The Worst Person In The World

Haysha Deitsch.  This is really disgraceful, inexcusable behavior.

Rabbi Andy Bachman ofCongregation Beth Elohim has accused Prospect Park Residence owner Haysha Deitsch, an Orthodox Jew, of "plainly immoral" behavior by giving elderly residents of the assisted living facility just 90 days notice that it's closing.

And from Councilmember Lander's office today:

Two weeks ago, the owners of the Prospect Park Residence assisted living facility told the 130 seniors living there that they would be evicting them, with just 90 days notice. 

To be honest, this is the cruelest, most heartless act I have seen in my time as a City Council Member.  It has caused real trauma for the residents, who are our neighbors and family members.  Many have been there for years.  Quite a few are over 100 years old.  There is already a severe shortage of senior housing in our city (and almost none nearby).
Please sign the residents’ petition to the owner, calling on him to halt the closure. 

As far as I can tell, this decision is simply based on greed.  The owners were receiving a “J-51” tax abatement for the past 15 years, which protected the tenants.  But it has now expired (which they knew it would), allowing them to consider selling off the building for condos, which would make more money than caring for seniors. 

The residents and families – with our support – are fighting back.  We are working with them to explore legal action.  The owners kept bringing in new residents (and talking about “aging in place”) even after they filed an application to close.  And the NYS Department of Health considered and approved the closure plan in secret, without public notice. 
This weekend, residents were out petitioning at the Grand Army Plaza green-market, and hundreds of neighbors signed a petition to the owner, Haysha Deitsch, calling on him to put a halt to this cruel act.

And then there are these two items from 2012:

'Kung Fu Judge' John Phillips was prisoner at Park Slope facility

and

Cherem Haysha Deitsch (an excommunication order from rabbinical court)

Side note: Deitsch is the son-in-law of controversial developer Shaya Boymelgreen, who was a popular Brooklyn blogging topic when I started this site back in 2007.