But Traditions, Ethnic Pride As Strong As Ever
By Simone Weichselbaum, Philly News
Half an hour to shine knee-length motorcycle boots using a vast amount of shoe polish.
Another 30 minutes to oil down the police issued waist-length leather jacket.
And another 15 to iron out the wrinkles in his black pants and turtleneck.
Highway patrolman Steve Itzko has a full agenda before leaving for work.
But in past weeks Itzko somehow made time to insert something else into his daily routine - observing Hanukkah. The eight-day holiday ended Wednesday night.
“I have to do it,” said Itzko, 45, rushing to work on his police motorcycle after lighting the menorah on the third-day of Hanukkah at his mother’s Northeast home.
“I am Jewish,” he said proudly.
Itzko is one of about 100 known Jewish policemen and women working on the city’s force of around 6,000, police said. That number has gone down about 75 percent in the last two generations due to the dwindling interest in local law enforcement among Jewish youth.
Older Jewish officers cite the department’s city-only residency requirement excluding Jewish talent who prefer living in the suburbs.
Jews in general are moving out of Philadelphia at a high rate. There were about 99,000 Jews living in the city in the late 1990s, according to the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia. In the 1980s there were about 140,000.
Although fewer Jews are working as city cops, the network of current and retired Jewish officers is still active.
“A typical class of 100 recruits may have one or two Jews,” said Leonard Lebowitz, a Jew and director of administration for the police. “Obviously our numbers are going down.”
Philadelphia hosts one of the oldest chapters of Shomrim, a New York City based national Jewish law enforcement organization that connects about 5,000 members across dozens of jurisdictions. Shomrim translates to “guardian” from Hebrew.
According to the Fraternal Order of Police, the department has about a dozen ethnic, racial and religious organizations including the Guardian Civic League comprised of black officers, Custodes Pacis made up of Italian-American cops and the Emerald Society for the Irish-American officer.
“Joining ethnic organizations is a “chance to network and keep your heritage alive,” said Sgt. Joe Spera, head of the Custodes Pacis.
The New York Shomrim chapter began in 1924 as the NYPD became more diverse with the children of European immigrants.
“It was necessary,” said Louis Weiser, a founding member of the national Shomrim, which began in 1958.
Plus everyone else “had theirs,” said Weiser mentioning the Catholic and Protestant fraternal organizations within the NYPD.
The Philadelphia branch formed 13 years after New York’s for the same reasons of camaraderie and ethnic pride, said Itzko, who has been a member of both the city and national chapters for more than two decades.
Today it is called the Shomrim of Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley since it includes about 400 cops, firefighters, lawyers and federal agents from New Jersey, Philadelphia and its suburbs.
Well-known members include former Police Commissioner Morton Solomon, District Attorney Lynne Abraham and City Controller Jonathan Saidel.
“I got sick of people telling me ‘You’re Jewish. You don’t have to be a cop,’ ” said Itzko about the stereotype of Jewish men flocking to work in media, medicine and law.
Itzko said he has never dealt with an anti-Semitic co-worker, but Alan Kurtz, recently retired captain of the K-9 unit, said his career was littered with brief moments of feeling out of place because of his religion and very ethnic last name.
While training at the police academy in 1965, Kurtz remembers being the only recruit taking off for the Jewish holidays.
Once he became an officer and moved up the ranks, his colleagues would frequently make anti-Semitic jokes around him not knowing his religion.
“I would say ‘I am related to a Jew,’ ” Kurtz said. “They would say ‘who?’ and I would say ‘my mother and father,’ ” said Kurtz, who is chairman of the local chapter’s board.
Although Kurtz left the department in October 2003, he still continues his 15-year tradition of speaking to recruits at the academy about joining their prospective ethnic organization.
“The Police Department reflects society in general,” Kurtz said. “It is strength in numbers.”
Younger Jewish cops seem to be ignoring their elders’ advice.
“I am just not into it,” said a thirtysomething sergeant who said he signed up to be a part of Shomrim but never goes to the meetings.