular visitor to New York after 1991, became an advocate for his late brother who was stabbed to death during the city’s most serious bout of racially charged unrest in decades. Within days of the murder, Norman and his par­ents flew to New York to represent Yankel. Even after father Max died, Norman continued fighting for justice and never gave up. From 27,000 ks away, Norman travelled to the US at least 120 times.

In the years since the riots, black and Hasidic community leaders worked hard to bridge their differences, forming groups to live, talk and learn together. In 2001, Gavin Cato’s father Carmel, and Yankel Rosenbaum’s brother met publicly and called for greater understanding and dialogue. The two grieving men forged an inspirational friendship and bonded over their shared love for the sport of cricket. “You never compare tragedies and losses of life, but when you experience a loss of this magnitude there’s a bond that is created,” Norman said in a 2016 anniversary interview. The men said their real friendship would set an example to the entire, eloquent voices for peace in the rac­ially divided NY neighbourhood.

Carmel Cato and Norman Rosenbaum bonded

in New York in 2002.

Photo credit: Times of Israel

Norman Rosenbaum died this Saturday in Melbourne and was buried on Sunday according to Jewish tradition, survived by his mother and four adult children. Norman was only 63. Long life, cousins!