Meeting Susan Alter Klaperman

She’s an impressive and erudite woman with a lot on her mind and even more to talk about. Last week, when she called to say she wanted to discuss several items that were important to her, I naturally agreed and she visited the office of the 5TJT on Thursday.

Susan Alter Klaperman was the first Orthodox Jewish woman to be elected to the New York City Council, where she served her Brooklyn district from 1978 to 1993. She had a few questions for me, so I sat back listening and taking notes, but I also had some questions for her, some pertaining to her agenda items, and others that pertained to her political career, of which I was curious to hear more about.

But the first order of business for Ms. Klaperman had to do with the lone soldier organization. Her plan is to recruit former lone soldiers (either American or Israeli) to protect Jewish communities at highly visible events in the U.S.

There’s no doubt that her thought process is motivated by what took place in Boulder, Colorado two weeks ago, when an Egyptian national, who was living in the U.S. illegally, shouted “Free Palestine” and threw Molotov cocktails and a makeshift flamethrower at peaceful protestors who were calling for the release of Hamas-held hostages in Gaza. Some of the injured were severely burned in the attack. Eight women and seven men were injured, including a Holocaust survivor.

While Ms. Klaperman served on the New York City Council, I recall her being rather outspoken, independent, and forceful. Back during my radio days in the 1980s, I recall attending a news conference in her office (which I believe was on 18th Avenue) on the matter of agunahs (women who are chained to their ex-husbands and cannot remarry), and the manner in which the situation was plaguing our community back then.

Ms. Klaperman is a long way from her government years, but that hasn’t slowed her down one bit as she seeks to right so many of the wrongs that occupy the communal agenda in an inordinate way. And that’s what brought Susan to my office last week, which is her idea for increased security at pro-Israel events like the one in Boulder two weeks ago and the pro-Israel rallies that take place fairly often here in New York.

Ms. Klaperman’s idea is to recruit lone soldiers who have completed their service in the IDF and may reside in the U.S. and are looking for gainful employment in the security sector. I connected her to two groups that deal with lone soldiers and she indicated in our meeting that she has ample contacts to help fund a security operation such as this to assist former lone soldiers while also keeping American Jews safe.

Klaperman has had a fascinating career, first as the only Orthodox Jewish woman to serve on the NYC Council along with her ability to deliver her district and constituency in important New York mayoral and other races.

As a Democrat in New York, Klaperman was close to mayors like Ed Koch, but in 1993, she shifted positions and supported Republican Rudy Giuliani for mayor. The support of Giuliani, who won his mayoral race, changed the face of New York City for the ensuing eight years, with Giuliani eventually becoming known as “America’s Mayor.”

Susan recounted for me the time she had a showdown with then-Mayor Koch over the issue of rent increases in apartment buildings in the city. Ms. Klaperman explains that a large segment of her district comprised people who resided in apartments up and down Ocean Parkway and Ocean Avenue in Brooklyn. At the time, there was an unwritten rule that stated a Council Member can vote “no” on legislation they felt would negatively impact the people in their district. Considering that there would be rent increases in the buildings up and down those two main avenues, Ms. Alter told the secretary who records the votes that she would be voting “no” on the legislation.

At that point, she received a message from Mayor Koch’s office saying the mayor wanted to see her. As she describes it, when she entered the mayor’s office, Koch told her, “Susan, you will be voting yes on the rent increase law.” She says the mayor didn’t ask her, but told her that she will be voting with him. Susan says that she found that a bit jarring, especially considering this unwritten rule allowed members of the council to vote no on matters that impacted their districts negatively.

She then had finally had enough of Koch’s attitude and said something along the lines of “You didn’t elect me to fill this seat or to represent this district.” She went on to tell him in no uncertain terms that she was voting “no” on this matter.

Susan Alter Klaperman’s first husband, Dr. Aaron A. Alter, was a cancer and leukemia specialist at Maimonides Hospital in Brooklyn until his passing in 1978. In 1985, she married Rabbi Dr. Gilbert Klaperman of Congregation Beth Sholom in Lawrence. Rabbi Klaperman was president of the Rabbinical Council of America, the New York Board of Rabbis, and head of the New York Conference on Soviet Jewry. He was a religious leader for decades until his passing in 2018.

In addition to possible future emolument for lone soldiers, Ms. Alter was interested in our editorial support of protecting Israel from the incessant missiles and other attacks that emanate from Gaza. To that end, she says that even though she is a Democrat and voted for Joe Biden in 2020, she supports the Trump plan for Gaza. That translates to relocation for Palestinian residents of Gaza to other countries willing to settle them and then allowing Gaza to be rebuilt. Both President Trump and his chief negotiator, Steve Witkoff, have said that it can take up to 15 years to rebuild the area and make it livable.

Susan Klaperman has not held elected office in over 30 years, but that does not mean that she is still not out there fighting for her people.

Read more of Larry Gordon’s articles at 5TJT.com. Follow 5 Towns Jewish Times on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for updates and live videos. Comments, questions, and suggestions are welcome at 5TJT.com and on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.